The poetry of Andrew Marvell
Marvell: Pastoral Poems
Pastoral (adapted from The Oxford Companion to English Literature edited by
Margaret Drabble):
A form of escape literature concerned with country pleasures, found in poetry,
prose and drama. Its earliest examples appear in the Idylls of Theocritus in
which shepherds lead a sunlit, idealised existence of love and song. The
eclogues of Virgil and Longus’ romance Daphnis and Chloe blended the
idealisation with a more authentic picture of country life, and Virgil added an
important new feature to the tradition in making his poems a vehicle for social
comment.
Neglected during the Middle Ages, the pastoral reappeared during the Renaissance when
Petrarch and his imitators composed eclogues in Latin and the vernacular.
By the 17th century, the vision of
Theocrites, which had satisfied man’s
desire to escape from the pressures of
urban life, gave way to a more realistic
dream of enjoying a rural retreat. It was
a popular conceit of sophisticated court
life to dress as ‘simple’ shepherds/
shepherdesses for masques and other
entertainments.
Jean-Antoine Watteau The Shepherds
Staatliche Museen, Schloss Charlottenburg,
Berlin, Germany.
The Pastoral Conventions and Marvell’s Poetry
In the ‘Mower’ poems, the traditional shepherd has been replaced by a more English
‘swain’ or country worker, in this case, one who cuts grass for hay. He may be seen as
lovelorn, as in the poems dealing with the mysterious Juliana, but also stands against
artificiality and seems to represent Man in his natural state, against the sophistication and
falseness of courtly love or formal gardening. He is perhaps harking back to the simplicity
and naturalness of Eden.
However, he is more complex, in that he is also a destroyer, as with his sharp scythe, he
cuts down meadows; ironically, this also leads to procreation, as new life starts up in his
wake. He can also be self-destructive, inflicting physical pain to match Juliana’s mental
torture. He is active, often striving to be so in the face of pain caused by love. The
application of the tem ‘mowing’ to sexual activity was specific in popular songs of the time.
The ‘Mower’ poems can be read as the conflict between wild, natural sensuality and the
demands of society: Woman, by self-withdrawal, both preserves and maintains sociomoral conventions and destroys Man’s peace of mind. Though destructive, this process is
essential to civilized human continuity.
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The poetry of Andrew Marvell
The introduction of the god Pan in ‘Clorinda and Damon’ is more problematic.
Attributes associated with Pan are woods, pastures, and the syrinx – a flute. Pan is
depicted with goat’s feet and two horns, and wearing a lynx-pelt.
Powers: Pan looks after shepherds and woods, and is a capable musician. He leads the
nymphs in dances. Pan is responsible for panic.
This poem can be seen to fit more with the Dialogues, with Clorinda representing the
Flesh, and Damon the Soul. Following the conventional pattern of temptation and rebuttal,
it seems to be a Carpe Diem poem, but there are Christian implications: Pan has been
read by some critics as representing Christ rather than the pagan god of the wilderness,
and the poem seems to end on the familiar note of turning away from the world and love
poetry, to a more spiritual or religious approach. It may seem to share the view of ‘The
Coronet’ that secular poetry is not as worthy as religious art. Ironically, in this poem, it is
the shepherdess who is the more importunate sexually, while the male character Damon
resists because of his vision of Pan.
‘Ametas and Thestylis making Hay ropes’ is a more conventional poem, almost
following the pattern of a rural dance with its serpentine windings, ending in a kiss. In this
poem, the more conventional male/ female roles are adopted, with the man, Ametas, doing
the wooing, while the woman, Thestylis, seems to have the more refined arguments.
Tasks:
•
Using the poems you have studied, explore the use of natural images – what
effects are created?
•
How does Marvell provide drama in these poems?
•
How are love and religion combined in the poems?
•
What tensions do you find between the pagan conventions of pastoral and
the Christian world of the 17th century?
•
What aspects of Metaphysical poetry do you find in this group? Consider the
use of reason or persuasion; dramatic openings; conceits or extended
metaphors; complexity of argument
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