The Flea

                                            The Flea

The Flea is a remarkable metaphysical poem of John Donne. He makes use of a biological image of the flea for the expression of the theme of love. It is an exceptional image to deal with the theme of love Done avoids the use of traditional images and brings the image of the flea to deal with love the poem is addressed by the lover of his beloved the lover expresses love, proposes to her and she refuses it because of her sense of sin, shame and maidenhood. She does not respond to her lover because she considered it a matter of sin and shame it is because of her refusal that the lover gives example of the flea, the flea has first suck his blood, now it’s sucks her blood, so their bloods have mingled in that flea it is neither sin nor shame. The lover tries to convince her that they are more then married in the living walls of that flea, that flea is now their marriage bed and marriage church.

Listening to such a speech of the lover, the lady tries to killed that flea and again the lover trays to convince her not to killed that flea he request her not to make her nails purpled in the blood of that flea the reason is, it will be a sin of killing three lives – life of that flea, life of the lover and killing herself. The lover wants her not to commit it dangerous sin of self murder she does not followed the request of that lover and kills the flea.

The third stanza of the poem is given to the lovers attempt to convince her that all her fears are ground less, both because one in that flea and yet it was not a sin or shame, the same way if she accepts his proposal, it will not be sin or shame. The lover is of the opinion that by accepting his proposal, she will bring honor to herself. The lover wants’ her to realized that accepting proposal is not the lost of honor on the contrary it brings honor to a woman, so she should part with her fear, sense of sin and shame.