Epic Poem Upon Appleton House Marvell example essay topic

"A tension between the worlds of political engagement and private retreat " How distinct are the political and the pastoral in Marvell's poetry The political and the pastoral certainly figures highly in Marvell's poetry and often the two worlds become intertwined. Indeed, Marvell frequently utilizes metaphors of nature to help convey and rationalism his political thoughts and feelings. With particular reference to the 'mower' and 'Cromwell' poems, I shall explore the relationship between the political and the pastoral in his work. To begin, in the overtly political poem An Horation Ode upon Cromwell's return from Ireland, Marvell begins by describing Cromwell emerging from a muses "shadow", and "private gardens, Where he lived reserved and austere". This, as the critic Friedman asserts, is a typical retreat of "poetic creativity", and one often employed by Marvell.

Indeed, in A poem upon the death of his late Highnesse the Lord Protector, Marvell presents a young Cromwell spending "pleasing hours" with his mother. The addition of a private presentation of Cromwell lends him a more human edge and helps us to understand his human weaknesses. In his Horation Ode, Marvell portrays Cromwell as a "flame of angry heavens" who "tis madness to resist or blame". This lends Cromwell a godlike eminence or as Thomas. M. Greene asserts, puts him "beyond ethical categories". However, Marvell continues that the "same arts that did gain a power, must it maintain", i.e. the "inglorious arts" of war. The irony of comparing war, something primarily destructive, as an art, highlights the unease and possibly transient nature of Cromwell's rule.

Certainly, the fact that Marvell likens Cromwell to a Falcon, who once "having kill'd" seeks a "green bough" to perch on and then "the falconer has her sure", shows that although he is strong, he cannot continue forever and will eventually be in some way controlled. Therefore, by utilizing the idea of natural retreat, Marvell subtly asserts beneath the grandiloquent verse, the frailty and humanity of Cromwell existence. Indeed the idea of the "green bough", is a recurring notion in marvels poetry, and is often Connected with thought and retreat. In the epic poem Upon Appleton House Marvell seeks "sanctuary" in the woodland to "among the trees and birds confer". This is something that the critic Friedman asserts as the "primeval unity of mind and nature".

This is amply supported by the line in Damon The mower, "My mind was once a true survey... of all these meadows fresh and gay", and further more in the garden Marvell is able to refine his reflections to "a green thought in a green shade". The idea appears to be one of simplicity and inward reflection, in each of these poems; Marvell initially rejects the public world. In the garden "society is all but rude, to this delicious solitude". Similarly in Upon Appleton House, Marvell seeks sanctuary from the flooded meadow, which, if compared with the idea presented in the garden that the mind "is an ocean" able to construct seas, suggests that he is trying to escape the flood of consuming thoughts. Indeed, many critics assert that Upon Appleton House examines the competing claims of public service and the search for personal insight and there is much evidence to support this. For instance, although Marvell sets himself in a traditional pastoral scene with "fragrant gardens" and "shady woods", we see through Marvell's language how the political world permeates the scene.

The flowers are placed in "regiment" and "garrisons" and the idea that once upon a time "the gardener had the soldiers place", shows that political conflict has almost overthrown his thoughts by invading his pastoral scene, "but war does all this overgrow". Here, we see clearly both the tension between the political and the personal and how they affect one another. Furthermore, we see these tensions within the poems, particularly the so-called "mower" poems, that seem to convey a genuine desire for simplicity that is also punctuated by an underlying cynicism. For example Damon the mower presents himself as an idealistic "virtuous enemy of man", so in tune with nature that when he is hot "the sun himself lick off my sweat". However the poem is full of na " ive undertones. As Barbara Everett asserts Damon's world is a "brilliant toy world".

He talks of dancing among the "faeries" that "about me contract their ring". The idea that fairies surround Damon suggests that he has immersed himself in his own fantastic insular world. This is compounded by the idea that he "paints" his scene, also suggesting fabrication. Indeed from this angle, and taking into account Damon's with'd hopes over his unrequited love for Julianna, it can be seen that Damon is almost hiding behind his fantasy and the over the top idea that "on me, the morn, her dew distil's", protects him from Juliana's "cold... icy breast". Indeed, Juliana or the love of her can almost be seen through metaphor as the invasive political force, destroying the pastoral scene.

The disheartened Damon describes his mowing as "depopulating the ground", which again is reminiscent of war. This apparent disillusionment with nature continues in the mowers song, where the protagonist imagines himself betrayed by nature, "could you a fellowship so true forgo, and in your gaudy May-games meet, while I lay trodden under feet" implying that nature continues oblivious to his desolate changed mood. A line recurs throughout the poem", she, (Juliana) what I do to the grass does to my thoughts and me". This shows how the mowers thoughts have again been invaded, and he now seeks "revenge" and to bring the flowers to "ruin". Again the language of war has permeated the poem and the mower can no longer find retreat as the meadows become "unthankful" and he turns against them. Because Damon idealistic world is destroyed in this instance by unrequited love, this raises the question as to whether it is na " ive or even possible to seek retreat.

In The Mower against gardens, the garden is presented as a "green seraglio" as opposed to a place of "green thought" in the Garden. The plants are said to be "stupefied" in the "luscious earth" of the garden. The use of the word luscious suggests excess, and when considered in light of the previous mower poems, implies once again the idea of being cushioned or protected by an excessively idealized pastoral scene. Thus the idea of the pastoral retreat slowly becomes a negative. Indeed, particularly when utilizing the garden metaphor we are only presented with "a temporary walled off retreat" as the critic L. Anderson asserts.

This notion is echoed further by the fact that in his woodland retreat in Upon Appleton house Marvell describes himself "languishing with ease". The oxymoronic quality of this statement suggests that Marvell has simply found a way of easing his torments without removing them. We can, however, approach the idea of retreat from a different angle, in that some cases it permeates the political poems rather than the other way round. For instance, in A poem upon the death of his Highnesse, we are again presented with overblown language. Marvell asserts "The stars that for him (Cromwell) fought", and that in battle there was. "none so brave and fierce". However beneath all this bravado, Marvell portrays "that deep soul through every channel flows, where kindly nature loves itself to lose", asserting that there is a form of natural retreat within where Cromwell can "lose" himself.

Again, particularly when considering that this is a poem written upon Cromwell's death, the inward retreat highlights Cromwell's sensibilities to positive effect, lending him depth and "soul". This also helps to support the idea put forward that Cromwell was "sway'd" into war by an "angry heaven. Suggesting once again that he was hardly responsible for his actions. Thus by simultaneously portraying him as human, controlled by higher forces, yet still able to achieve god like deeds, Marvell cleverly allows Cromwell to take the glory without the accountability. It is clear that the political and private worlds that Marvell inhabits are very much affected by one another. The critic Donald friedman suggests that we encounter this tension because" we are... creatures like all others and different from all others in that we have devised the distinction between creatures and ourselves " This supports the fact that Marvell is unable to solve his problems through natural retreat, as nature will continue regardless of his own mood or the wider political climate.

Indeed, in Upon Appleton house Marvell cannot understand why the house needs to be so vast when other " beasts are by their dens expressed". i.e. other animals only use as much space as they need. This simple analogy demonstrates why we cannot always find our answers in nature, merely because we behave differently. Marvell declares "tis not what it once was, the world", and this hints at the change that Marvell must have encountered in his lifetime plus his probable ensuing need to seek solace in nature and private thought. Yet, most of all, the vagueness of this statement coupled with Marvell's inability to find genuine respite in his pastoral retreats, radiates a sense of resigned futility and an inability to fully understand why he encounters these tensions whilst still being very aware of them.