On her loving two equally poem analysis
In Aphra Behn's poem, On Her Loving Two Equally, she describes openly about her predicament that has been brought about by loving two men, Damon and Alexis. The persona finds herself undecided in between her feelings for the two men. When she is with one of her men, she finds herself wanting and longing for the other who is not present. For her, as she describes it, she would need to merge as one the two men in order for her to be completely satisfied.
The theme of this poem in the three stanzas could be expressed as enthusiastic passion of the spring of youth that aches for more and newer things than one youth may bear. The poem speaks of how the female persona described cannot choose between Damon and Alexis. She is eager to have the two men but cannot bear to be with one and not think of the other. She says that Alexis spoke out for Damon and facilitated Damon to win her heart. But havoc came when Damon spoke in gratitude of Alexis; this consequently helped Alexis gain her heart. This she describes is a conundrum of Cupid's arrows.
The female persona expresses some differences in the two men. If she is without Damon, then she is without hope. If she is without Alexis, then she is directionless. In reaction to this poem, one can adequately say that Alexis and Damon could be one and the same man, the difference being the personalities. In Alexis and Damon we can relate to real life experiences and fantasy personified. This poem seeks to place emphasis on the necessity to balance between monotonous normal life and dangerous fantasy. When with Alexis, Damon is a fantasy. The persona eventually will have to choose one over the other.
One also could make a very justifiable decision regarding the fact that she really doesn’t love either of them. If the persona did love either, she would not wish to be with one while she was spending time with the other. On the other hand, one could also justify that the persona finds that each man enhances the qualities of the other making her miss the absent man. this further justifies the fact that she doesn’t love either of them.
