The Flea (Leaving Cert English): Flashcards

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The Flea
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Date range Donne wrote 'The Flea'

1595-1615

Carpe diem tradition meaning

Latin 'seize the day'; persuade lover to embrace physical love

Conceit (poetry term)

Extended metaphor linking vastly different/disparate things

Number of stanzas in 'The Flea'

Three stanzas of nine lines each

How structure mirrors Holy Trinity

3 stanzas of 9 lines (3×3=9); 'three lives in one flea'

'Loss of maidenhead' refers to

Loss of virginity

17th-century meaning of 'die'

Orgasm

17th-century meaning of 'kill'

Sexual intercourse

Flea symbolises (in the poem)

Marriage bed, marriage temple, divine union

Blood symbolism in 'The Flea'

Physical essence, erotic fluid, sacred substance/Christ's blood

Metaphysical conceit definition

Elaborate parallel between seemingly incompatible things

Triple meaning of 'waste' in poem

Destroyed honour, lost virginity, semen

Tone of 'The Flea'

Playful and serious; witty yet intellectually complex

Consubstantiality in Trinity doctrine

Distinct divine persons united in one God/essence

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