The Flea

            The poem, the Flea, is a humor-infused metaphorical expression of a need for romantic affairs between the speaker and addressee. The speaker addresses a lady he likes and wants to have sexual relations with. He uses the metaphorical expression of a flea to explain why they are better off together. In the third line of the first stanza, the speaker says, “it sucked me first, and now sucks thee.” This means that the same fly that bit the speaker and the girl he is interested in. In the fourth line of the first stanza, he continues to claim that their blood has now been mixed, “And in this flea, our two bloods mingled be.” He explains the intermingling of blood is the same as having sex and that the lady should give in to his wants. The speaker is quite persuasive about his intentions toward this lady. He infuses religious undertones in his persuasion. He talks about how their marriage would be perfect in the second stanza's fourth line, “Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.”             I don't think this poem could seduce the addressee. The speaker seems quite captivated by the person they are writing to. He expresses his wishes for marriage, even against the parents' wishes, in the second stanza's fifth line, “Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met.” However, the symbolic utilization of a flea is quite gross. When you think of a flea, one thinks of dirty, infested conditions. These conditions do not arouse emotions of intimacy or attraction. Also, the notion of one Flea sucking their blood is quite a disturbing imagery. Healthwise, these could be a potential for severe conditions. Therefore, the context of the poem and the Flea used as the metaphor are aesthetically unpleasant and will fail to persuade the addressee to have romantic relations with the speaker.