Essay On Peter De Vries's "To His Importunate Mistress"

The poem, “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell was found and published long after his death. The poem is written from the perspective of a young man who is speaking to a young lady. The poem was later rewritten by Peter De Vries. The two are from completely different societies which is evident in their writings. Marvell's poem is based on love and affection while Peter de Vries poem is a mockery of the theme in the poem. The two poets disagree on many levels but the two poems are written using great literary techniques. Peter De Vries changes Marvell’s poem from one of love and affection into one of burden and suffering.
The two poems are written in the same literary technique with a different wording. Marvell manages to praise his mistress successfully by employing the “seize the day” technique. He dons his mistress with numerous praises which are exaggerated and vivid descriptions of her beauty. The poem by Marvel is an attempt by the speaker to get his mistress to sleep with him. The purpose of the speaker is to get them to speed up their relationship based on the argument that they did not have enough time and space in the world to love her as he wished. Marvel imagines himself and his love in many places across the world and describes to her how he wished to love her. He uses exaggerated time frames such as a hundred years to look at her eyes. He continues to imagine the two in various parts of the world such as India. He later states that the facts were different, and they did not have that long. He reminds her that death lasts forever while life was short.
Marvell’s is affectionate to the mistress as compared to Peter De Vries poem which is almost a mockery of the original poem by Marvell. In Marvell’s original poem, the speaker lacks the time and space to lavish his mistress with love. On the other hand, Peter De Vries only sees time and money in the picture. Marvell describes his mistress as Coy, which is a pleasant word while Peter De Vries refers to his mistress as Importunate. Coy is a tender and loving word that shows that the lady was indeed attractive. He takes the time to describe the appealing looks of the mistress. The word coy mean shy in a manner that is alluring. Marvell is courting his mistress in the poem. On the contrary, Peter De Vries uses the words importunate mistress to describe his mistress. The word Importunate describes something that is considered illegal in the society.
Peter De Vries associates having both a wife and a mistress as a cause for downfall for men. He sees the mistress as a double cost who will take away his precious time which he needs to make money to sustain both his wife and the mistress. The mistress is described as money loving, and she fails to show her appreciation to the man who seems to have given up his entire life for her. The woman decides to seek other wealthy suitors. When the mistress leaves, there is a sign of relief as he appreciates the fact that he will not face the problems that are associated with having an affair. To sustain both relationships he would have to work two jobs, but with the mistress out of the picture, Peter De Vries can support his wife comfortably with a single job.
The themes of love and pleasure are given a lot of emphasis by Marvell. The speaker has nothing but a pure desire for his mistress. The speaker declares his love to the object of his affection in the poem. During Marvell's time, sexism was very popular among the men, and this is evident is the argument which the speaker uses to convince the lady to get in bed with him. The speaker was thinking of sexual pleasures, an aspect common during Marvell times. Mistresses were used by the men for the sake of sexual pleasures. The passionate love shown by Marvell is replaced by feelings of exploitation and overreliance on monetary funds in the poem by Peter De Vries. The mistress cannot continue being with the speaker because he is not wealthy enough. The speakers states that he would need a second job so as to sustain both the mistress and his wife. The wife will gladly take him without money, but the mistress would gladly leave him for a wealthier suitor.
Marvell imagines an eternity with his mistress which goes past death. Marvell continues to describe how his mistress’s virginity will be taken by worms when she is dead and buried. He muses that his desires will be wasted. The context in the two poems is also different. Marvell’s poem has its set up among the elite in the society who were wealthy and did not worry about monetary funds. Peter De Vries context is among the working class individuals who have to work up to two jobs to sustain themselves and their families.
In conclusion, the two poems are written in a similar literary fashion, but the two men seem to exist in two different worlds. Marvell exists in a world where sexism is common and mistresses are acceptable. Money is not a problem since the men are in a position to provide for their women. The “seize the day” technique is used by Marvell to praise his mistress. Peter De Vries poem is written for the working class in the society who did not appreciate the monetary demands of the mistresses. The working class were often left by their mistresses for wealthier suitors, but instead of sorrow, they were actually relieved that the weight had been lifted off their shoulders. A poem of love and passion is turned into one of burden and exploitation.