Andrew Marvell (March 31, 1621 – August 16, 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, and the son of a Church of England clergyman (also named Andrew Marvell). Kingston upon Hull ( almost invariably referred The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The metaphysical poets were a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert. The metaphysical poets were a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them John Donne (pronounced like done, dʌn 1572 – 31 March 1631 was a Jacobean poet preacher and a major representative of the Metaphysical poets George Herbert ( April 3, 1593 &ndash March 1, 1633) was a Welsh Poet, Orator and a Priest. He was a colleague and friend of John Milton. John Milton ( 9 December, 1608 – 8 November, 1674) was an English Poet, Prose Polemicist and
Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, near the city of Kingston upon Hull. Winestead is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. Kingston upon Hull ( almost invariably referred The family moved to Hull when his father was appointed Lecturer at Holy Trinity Church there, and Marvell was educated at Hull Grammar School. Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican Parish church in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries A secondary school in the city is now named after him. Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes
His most famous poems include To His Coy Mistress (to which T. S. Eliot makes reference in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Waste Land), The Garden, An Horatian Ode, and the Country House Poem, "Upon Appleton House". Synopsis Written in the point of view of a gentleman who is trying to persuade a woman to engage in sexual intercourse with him although she is allegedly acting coy Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock is the 1915 poem that marked the start of T The Waste Land ( 1922) is a highly influential 434-line modernist poem by T Miscellaneous Poems, 1681-- A genre popular in early 17th century England in which the poet compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house A genre popular in early 17th century England in which the poet compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house
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Early life
At the age of twelve, Marvell attended Trinity College, Cambridge and received his BA degree when he was eighteen; an age at which it was more common to receive such an award at the time. Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Afterwards, Marvell served as a tutor for an aristocrat on the Grand Tour. In British Australian New Zealand Italian and some Canadian universities, a tutor is often but not always a Postgraduate Student or a Lecturer The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means While England was embroiled in the civil war, Marvell remained on the continent until 1647. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. It is not known exactly where his travels took him, except that he was in Rome in 1645 and Milton later reported that Marvell had mastered four languages, including French, Italian and Spanish. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.
First poems and Marvell's time at Nun Appleton
Marvell's first poems, which were written in Latin and Greek and published when he was still at Cambridge, lamented a visitation of the plague and celebrated the birth of a child to King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Henrietta Maria ( 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Princess of France and Queen Consort of England, Scotland He only belatedly became sympathetic to the successive regimes during the Interregnum after Charles I's execution, 30 January 1649. His famous 'Horatian Ode', often cited as one of the greatest political poems in English, responds with sorrow to the execution of Charles I even as it praises Cromwell’s return from Ireland.
Circa 1650-52, Marvell served as tutor to the daughter of the Lord General Thomas Fairfax, who had recently relinquinshed command of the Parliamentary army to Oliver Cromwell. Thomas Fairfax 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 1612 &ndash 12 November 1671 was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. " Roundheads " was the Nickname given to the Puritan supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known He lived during that time at Nun Appleton House, near York, where he continued to write poetry. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. One poem, Upon Appleton House, To My Lord Fairfax, uses a description of the estate as a way of exploring Fairfax's and Marvell's own situation in a time of war and political change. Probably the best-known poem he wrote at this time was To His Coy Mistress. Synopsis Written in the point of view of a gentleman who is trying to persuade a woman to engage in sexual intercourse with him although she is allegedly acting coy
Anglo-Dutch War and employment as Latin secretary
During the period of increasing tensions leading up to the First Anglo-Dutch War of 1653, Marvell wrote the satirical "Character of Holland," repeating the then current stereotype of the Dutch as "drunken and profane": "This indigested vomit of the Sea,/ Fell to the Dutch by Just Propriety". The First Anglo–Dutch War (Eerste Engelse Zeeoorlog (1652–54 (called the First Dutch War in England and the First English Sea-War in the Netherlands was A stereotype (from Greek: stereo + týpos = "solid impression" is a generalized perception of first impressions behaviors presumed by a group
He became a tutor to Cromwell’s ward, William Dutton, in 1653, and moved to live with his pupil at the house of John Oxenbridge in Eton. Eton is a Town in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Oxenbridge had made two trips to Bermuda, and it is thought that this inspired Marvell to write his poem Bermudas. Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. He also wrote several poems in praise of Cromwell, who was by this time Lord Protector of England.
In 1657, Marvell joined Milton, who by that time had lost his sight, in service as Latin secretary to Cromwell's Council of State at a salary of £200 a year, which represented financial security at that time. The English Council of State, later also know as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 In 1659 he was elected to Parliament from his birthplace of Hull in Yorkshire, and was paid a rate of 6 shillings, 8 pence per day during sittings of parliament, a financial support derived from the contributions of his constituency [1]. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. Kingston upon Hull ( almost invariably referred Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. This was a post Marvell soon lost in the changes that occurred to parliament in 1659, only to regain it in 1660, whereafter he held it until his death.
