Welcome to Poem of the Day – The Definition of Love by Andrew Marvell.
Andrew Marvell’s The Definition of Love explores the complex and often painful dynamics of a love that is both rare and unattainable. Through metaphysical imagery, philosophical reasoning, and a tone that blends longing with resignation, Marvell presents love as a force that transcends the ordinary but is thwarted by fate’s unyielding constraints. The poem‘s structure, built around a series of metaphysical conceits, emphasizes the tension between the ideal and the real, between desire and impossibility. This essay will delve into the themes of the poem, its use of paradox and metaphor, and the tragic yet sublime nature of the love it portrays.
The Definition of Love Explanation
1. The Birth of Love: From Despair to Impossibility
The opening stanza introduces the paradoxical nature of the love Marvell describes: “My love is of a birth as rare / As ’tis for object strange and high.” This statement suggests that the love is extraordinary and exceptional, unlike ordinary romantic love. The phrase “as rare as ’tis for object strange and high” hints that this love is not only rare in its intensity but also in its unattainability. It exists outside the realm of the usual, which Marvell immediately characterizes as “begotten by Despair / Upon Impossibility.” Despair is presented as the sole parent of this love, suggesting that it arose from a sense of hopelessness rather than optimism or joy. The fact that this love is “begotten upon Impossibility” further emphasizes its inaccessibility. It is a love that can only exist in the realm of the impossible, a concept that haunts the rest of the poem.
This idea of love emerging from despair rather than hope serves as the central tension of the poem. While typical love is associated with desire and fulfillment, Marvell’s love is born out of negation, a deep yearning for something unattainable. It is as though the very nature of this love is defined by its own impossibility.
2. The Failure of Hope and the Strength of Despair
In the second stanza, Marvell contrasts “magnanimous Despair” with “feeble Hope.” Despair is depicted as strong, almost divine, while Hope is portrayed as weak and ineffective. “Magnanimous Despair alone / Could show me so divine a thing,” Marvell writes, suggesting that it is only through despair that one can glimpse such a “divine” and rare form of love. Hope, on the other hand, “vainly flapp’d its tinsel wing,” implying that it is superficial and ultimately powerless in the face of such a love. The metaphor of “feeble Hope” flapping a “tinsel wing” evokes an image of something flimsy and insubstantial, incapable of achieving anything of real value.
Through this contrast, Marvell elevates despair to a place of power. Despair is not merely the absence of hope but a force that allows one to perceive a higher, though unattainable, form of love. The message here seems to be that love, when rooted in despair, becomes more intense and profound, but it also becomes more tragic, as it is inherently doomed to fail.
3. Fate’s Iron Wedges
The third stanza introduces the concept of fate as the central antagonist to the union of the lovers. Marvell’s love is not only rare but also thwarted by external forces. The speaker’s “extended soul” is “fixt,” meaning that his love is deeply entrenched, but “Fate does iron wedges drive, / And always crowds itself betwixt.” Here, fate is personified as an oppressive force that drives wedges between the lovers, keeping them apart despite their deep connection. This imagery of “iron wedges” suggests that the obstacles placed before the lovers are not just external but rigid, unyielding, and painful.
Fate’s interference is not random but seems to be driven by jealousy, as described in the following stanza. “For Fate with jealous eye does see / Two perfect loves, nor lets them close.” The jealousy of fate, in this context, is not the jealousy of a lover but rather a cosmic force that seeks to prevent the union of two perfect souls. Marvell portrays fate as a tyrant, one whose power could be overthrown by the union of these lovers. The love they share threatens the very foundations of fate’s control.
4. The Impossible Union: Parallel Lines
In the fourth stanza, Marvell explores the metaphor of parallel lines, using geometry to describe the relationship between the two lovers. He writes, “As lines, so loves oblique may well / Themselves in every angle greet; / But ours so truly parallel, / Though infinite, can never meet.” Here, Marvell utilizes the metaphor of parallel lines to describe the love that cannot come together. While oblique lines may intersect at some point, parallel lines, no matter how far they extend, will never meet. This metaphor serves to underline the impossibility of the lovers’ union.
The idea of “infinite” parallel lines adds a sense of eternal longing to the poem. The love between the two individuals is vast and unending, but it is also eternally unattainable. This image of infinite separation enhances the tragedy of the poem, as the lovers are not just distant but forever separated, unable to ever unite despite the boundless nature of their love.
5. The Final Opposition of Mind and Stars
In the final stanza, Marvell returns to the theme of cosmic opposition, stating that the love which binds the two lovers is both “the conjunction of the mind” and “the opposition of the stars.” The mind, representing human will and desire, is in union, but the stars, which represent fate or destiny, stand in opposition. This final image encapsulates the central conflict of the poem: the lovers’ desires and mental connection are strong and true, but the larger, impersonal forces of fate (represented by the stars) prevent them from coming together.
The opposition of the mind and stars suggests that while human beings may form deep, meaningful connections, they are still subject to forces beyond their control—forces that can either bring them together or keep them apart. This tension between individual will and cosmic determinism is one of the most profound themes of the poem.
Conclusion
Andrew Marvell’s The Definition of Love is a meditation on the unattainability of perfect love, framed within the context of metaphysical conceits and a tragic exploration of fate’s power. The poem presents love as an extraordinary, rare, and almost divine experience, one that is thwarted by external forces, particularly fate. The lovers in the poem are portrayed as being eternally separated, bound by a connection that is both deeply mental and metaphysical, but hindered by the opposition of the stars. Through powerful imagery, paradoxical contrasts, and philosophical reflection, Marvell creates a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is doomed—a love that exists in the realm of the ideal but can never be fully realized in the real world.
