The Flea

by John Donne

Genres: Poetry, Classics, School, Romance, 17th Century, British Literature, Literature

8 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1977

About the author

John Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries.

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Reviews

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this poem, it is important to realize who the author is and his style of writing in order to better understand the poem. The authors name is John Donne. He is well known for being a metaphysical poet. Some examples of metaphysical poems can be on subjects like religion, god, consciousness, reality and perception.

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker is talking to a woman about a flea. It was a random flea, but once the flea sucked blood from the speaker and the woman, he used that as a persuasive technique to try and have sex with her. “where we almost, yea more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is”. This quote from the poem demonstrates how he is using an insignificant creature and making it into a symbolic gesture of their union in order to persuade her to have sex. I believe that one possible purpose of this poem is to convince the reader that sex before marriage can be insignificant as the flea. In the poem, the author tried to convince the girl that the flea had a marriage like significance because of the blood shared between the two of them. If the girl would have believed and had sex with him, that would be considered an act of premature sex; which is a sin and biblically forbidden back then. She would have been fooled by the lame excuse, which means that several other people might believe that as well and would have put marriage and religion into doubt.

John Donnes purpose almost seems as if hes trying to make the flea and marriage relevant to each other in a way that ties them together. He pushes the idea that the sharing of the blood signifies a union. But it all depends on how you think of it. It can either be significant or insignificant at the same time. For example, if you think the flea is insignificant than you also think that marriage is insignificant as well. This was his argument to convince the girl to sleep with him. He was ultimately trying to convince the girl and audience that they are one in the same to further his purpose of having sex with the girl. So if you think its significant (blood union in the flea) then you think that marriage is significant. If I stand in John donnes shoes, then I would have convinced the girl by telling her this, “ Why do you believe in marriage but you don’t believe in our union within the flea, is it not the same thing? “ The way that he descrives the union in the flea is very common with the idea of union and marriage which is why he used it to add fuel to his scheme. In other words the excuse he made up is strong enough to doubt religion if the girl would have accepted to have sex with him.

[Marzieh Torabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is;
It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.
...

[Hilda Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as a read the title “The Flea” I literally thought it was going to compare the narrator as his life being a flea. Maybe like the story “The Metamorphosis” where the narrator wakes up as a cockroach but that wasn't it. As I was reading the poem, it became more interesting to me like is he really talking about wanting to making love? At the end I was like “wow” it is crazy how a flea can have such a huge meaning to the narrator. The tone of the poem is a little dramatic and ridiculously amusing.

In the short poem “The Flea”, the narrator talks about how a flea sucked his blood first and then his loved one. Now inside the flea are his blood and his loved one’s blood mingled. He enjoys it very much and does not think it is “a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead.” But when his loved one wants to kill it he tells her that she would be committing three sins for three lives she would be killing-his life, her life, and the flea’s life.” Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare… And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.” He describes that his lives are in the living walls of the flea “w’are met, And cloistered in these living walls of jet.” At the end of the poem the lover ends up killing the flea anyways. “Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me, will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.”

The narrator is describing his love desire and loves the idea that their blood is mingled into this flea. He doesn't want the flea to get killed; I think he is trying to say that’s the closest they can get to being intimate. In his eyes they are considered one flesh now. He wants to make love to her and wants her to give herself to him. He is trying to convince her to have premarital sex. Since the flea has their blood mingled, the flea has done something she doesn't want to do. “Where we almost, nay more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this, our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;”

It is quite interesting how the narrator used the flea in this poem. Yet it is also strange because we think of a flea to be something gross and irritating. Overall, I would recommend this poem because I believe it is rich and it can also be seen by other readers as a humorous narrative. The poet uses the flea as a metaphor to describe his love desire.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this poem was a special kind of special. It waxes philosophical on being united in marriage in the same language as being united with a flea once it has bitten you. Then goes on to express how the flea is a murderer. Now, try getting those images out of your head.

[Theredheaded_Bibliomaniac · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Introduction to Metaphysical poet..
.
It was hilarious
Even though it's not funny
Coz the topic
It's pretty serious topic
But you can't imagine someone write this or think this way from a Flea..
.
I will say must read..