After The Restoration
Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. He was succeeded as Lord Protector by his son Richard, but in 1660 the monarchy was restored to Charles II. Richard Cromwell ( 4 October 1626 &ndash 12 July 1712) was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and the second Lord Protector A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Marvell eventually came to write several long and bitterly satirical verses against the corruption of the court. Although they circulated in manuscript form, and some found anonymous publication in print, they were too politically sensitive and thus dangerous to be published under his name until well after his death. Nevertheless, Marvell's political manoeuvring must have been skillful, because he not only avoided all punishment for his cooperation with republicanism but helped convince the government of Charles II not to execute John Milton for his antimonarchical writings and revolutionary activities. Republicanism is the Ideology of governing a nation as a Republic, with an emphasis on Liberty, Rule of law, Popular sovereignty Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The closeness of the relationship between the two former school mates is indicated by the fact that Marvell contributed an eloquent prefatory poem to the second edition of Milton's famous epic Paradise Lost. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Paradise Lost is an Epic poem in Blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton.
In his longest verse satire, Last Instructions to a Painter, written in 1667, Marvell responded to the political corruption that had contributed to English failures during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. The poem did not find print publication until after the Revolution of 1688-9. The poem instructs an imaginary painter how to picture the state without a proper navy to defend them, led by men without intelligence or courage, a corrupt and dissolute court, and dishonest officials. Of another such satire, Samuel Pepys, himself a government official, commented in his diary, "Here I met with a fourth Advice to a Painter upon the coming in of the Dutch and the End of the War, that made my heart ake to read, it being too sharp and so true. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for "
From 1659 until his death in 1678, Marvell was a conscientious member of Parliament, steadily reporting on parliamentary and national business to his constituency and serving as London agent for the Hull Trinity House, a shipmasters' guild. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers He went on two missions to the continent, one to Holland and the other encompassing Russia, Sweden, and Denmark. Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe He also wrote anonymous prose satires criticizing the monarchy and Catholicism, defending Puritan dissenters, and denouncing censorship. For the Wikipedia guideline regarding editing articles see WikipediaManual of Style. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor A recent study by Derek Hirst and Steven Zwicker of Washington University in St. Louis, has speculated that Marvell's lifelong struggle for individual rights may have been a result of his own inner struggle with homosexuality in a repressive society. Derek Hirst (born 1948, Isle of Wight) is an English historian of Early modern Britain. Steven Nathan Zwicker (born June 4 1943) is an American literary scholar and the Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Vincent Palmieri noted that Marvell is sometimes known as the "British Aristides" for his incorruptible integrity in life and poverty at death. Aristides or Aristeides ( Greek, 530–468 BC was an Athenian soldier and statesman Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and
Although Marvell became a Parliamentarian, he was not a Puritan. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, He had flirted briefly with Catholicism as a youth, and was described in his thirties as "a notable English Italo-Machiavellian". During his lifetime, his prose satires were much better known than his verse. Indeed, many of his poems were not published until 1681, two years after his death, from a collection owned by Mary Palmer, his housekeeper, who after Marvell's death lay dubious claim to having been his wife.
Marvell's poetic style
Marvell’s poetry is often witty and full of elaborate conceits in the elegant style of the metaphysical poets. The metaphysical poets were a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them Many poems were inspired by events of the time, public or personal. The Picture of Little TC in a Prospect of Flowers was written about the daughter of one of Marvell's friends, Theophila Cornwell, who was named after an elder sister who had died as a baby. Marvell uses the picture of her surrounded by flowers in a garden to convey the transience of spring and the fragility of childhood.
Others were written in the pastoral style familiar to students of the classical Roman authors. Pastoral, as an adjective refers to the lifestyle of Shepherds and Pastoralists moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability Even here, Marvell tends to place a particular picture before us. In The Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Fawn, the nymph weeps for the little animal as it dies, and tells us how it consoled her for her betrayal in love.
Marvell gained his place in the history of celebrated English poets due to his keen eye for perspective, and by exploring the options that genre presented him with. His pastoral poems, including "Upon Appleton House" achieve originality and a unique tone through his reworking and subversion of the pastoral genre, essentially attempting to create something new and interesting from an inherited form that had been used and reused repeatedly for centuries.
Footnotes
- ^ John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, Chapter X, last paragraph (p. John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 &ndash 8 May 1873 British Philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential 369 Oxford World's Classic edition, On Liberty And Other Essays, 1991, reed. 1998
External links
- Andrew Marvell's Grave
- Andrew Marvell, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works by Augustine Birrell
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