Romantic relationships are often seen through the lens of deep passion, heartbreak, or enduring devotion, but some of the greatest poets in history have chosen to approach the subject with humor. Love, after all, is not always serious—it is filled with awkward moments, misunderstandings, and delightful absurdities that lend themselves well to comedy. This article explores eleven of the most humorous poems about relationships, offering excerpts and analyses that highlight how wit and poetry have long been intertwined in matters of the heart.
1. “My Last Duchess” – Robert Browning (1842)
Though “My Last Duchess” is often read as a dramatic monologue tinged with dark themes, Browning’s use of irony makes it a strikingly humorous poem about relationships. The Duke, in his self-important way, unwittingly exposes his own pettiness as he complains about his deceased wife’s “too happy” nature.
“She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.”
The Duke, who sees himself as grand and dignified, inadvertently comes across as petulant and absurd. The humor lies in the dramatic irony—while he attempts to assert control over his relationships, he merely reveals his own insecurity and lack of emotional depth. His thinly veiled confession of having his wife killed for smiling too much is both chilling and darkly comedic.
2. “To His Coy Mistress” – Andrew Marvell (1681)
Marvell’s poem is one of the most famous examples of metaphysical poetry, filled with exaggerated flattery and amusing attempts at persuasion.
“Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love’s day.”
The humor here stems from the grandiose promises Marvell makes, suggesting that, given infinite time, he would devote centuries to admiring each part of his beloved’s body. However, he quickly pivots to argue that since time is short, they should hurry up and enjoy physical love while they can. The exaggerated nature of his argument, combined with the abrupt shift in tone, makes this poem an amusing take on the age-old theme of carpe diem romance.
3. “A Valentine” – Edgar Allan Poe (1846)
Poe, usually associated with gothic horror, takes a humorous and playful approach in this love poem, which contains an acrostic that spells out the name of his beloved, Frances Sargent Osgood.
“For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.”
The humor here is subtle and intellectual, relying on the cleverness of the hidden name within the poem. The playfulness of the piece makes it a charming and lighthearted exploration of admiration, contrasting with Poe’s typically morbid themes.
4. “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds” – William Shakespeare (Sonnet 116, 1609)
Shakespeare’s famous sonnet, often taken seriously, contains a subtle comedic element in its over-the-top declarations of love’s steadfastness.
“Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come.”
The humor arises in the poem’s sheer confidence. The speaker presents love as eternal and unshakable, yet the fact that he feels the need to emphasize this so forcefully suggests an underlying insecurity. The earnest, almost exaggerated quality of the argument gives it a humorous touch.
5. “The Owl and the Pussycat” – Edward Lear (1871)
Lear’s nonsense poem is one of the most whimsical depictions of romance in literary history.
“The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.”
The humor stems from the sheer absurdity of the situation—an owl and a cat embarking on a romantic journey, eventually getting married with a ring from a pig’s nose. The playful rhymes and surreal imagery make this a lighthearted and endearing take on love.
6. “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1850)
Browning’s famous poem is often read as a sincere declaration of love, but its exaggerated earnestness lends itself to humor as well.
“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.”
The dramatic intensity of the poem, with love extending to every imaginable dimension, becomes amusing when read with a slightly skeptical eye. The hyperbolic nature of the devotion is what makes it both touching and unintentionally funny.
7. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – T.S. Eliot (1915)
Eliot’s modernist classic portrays a man so consumed by self-consciousness that he can barely engage in courtship.
“Do I dare
Disturb the universe?”
The humor here is in Prufrock’s exaggerated self-doubt. The idea that merely declaring his feelings is tantamount to disturbing the universe is absurdly dramatic, making this a classic example of poetic self-parody.
8. “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” – Christopher Marlowe (1599)
Marlowe’s shepherd promises an idyllic pastoral romance, offering his beloved pleasures that range from bedazzled slippers to endless nature walks.
“Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove.”
The humor comes from the impossibility of his promises. The overly idealized version of love is charmingly unrealistic, making this poem an amusing take on romantic persuasion.
9. “A Woman’s Last Word” – Robert Browning (1855)
Browning returns with a piece that humorously captures the passive-aggressive nature of relationship disputes.
“Let’s contend no more, Love,
Strive nor weep.”
The speaker’s seemingly conciliatory tone actually hides a sharp edge. The humor arises from the unspoken tension beneath the words, making it an excellent example of poetic irony.
10. “They Flee from Me” – Sir Thomas Wyatt (1557)
Wyatt’s poem humorously captures the exasperation of dealing with unpredictable romantic partners.
“They flee from me that sometime did me seek,
With naked foot stalking in my chamber.”
The humor emerges from the contrast between the speaker’s former romantic successes and his current loneliness. His frustration is both genuine and amusing.
11. “The Broken Heart” – John Donne (1633)
Donne’s metaphysical wit shines through as he compares heartbreak to a physically shattering experience.
“Love, alas, at one first blow
Did shiver it as glass.”
The humor in Donne’s poem comes from his wildly exaggerated description of heartbreak. His misery is so extreme that it becomes theatrical, turning sorrow into an art form.
Conclusion
These eleven humorous relationship poems show that love has long been a subject of both admiration and playful critique. Whether through irony, wit, or outright absurdity, poets have found countless ways to bring humor into the realm of romance.
