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When read alongside Diotima’s Ladder of Love, recounted in the Symposium, Marvell’s mower poems and ‘The Definition of Love’ seem to be deeply political works. They do not, however, appear to take deeply political posi-tions. They situate their speakers and characters in terms comparable to the Ladder of Love.
Andrew Marvell's "The Definition of Love" suggests that the greatest love is an impossible one. The poem's speaker and a beloved can't be together, but by going on loving each other in spite of distance and hopelessness, they achieve a love the speaker imagines in terms of mathematical perfection.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Themes
- Tone and Mood
- Theme, Imagery, and Metaphysical Conceits in The Poem
- Tone and Meter
- Metaphysical Conceits
- Analysis of The Definition of Love
‘The Definition of Love’by Andrew Marvell talks about the nature of love, which exists between the poet and his beloved. The poet regards this love as being perfect and therefore unattainable. In the poem, the poet, first of all, makes his readers acquainted with the parentage of this love. This love, the poet says, is of rare birth. It is the offs...
‘The Definition of Love’ by Andrew Marvell has the same stanza form that is used in the poems, ‘Mourning’ and ‘The Mower to the Glow-worms’. Each line of the poem is octosyllabic and it constitutes an iambic tetrameter. The alternate lines of the poem rhyme altogether. It is not a glib measure, and all three poems are noticeably short. This poem of...
‘The Definition of Love’by Andrew Marvell contains several themes. The most important theme of the poem is love. The poet describes the character of his love for his beloved. According to the poet, this love is perfect and therefore unattainable. This love is divine, but for that very reason hopeless. The perfect love of this kind is most unwelcome...
‘The Definition of Love’ by Andrew Marvell has a very simple idea, but the idea is expressed through learned imagery so that it requires a scholar to explain to us all the meanings and the implications of the various lines of the poem. However, some of the lines make a direct appeal to us because of their sheer simplicity. For example, the psycholo...
The poem, ‘The Definition of Love‘ by Andrew Marvelldescribes the character of the poet’s love for his beloved. This love, says the poet, is perfect and therefore unattainable. This love is divine, but for that very reason hopeless. The perfect love of this kind is most unwelcome to Fate who therefore never permits the union of perfect lovers. This...
The poem, ‘The Definition of Love‘ by Andrew Marvell has a very simple idea, but that idea is expressed through learned imagery so that it requires a scholar to explain to us all the meanings and the implications of the various lines of ‘The Definition of Love‘. However, some of the lines make a direct appeal to us because of their sheer simplicity...
‘The Definition of Love’ by Andrew Marvell contains several metaphysical conceits, which can be best defined by the lines like “begotten by Despair Upon Impossibility”. 1. In the line mentioned above, the idea is that the poet’s love is unattainable, but to express this idea, the poet personifies Despair and Impossibility. He imagines that his love...
Stanza One
‘The Definition of Love’ by Andrew Marvell gives a preliminary idea about the poet’s love. According to the poet, his love originates from a rare source. The objective of the poet’s love is exceptionally strange and sublime. In the end, the poet refers to the origin of his love. It is the offspring of “Despair” and “Impossibility”. These two words point to the poet’s conception of love. There is also a reference to the poet’s mental condition in this section.
Stanza Two
In the second stanza, the poet thinks that only “magnanimous” or resolute despair could produce such a noble feeling as love in him. In his case, the feelings of love proved to be weak. Here the poet uses a simileof a bird with gaudy but feeble wings to compare it with his hope of love. His heart tried to promise him fulfillment but its effort proved to be futile. So the poet thinks his love could never have been fulfilled.
Stanza Three
In the third stanza, the poet says he could have quickly arrived at the destination in his view. But his “Fate” put forth obstacles to keep him away from his beloved. Here the poet uses a metaphorof a carpenter who drives iron into a log of wood to split it into two parts. The poet presents this image of a carpenter to compare it to his fate.
Apr 18, 2024 · Through the use of paradoxes, Marvell’s poem explores the complex and contradictory nature of love, where desire can be born from despair and fulfillment remains out of reach. While acknowledging the limitations imposed by fate, “The Definition of Love” emphasizes the enduring power of an unfulfilled desire, highlighting the yearning for ...
Aug 1, 2016 · What does ‘The Definition of Love’ mean, and what is Marvell saying about love? Marvell likens the course of love to geometric lines, arguing that ‘oblique’ lines (i.e. lines which slant, or are not parallel) often meet, just as imperfect lovers will often find their match; but lines which are truly ‘parallel’ will never meet (since ...
Marvell’s conceits are geometrical and astronomical. While the latter may be associated in readers’ minds with love, the former certainly is not. Marvell, who draws upon neo-Platonic symbolism...
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Marvell’s ironic tone and paradoxical discourse have led to a variety of interpretations, ranging from seeing the poem as a courtly, exaggerated compliment to an aristocratic lady (as were some...