[Maria Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this poem "The Flea" by John Donne I liked this poem because men have been sweet talkers just to get a woman in bed even from back in time. In this poem I believe it is about a man who wants to seduce a woman. He uses a flea as an example of their love together. She is worried about losing her virginity and being shamed and thinking that it is a sin but the clever man says that the flea has sucked his blood and now hers and their bloods are mixed together and they are one and nothing is wrong with that. And when the woman wants to kill the flea he says not to because it will kill their love as the flea presents them as one now. She does not really care and kills the flea anyways and says that they are perfectly fine that nothing happened because the flea is dead. And that's when he mentions like you see if we have sex nothing will happen nor will it be a sin, or shameful it is natural like the way the flea sucking your blood. This is how I interpreted this poem.

[zelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to applaud Donne's...different perspective. The actual flea is really just an extended metaphor, symbolic of the blood union between the speaker and the woman he's lusting after.

I admit it's good, but it was kind of weird and uncomfortable to read. I guess you could say that I'm so 'Donne' with his poetry. Hah. (hopefully my literature teacher doesn't ever see this oops)

[Jaylene Alarcón · Rating 5 out of 5]

a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... love this poem!!

[Nayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the jstor paper "Explicating Donne: The Apparition and The Flee" alongside

[Ruby Scupp · Rating 3 out of 5]

And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
And this, alas, is more than we would do.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A playful poem in which the author claims a flea has already bitten both himself and a certain young lady, so they may as well have sex since their blood is already mingled in the belly of the flea.

Say it with me: yikes.

[Pearl Pena · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the poem "The Flea" by John Donne, we can see the different perspectives men and women have on the issue of premarital sex. The authors metaphor comparing sex between a man and a woman to it being the same as getting bit by a flea is surprising. Yet it reveals how a woman’s morals can prevail over such peculiar attempts to just coax sex. Women should know that they hold the power when it comes to sex and that no amount of persuasion should make you disregard ones morals.

The narrator uses a simple flea to try to prove his argumentative point. The title used is perfect because this narrator is grasped by an absurd idea that the flea being used is a metaphor of their marriage or "love". He tries seducing a woman to get in bed with him based on the action of the flea and that sex is harmless. The theme this poem explores is sex and guilt. I personally disliked the poem for the simple fact that this man uses such a small insignificant insect such as a flea to try to get this woman to make love to him. He doesn’t even bother with trying to prove his love to her or show this female any kind of respect by respecting her wishes. I personally don’t see how an insect such as a flea or should I say especially a flea would have anything to do with his strategy on trying to get this woman to sleep with him. Did he really think this would work?

The poem is in a form of a conversation being carried on but with only one speaker. The man who is the speaker in the poem is generating a justification on the two sides on why the woman should sleep with him. "How little that which thou deniest me is" (line 2) He states that she is denying him sex but it is nothing big. Although the other someone never replies, it is only evident that she does not agree by the series of events that are being shared by the speaker. It is apparent that the narrators endeavor to lure a woman has been a failure. It is not clear as to why this woman does not wish to have sex with this man but from the statement in the reading, it may be due to their love grudged upon their parents. The narrator is using a metaphor as unity from the flea that carries both their blood from the bite the flea did to both of them. One can tell from the shift in tone that the narrator goes from passionate to argumentative. He is making it seem that there is no difference in the flea carrying both their blood than that of which takes place at the point of intimacy. As per lines (4,5,6) "And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Thou know’st that this cannot be said, A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead", he is using an argumentative statement that mingling cannot be labeled as a sin, or shame, or loss of virginity. He mentions marriage from which a husband and wife are considered to become one, and feels this has already occurred by both their bloods being mixed. He believes that it makes up for them being a whole and having sex would not make much of a difference.

The narrators maneuver of blandishments are not too proficient if I must say so. As a woman I can honestly add that I would not dare to give myself to this man. His way of trying to seduce this woman is not convincing whatsoever but rather tricky. The woman feels that by having sex with this man she would be dishonoring not only her parents but her moral beliefs as well. Therefore, she wants to kill the flea at once and make it all come to an end. The lover thinks that by killing this flea she is not only committing a sin upon killing the flea itself but by killing all three of them. Upon killing the flea, the narrator flips it by stating that just the way it was as easy and simple to kill the flea and commit such a sin, that she would lose no more by sleeping with him. The key to this poem is the flea which the man uses to symbolize their love. Ultimately by killing this flea it's like she has killed the concept which represents their love. I enjoyed the ending because he fails at his attempt and proves that the woman is the one who holds the power by continuing to reject this man’s lust. Therefore the female is the one in control until she is ready and decides when is the right time.

