To His Coy Mistress

Poetry | Andrew Marvell
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 In What Ways Does the Poem “To His Coy Mistress” Look like a Syllogism? 

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 In what ways does the poem “To His Coy Mistress” look like a syllogism? 

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) defined syllogism as a form of reasoning that draws a conclusion from two given or assumed premises. All syllogisms must contain three terms: a major term, a minor term, and a transitory (or middle) term. Andrew Marvell’s (1621-1678) poem "To His Coy Mistress" (1681) can be divided into three parts: the hypothetical, the reality, and the conclusion, which parallel the components of a syllogistic argument.

To Understand the Point: Premise one: All humans are mortal. Premise two: Aristotle is human. Conclusion: Aristotle is mortal. It is easy to see the major (is mortal), minor (Aristotle), and middle (human) terms in a formal logical example.

The Hypothetical Premise: The poem's first part presents the hypothetical premise. It imagines a world where time is limitless. Marvell's speaker indulges in the fantasy of endless time. He also expresses how he would adore his mistress slo

wly and with reverence. He says, 

Had we but world enough, and time, 

This coyness, lady, were no crime.

Here, the poet sets up the initial condition of infinite time and suggests that her coyness would not be an issue if they had much time.

The Second Premise: Contrasting the ideal, the poem's second part introduces the stark reality: time is fleeting. Marvell shifts from the hypothetical to the actual. Here, he emphasizes the brevity of life and the inevitability of death. He writes, 

But at my back I always hear 

Time’s winged chariot hurrying near.

This vivid imagery conveys the relentless passage of time and reminds both the speaker and the mistress that their time is finite. This transition from the ideal to the real serves as the second premise.

The Urgent Conclusion: In the final section, the poet concludes, urging his mistress to embrace the present moment. This call to action is the logical result of the preceding premises. The speaker passionately declares, 

Now let us sport us while we may; 

And now, like amorous birds of prey, 

This urgency to seize the day (carpe diem) highlights the poem's central argument: they must act on their desires now in the face of fleeting time.

The poem's structure in termination mirrors a syllogism by presenting a coherent and persuasive argument. Andrew Marvell begins with a hypothetical scenario (infinite time), moves to reality (limited time), and concludes with an imperative (seize the day).

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