To His Mistress Going to Bed. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.
The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play. Sign Up. Already have an account? Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Question about this poem? Ask us. Jet is a minor gem made from wood under immense pressure in the earth, it becomes a dark brown or black the color of the flea. Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence — Purple is the color of royalty and the idea of coloring the nails in innocence blood does seem to hold ideas of original sin or the Cain and Abel story.
The last four lines of the poem really get to the heart of what Done has been getting after. That there is nothing evil about the act of sex, that it is part of the most natural part of life.
The narrator is saying that he and the woman he is speaking to might as well have sex. Because they have already been made one inside of the flea. Their blood has mixed in the tiny insect and will continue its life. Therefore they should join together and become one.
References Donne, John. Seriously, folks, that's the poem. It's a slightly skeezy but charming boy trying to convince a girl to hook up with him despite her fears about developing a "reputation. It's a sticky-sweet coming-of-age poem, perfect for anyone who's ever been to summer camp Which is a good thing, because the rest of us would have had a hard time scoring that first kiss if Donne had been stealing all the hearts!
The Poetry Foundation The Foundation's website has the best long biography of Donne we've seen online. Luminarium This site includes a huge selection of Donne's poems, sermons, and essays, all of which are brilliant. A Real Flea Did you ever notice that fleas look like alien creatures? Check out all the crazy Renaissance spellings.
The Variorum Edition of the Poems of John Donne If you really want to be a Donne scholar, you should get your hands on this multivolume edition of his collected works. It's the authoritative version. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By John Donne. The Flea Introduction The speaker of "The Flea" tries to talk his crush into bed by using such arousing images as the sucking of blood, the squashing of insects, and suicide.
Audio "Flea" Audio Click the play button above the image to hear a reading of the poem.
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