[Carla Output · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok folks, to put this poetry into perspective it is important to understand the author's life and how his poetry and writings evolved throughout his life. The Flea was written when he was a young man before he met his wife and has a gregarious and lecherous air to it, which belies his later somber religious sermons. Indeed, reading through Donne’s works in chronological order is an anthropological study in how the hardships of life and love shape a man throughout his lifetime.
John Donne was a contradiction, he was born into a family of Roman Catholics related to the famous Catholic martyr and Saint Thomas More and in contrast, he wrote erotic poetry and had quite a fan following in his lifetime. He was born in England during an anti-Catholic time period. At first, he seemed destined for Catholic martyrdom like the rest of his family. He did not graduate from Oxford University or the University of Cambridge, because he refused to take an oath to the Church of England required for graduation. His brother, Henry Donne, was convicted of Catholic sympathies and died in prison after being tortured quite mercilessly in 1593. This shook Donne’s faith as he continued to use his inheritance on womanizing and mirth. It is believed that is was during this time that The Flea was written.
In his mid-twenties, he went to work for Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. Over the four years he worked for Sir Egerton, Donne fell in love with and married Sir Egerton’s sixteen-year-old niece, Anne More. Anne’s family was so upset that they had Donne jailed along with the Anglican priest that performed the wedding until they could prove that the marriage was legitimate. Eventually, he was freed from jail and the growing family (they had twelve children) struggled economically relying on wealthy family members and benefactors until Anne’s father paid her dowry eight years later. In 1610, Donne published his anti-Catholic poem “Pseudo-Martyr” winning him the patronage of King James I that insisted that Donne convert to the Church of England and take his vows as an Anglican priest. He was soon appointed Royal Chaplain and wrote some of the most famous religious sermons in the English language including “no man is an island,” “death be not proud,” and “for whom the bell tolls.” It is fascinating to read The Flea from Donne’s carefree youth followed by Donne’s erotic poetry while he was married, then start reading his religious sermons that reflect a grown Donne that had lost his great love in his wife and many of his children. It really shows the evolution of a man in the 17th Century England.
My initial reaction to first reading The Flea by John Donne was to laugh. At first, I was quite impressed at his masterful pickup lines and I thought to myself in the modern-day vernacular that John Donne “had game” in his day. He is trying very hard to convince a young lady to give up her virginity to him by comparing it to the mixing of blood in a flea. He treats it as such a simple thing and yet for a woman in this time period, particularly of noble birth, it is not a simple thing to give up your virginity before marriage. Indeed, this would be quite taboo and stigmatizing for the young woman.
The poem is an extended metaphor involving a flea. At the time fleas were everywhere and had free reign to crawl along ladies’ flesh to the envy of lecherous young men like John Donne. During that time period, sex was viewed as a mixing of blood. Making the blood-sucking and intermingling of blood alluded to by the poem particularly salacious for the time period. Viewed with a modern lens, this is somewhat dark humor considering that millions have died of the plague throughout human history that was found to be transmitted by fleas in the 1800s.
In the very first stanza, Donne starts off by using suggestive language when he states that the flea has “sucked me first, and now sucks thee,” and now their bloods are intermingled alluding to sex. He continues to allude to having premarital sex when he refers to the “loss of maidenhead,” swelling as with an erection, and with one blood made of two. The rhymes are simple and not overly clever. It is almost like he was writing what amounts to a dirty schoolboy limerick that is meant to give his friends a good laugh.
The second stanza is a bit more dramatic with Donne moving on from the salacious imagery of their blood intermingling after being sucked on by the same flea to saying that they are more than married now and that killing that flea would be akin to a murder-suicide. During this time period, the imagery of death was a euphemism for orgasm. I imagine that at this point the young lady is rolling her eyes in exasperation.
At the end of the poem, the young lady has fulfilled the imagery of death by purpling her nail with the innocent blood from the flea. Now that the flea metaphor has drawn to a close, Donne argues that she didn’t die when the flea died and that she should “learn how false, fears be; Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me ....” In other words, the fear she harbors over losing her honor by surrendering her virginity to him is unfounded/exaggerated and such a small thing like the flea she just squashed.
The Flea follows a traditional sonnet rhyme scheme of 3 stanzas that intermixes iambic tetrameter and iambic pentameter using the following rhyme scheme: AA BB CC DDD.
My final interpretation of the poem is that it reflects the spirit of carefree young man that really wanted to have sexual relations with a young woman that valued her honor, hence probably someone of noble birth. Seen through the lens of the life that Donne lived having married a sixteen-year-old at age twenty-nine against her parents’ wishes, it seems to indicate that he successfully used the argument he outlined as a young man in The Flea at least once. His success landed him in jail and a life of poverty; but, by all accounts, he was very much in love with his wife and ceased his womanizing ways when they married. The close reading of this text made me focus on the drawn-out conceit of the flea and of death in the poem. The reader became so focused on the sexual innuendos involved the flea imagery that initially the reader missed the purposeful use of the double entendre of death.

