The Flea, notes and quotes Flashcards
How does the structure of the Poem lend it’s self to the logic of the speakers argument.
Rhyming Scheme: AA, BB, CC, DDD, with every couplet there is a new idea, each couplet is a point of his argument.
Line alternate between 8 syllables (Iambic tetrameter.) and Iambic pentameter, 10 syllables, each stanza opens and closes with Iambic tetrameter, ultimately making it a very well thought out, manipulative argument.
“Sucked me”, “sucks thee”, “mingled”, “swells”.
-First paragraph.
-Semantic field of sex.
-Sexually exited.
-Verb mingled suggest arousal.
-Bawdy humor.
-Sibilance - scheming - deceptive, and emphasises lexical field of sex
“A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;”
-Rule of 3, to emphasize that he believes there is no shame in them having sex.
-Makes it sound like a thoughtout argument, very serious wording, yet farcical meaning.
-Sibilance “sin” “shame”, again
O’stay, three lives in one flee spare.
-Hyperbolic.
-Imperative command.
-Allusion to holy trinity.
-Religious belief that God is the third component in a marriage, in this the Flea is the third component.
-Comical melodrama, exaggerating.
“Marriage bed”, “marriage temple”,
-Semantic field of religion.
-The flea is a metaphor for marriage and holy union, as their blood is mingled within it, so they are unified.
-Satirizing religious beliefs about sex outside or marriage.
-Mocking religious beliefs about what marriage is and mocking religious ceremonies.
“And sacrilege, three sins in killing thee.”
-” sacrilege” would ironically be an act like sex outside or marriage, not killing a flee - ironic overstatement.
-Mocking religion.
Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
Suggests if flee is innocent then sec outside of marriage is innocent.
hyperbolic metaphor - tongue and cheeck ‘purpled thy nail’ instead of ‘thy hand’ - shows ridicule/absurdity of the situation.
“Learn how False fears be;”
- fricative /f/ Alliteration, to emphasize how the fears society has imposed about sex outside of marriage/ fornication are irrational, he claims no harm can come from it.
-Satirizes how seriously society takes sex.
“Just so much honor when thou yield’st to me, / Will waste, as this flea’s death took from thee.”
-Alliteration for emphasis.
-Simley, compares sex to the flea/killing the flea.
-Ironic, obviously sex is a way bigger deal that killing the flea.
-Semantic field of morality.
-irony.
-Tongue and cheek.
Comedic chat up line
-Due to the period has to combine the erotic and spiritual.
-To convince her he has to combine the spiritual - a time where religion had to be used to justify anything.
