Donne's "The Flea"

Literary devices in the poem

Oct 13, 2008 Jill Douglass

Donne's "The Flea" is a poem of a man attempting to seduce a woman in a peculiar way: the image of a flea.

Donne’s “The Flea” is a poem of a man attempting to seduce a woman in a peculiar way: the image of a flea. The rhetoric used in "The Flea" contains instances of humor, stretches of logic, and the use of paradox to create a poetic argument. The reader does not realize the speaker’s canniness until the conclusion of the poem.

Use of Humor

Although he is very serious in urging this woman to bed with him, the speaker maintains an underlying humor throughout the poem. This humor compels the audience to read on and discover the significance. He knows he sounds ridiculous, but he uses that to his advantage. Humor is an exemplary quality in a man; all women want a man who can make them laugh.

Metaphor

Donne’s comparison of the flea to intercourse is a far stretch any way you look at it. The speaker tries to convince the woman to sleep with him by simplifying the act; he states, “in this flea our two bloods mingled be; thou know’st that this cannot be said a sin or shame or loss of maidenhead (Donne 1236 ln.4-6).” The flea has already committed the act, what greater harm would come if they did the same?

Hyperbole

The speaker goes on to state that killing the flea would “self-murder added be and sacrilege, three sins in killing three (Donne 1236 ln.17-18).” The author uses a hyperbole here to cleverly instigate her into helping along the argument, which has been brewing throughout the poem.

Paradox

At the end of the poem, the reader is finally made aware of the paradox that has been created for the interest of poetic argument. The speaker has used his wit to impel the woman to do what he wanted; purpling her “nail in blood of innocence (Donne 1236 ln.20)” sums up the speaker’s argument. Although the flea is dead, they are still alive and yet the woman “find’st not [herself] nor [he] the weaker now (Donne 1236 ln.24).”

According to the speaker, intercourse would relinquish no more honor than that which the flea had just taken; he says to her, “just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me, will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee (Donne 1236 ln.26-27).”

The reader is never made aware if the speaker is successful in his conquests; however, using a variety of literary devices such as humor, metaphor, hyperbole, and paradox, he has managed to win the heated debate, at least in the eye of the reader.

The copyright of the article Donne's "The Flea" in Poetry is owned by Jill Douglass. Permission to republish Donne's "The Flea" in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Flea