[Frida · Rating 3 out of 5]

this man is HORNY!!!!!!!!!! truly a pioneer for all incels, he probs smacked her after writing this since she refused to have s*x wth him LOL This poem is like the 16th century literary precursor to smut fanfic it hasthat slightly uncomfortable overly vulgar sort of description that makes you question the authors sanity.... its kinda funny doe

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary lyric -- amazing for its realism, for its emotional force and for the ingenuity with which Donne has argued the case for physical union without any social embarrassments.

In one of his most famous conceits, the poet likens the body of the flea to a temple and a marriage-bed. As the beloved makes ready to slay the flea, the lover asks her to stay and not to slaughter the poor creature. Their two bloods have been united together in its body, as they are amalgamated through marriage in a church.

So its body is a temple in which they have been married. The individual bloods of the lover and the beloved mingle through the sexual communication. Now they have mingled in the flea, so its body is their marriage- bed.

They meet in the concealment of its body, despite the objections of her parents and herown objections.

She must not kill the flea, for the act would not merely be cruelty to which she is used. It will be a sin, a sacrilege. It would be triple murder. Donne's usage of religious terms for the trival act of killing a flea imparts an odd strength and proximity to his desire of physical union with his beloved.

By the third stanza, the beloved has already slayed the blameless flea. Yet, the innocent creature was guilty of no other crime except that of the sucking of their respective bloods. The beloved herself admits that the loss of a drop of blood which the flea sucked has in no way made her feeble.

She has also lost no honour in this way. Since she would lose as little blood in physical union with him as she lost in her physical contact with the flea, it follows that she would also lose as little honour. Consequently, she must not vacillate to yield herself up to him.

Thus like a shrewd lawyer Donne has argued his point home. He has devastated the conventional Petrarchan attitude towards love, as well as the wrong notions of honour and chastity and confirmed that even true, spiritual love has its basis in physical union.

The body and the soul must both be contented.

[Sadifura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, John Donne. While your religious metaphysical poetry is beautiful, erotic, and metaphorical, this poem feels like negging from that one sleazy man in a bar. The beautiful poetic style of the metaphysical poets is on full display here; however, it's for the most embarrassing purpose in the world.

This is three stars simply because of the beautiful poetry. If not for the beautiful style of Donne, I would've given this a 2.

[Amelia Bujar · Rating 1 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...

Maybe poems aren’t for me but it feels like the more poems I read the more I hate every poem in the world.

The plot was very boring here and very uninteresting. It was in a way a huge torture reading this poem.

The writing style here was pretty weak it might be just me who is very picky about what I liked and what I don’t like. But in my opinion it was pretty uninteresting.

[Acadia Wynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

My professor described Dunn as "the sexy poet" and if being romanced through a poem about a flea biting me counts as sexy, then I am very, very glad that I've been born into this century and not that one. Interesting premise when you read into it, even if Dunn is essentially just saying that the girl should sleep with him (as is the end lesson with many of his "romantic" poems)

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un poema que habla de una unión sexual pecaminosa que se consuma a través de una pulga, es excelente por donde se lo mire!!!!
Posdata: descubrí que el motivo literario de la pulga existe y no fue usado solamente por John Donne.

[dóra balázs · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, nay more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, we are met,
And cloistered in these living walls of jet."

[Eduard Gafton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read as part of The Norton Anthology of Poetry

We haven't even been properly introduced, but I'm already Donne with your poetry.

[cristina]

this was interesting hm

[Gadi Zaig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly an interesting poem that won’t bore you. Donne’s stretch to use a flea or mosquito as a metaphor for sexual lust - which is a weird but intriguing stretch.

[Dol Leander · Rating 5 out of 5]

i dont know... i think this poem would work on me

[Fieke]

horror

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Flea
Another poem of lovers’ plea. ***
“… our two bloods mingled be;”
“.. with one blood made of two,”
Emily Bronte MUST have been influenced by Donne!

[Sargun Saddhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

bruh

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic poem in which we are asked to spare the flea, not for their own sake but because the co-mingled blood inside her holds us in union.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was an experience...

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love weird poetry that let's one perceive love from a different pov

"It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;"