A Comparison between the Attitudes toward Women in Two Poems: Andrew Marvells To His Coy Mistress and Robert Brownings My Last Duchess
Many poems have been written about the lives of woman and struggle of love they went through. Two of them are To His Coy Mistress written by Andrew Marvell and Robert Brownings My Last Duchess. There are some similarities, as well as differences in their attitude toward women. To His Coy Mistress values women and their love they give, while My Last Duchess totally degrades the role of women in society.
To His Coy Mistress is an invitation to love, while My Last Duchess degrades them. In Marvells poem, he expresses his love by saying, Lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate (Lines 19-20). This shows that he do and give anything for her love. He explains that she deserves much more than she is given even though she is coy, and his love for her would always be there. Browning, on the other hand says his mistress has A heart…to soon made glad, too easily impressed; she liked wateer she looked on (Lines 22-24, My…). Here he disrespects the feelings of a woman saying that it doesnt matter what they get from their lovers because they will like anything that is given to them, saying there all materialistic.
The speaker in To His Coy Mistress is speaking to his love while the speaker in My Last Duchess is speaking to another male. Andrew Marvell tells his love, I would Love you ten years before the Flood (Lines 7-8). This tells the reader on how long he will love her. Browning tells the man whom he is speaking with that His fair daughters self…is my object. Nay, well go together down, sir (Lines 52-53). He says it as if he owns the women by his use of the word my. He also calls her an object and tells the man that they will never be put down, meaning men, in the same level as women.
The tone of To His Coy Mistress is urgent and persuasive while the tone of My Last Duchess is more arrogant and rude. In his poem, Marvell states that if the woman would refuse his love, it would still grow vaster than empires (Lines 11-12). Then still his love for her is everlasting. His strong tone shows the reader that he will not give up from loving this woman. Brownings tone is more arrogant and proud. He chooses never to stoop (Lines 43) to her level. He brings about a sense of crudeness towards women by making them below men. Which maybe was how things were in his time. When women had no rights and werent given equal opinions.
To His Coy Mistress was the showing of affection and an invitation to love. Marvell absolutely could not live without the woman he was in love with and just wanted to please her and be with her. Although, as Marvell placed women so high on the platform in his poem, Brownings My Last Duchess shows feelings of women crudeness and worthlessness.
