The Flea
By: john
Donne
Analysis and
Symbolism
Donne's poem has been often
referenced in literature as a metaphor for sex; in fact, the flea
bite has been compared to the vampire bite and has served as a reference point
for the reading of vampirism as symbolic of sexual intercourse in vampire
literature and pop culture, ranging from classic tales like Dracula to True
Blood and Twilight.
The speaker uses the bite that he
and the woman have received to justify their being joined together: 'It sucked
me first, and now sucks thee, and in this flea our two bloods mingled be.'
Insects are often carriers of disease, and in literature, sexual
promiscuity is sometimes referred to as a disease, not just of the body,
but of the spirit. However, in the poem's opening lines, the speaker tries to
make a case against this argument: 'Mark but this flea, and mark in this how
little that which thou deniest me is.' In the grand scheme of things, asking
her for one night with him is a trivial thing.
Our nameless heroine isn't fooled
though, apparently, so the speaker tries another line of thought: 'This flea is
you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.' Here is where
the mingling of blood as sexual metaphor becomes more apparent; the joining of
two lives in the mingling of blood unites the pair irreversibly, much like the
giving of one's virginity. On the one hand, Donne seems to make a mockery of
sexual propriety, dismissing it as trivial; on the other, he points to the
intimate connection that results from such a physical exchange. In being thus
joined, the speaker argues, they might as well be married, so it would be wise
for them to stay together.
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