Metaphysical Concepts of Time and Space in Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress

Was Andrew Marvell a poet of the Renaissance spirit? The rebirth movement of the philosophy and literature had a tardy entry to English literature with new forms and themes. Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress displays significant references to the metaphysical concepts of time and space, the discussions which date back to the ancient Greece and Rome. However, the poem manifests medieval way of considering time and space. The metaphysical poetry of Marvell combined with the carpe diem theme illustrates an ingenious argumentation with imagery related to the concept of time. The present paper examines Marvell’s argumentation related to time and space in terms of medieval metaphysics.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Andrew Marvell, metaphysical poetry, space, time, To His Coy Mistress

Was Andrew Marvell a poet of the Renaissance spirit? The rebirth movement of the philosophy and literature had a tardy entry to English literature with new forms and themes. Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress displays significant references to the metaphysical concepts of time and space, the discussions which date back to the ancient Greece and Rome. However, the poem manifests medieval way of considering time and space. The metaphysical poetry of Marvell combined with the carpe diem theme illustrates an ingenious argumentation with imagery related to the concept of time. The present paper examines Marvell’s argumentation related to time and space in terms of medieval metaphysics.

Keywords: Andrew Marvell, metaphysical poetry, space, time, To His Coy Mistress