How does Andrew Marvell treat time and fate in his poems?

Answer

How does Andrew Marvell treat time and fate in his poems?

Or, What is “Carpe-Diem” theory? How does Andrew Marvell use this theory in his poem “To His Coy Mistress”? 

“Carpe Diem” is a Latin phrase. It means “seize the day” or “enjoy the present moment.” This idea tells people to enjoy life now because time is very short. We do not know what will happen tomorrow, so we should not waste today.   

In literature, the Carpe Diem theory is used to say:

• Life is short
• Time passes quickly
• Death will come soon
• So we should enjoy love and happiness now

Many poets used this idea in their poems, especially in the 17th century. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) was one of them. He used the ‘Carpe Diem’ theory in his famous poem “To His Coy Mistress,” most likely written in the 1650s. This poem is an attempt by the poet to seduce his “coy mistress.” He says that time moves very fast, and if they wait too long, they will lose the chance to enjoy love. So, he proposes that they should enjoy love now, while they are young and full of energy. Here is how he talks about time and death/uses this theory in this poem.

First Part—If We Had Time: At the beginning, Marvell says that if they had so much time, he would wait forever to love her slowly and gently. He would spend a hundred years praising her eyes.

“An hundred years should go to praise

Thine eyes,…”

Moreover, he would spend two hundred years to adore each of her breasts, and thousands of years for each part of her body. He also says that his vegetable-like love would grow slowly and vaster than empires. The speaker assures that his lovely lady deserves this kind of admiration. But this is only possible if they had