To His Mistress Going To Bed example essay topic

John Donne's "To His Mistress Going to Bed" is an extremely erotic, albeit not pornographic poem that exhibits a struggle of power between men and women. The speaker of this poem commands, on a number of occasions, his mistress to indulge him sexually. His only interest is in satisfying his own desires without regard to his mistress's wants. -- Off with that girdle...

-- Unpin that spangled breastplate... -- Off with that happy busk... -- Off with those shoes; and then safely tread In this love's hallowed temple, this soft bed. These are just a few such incidents that are seen throughout this poem. As the speaker tells his mistress what to do, he is objectifying her by focusing only on her outward appearance, again ignoring her wants. -- Unpin that spangled breastplate, which you wear That th' eyes of busy fools be may be stopped there: Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime Tells me from you that now ' tis your bed-time...

Though she is being objectified, the balance of power soon shifts to the mistress. How? The answer is quite simple: The speaker remains powerful only if his mistress allows him to remain powerful. Take for instance lines 25-26, -- Licence my roving hands, and let them go Behind, before, above, between, below.

Here he is asking for permission to explore her body. If she does not grant him his "license" to roam, then she becomes the more powerful of the two. This shifting of power in this poem implies that while men are seen as the most dominantly powerful of the two sexes, it is in fact the women who posses the power that allow men in these circumstances to appear powerful. As I said before this poem is erotic, not in any way pornographic. Because of that distinction, the speaker, again, seems to have power over his mistress. The speaker is telling his virginal mistress the following -- Off with that girdle...

Today this would sound something like "Hey, take off your clothes already". But the speaker adds this to end of the line Like heaven's zone glistering... In today's terms the line as a whole would be "Hey, take off your clothes already. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen". In essence, he was sweet-talking her. Does this give him power over her?

It appears so, but I for one do not believe that the sweet-talking speaker has control over his mistress. He is simply manipulating her, which does not exude power. Exactly the opposite is true. In one breath he is telling (i.e. controlling) his mistress to take off her girdle. The very next breath he finds himself back-pedaling by complimenting her. He must compliment her after saying things that may seem unflattering to her.

Again, the power shifts back to her. If he had absolute power over her, there would be no need for sweet-talking. He would just have his way with her and that is not at all what he wants. He wants her permission to proceed with the act. There are instances in "To His Mistress Going to Bed" where the male speaker exercises his complete power over his mistress. -- O my America, my new found land, My kingdom, safelist when with one man, manned, My mine of precious stone, my empery, How blessed am I in this discovering thee.

To enter in these bonds is to be free, Then where my hand is set my seal shall be... The above lines suggest that he would like to own her and essentially he will once they engage in sexual activity. In line 27 "O my America... ". he is referring to his mistress as America, which at the time this poem was written was some what uncharted territory, much like his mistress. He is exploring her body for the first time, much like America was explored when it was a newfound land. Line 28 "My kingdom... ". alludes to her virginity (as do other lines). He is saying that she is best when only one man, meaning himself enters the so-called kingdom.

He is also marking his territory on her, which is another way of telling her, as well as others that he owns her. -- Then where my hand is set my seal shall be... That line says, "I have touched you where no other man has and you are now mine". He owns her in a sexual sense and ownership is power. In conclusion, "To His Mistress Going to Bed" contains many instances that both support and defy the claim that men are the more powerful sex. The instances where the power clearly shifts to the female and back to the male is what makes this poem so well written and sophisticated..