Language and Structure

Question 1

Metaphysical features of the poem

Answer 1

• Big themes
• Use of conceit
• Verse form is very controlled and precise
• Direct, fast-moving, dramatic
• Elizabethan context

Question 2

What are the key themes in the poem?

Answer 2

• Battle of the Sexes- playful, not unpleasant; dom man, ♀’s voice unshown, personality shown through actions
• Attitudes to virginity, marriage, etc
• No mention of ‘love’ but implied intimacy- uses scenario to display wit, seduce w/intellect

Question 3

What happens overall in the poem?

Answer 3

Male speaker attempts to persuade unheard female to have sex with him, mainly through use of conceit.

Question 4

What happens in stanza 1 of the poem?

Answer 4

Points out the flea, uses it to try to persuade her to have sex with him. Their blood is mingled in it so it as if they have already had sex. Also- it is tiny and insignificant.

Question 5

What happens in stanza 2 of the poem?

Answer 5

She threatens to kill the flea so he begs her not to as now it symbolises their potential marriage + marriage bed. He warns her not to- it would mean killing him, flea, and herself.

Question 6

What happens in stanza 3 of the poem?

Answer 6

She kills the flea. He pretends to be outraged at first but then points out that since they’re still alive, it and sex is insignificant after all, so they can go ahead and have sex.

Question 7

Absurdity in the poem

Answer 7

Conceit of flea, sex, their relationship and themselves.

Question 8

Comedic narrative/structure

Answer 8

Problem–> implied resolution

Question 9

Wordplay

Answer 9

Double entendres- e.g. flea ‘swells with blood’- reference to penis

Question 10

Wit in the poem

Answer 10

Speaker’s witty argument

Question 11

Comic Tone

Answer 11

Conversational tone varied with mock outrage, pleading, and commands.

Question 12

Why is the choice of 3 stanzas important to the structure of the poem?

Answer 12

Rhetorical power or 3- Used to inexorably drive his argument forward, combo’d w/language of argument- ‘yet’, ‘though’, ‘except’, etc.

Question 13

Why is the rhyme scheme important to the structure of the poem?

Answer 13

Challenging, unwavering- shows he never becomes uncertain, persistance.

Question 14

Why is the rhythm of the poem important?

Answer 14

His persistence is also shown in rhythm- second line of couplets are always longer, driving home his points. Couplets also imply strong certainty that he’ll triumph

Question 15

Semantic field of battle

Answer 15

Hyperbolic in nature- she will ‘yield’st’ to him and he will ‘triumph’st’- not meant to be taken seriously.

Question 16

Semantic field of religion

Answer 16

‘Temple’, ‘cloistered’, ‘sacrilege’- contrast w/comic, secular focus of the poem.

Question 17

Speaker’s voice

Answer 17

• Commanding from start- direct address “thou”
• Colloquial tone
• Mock sincerity “Alas”
• Caesurae create natural sounding voice