Marvell's Expression of Love and Tonal Shift...

In To His Coy Mistress, Marvell is desperate in his appeal for the shy yet alluring mistress. His passionate expression of love is romantic in the first stanza. Marvell uses a religious allusion: "And you should, if you please, refuse/Till the conversion of the Jews" to express his never ending love for her. Here, the author's tone is calm about pursuing her for his whole life but his tone shifts, becoming more anxious. The shift in tone begins in the second stanza when the author talks about the lack of time they have to spend with each other. He explains that as they grow older their beauty and lust will eventually wilt: "And your quaint honour turn to dust/And into ashes all my lust." The mood evoked from this tone is discontent. The author is expressing the idea of seizing the moment and not living in regret. He does not want to look back on his life and think about the times he could've spent with her. Instead, he wants to relish every moment with her until the day he dies. The third stanza reveals the author's angst for an everlasting bond with the coy mistress. His expression turns from passionate to hostile. He uses violent words like "strength" and "rough strife" to convey a sense of anger. He becomes angry because he truly loves this woman and does not want to let their opportunity together slip past them. His anger is induced by his passionate love for her.