In 'The Flea', how does the speaker attempt to persuade his mistress to yield to his romantic advances?
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Correct answer: By arguing that their blood has already mingled in the flea
The speaker uses the flea as a microcosm of a marriage temple, arguing that since their blood is already mixed in the insect, a physical union would be neither a sin nor a loss of honor — a classic Metaphysical conceit used for seduction.
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More John Donne questions
- What is the primary theme of Donne's 'Holy Sonnet X' (Death, be not proud)?
- In 'The Good-Morrow', Donne suggests that for the lovers, their small bedroom has become what?
- The lines 'No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent' appear in which work by Donne?
- In 'The Sun Rising', why does the speaker scold the sun?
- Which phrase best describes the characteristic 'Metaphysical conceit'?
- In 'The Canonization', the speaker argues that if the lovers cannot live by love, they will do what?