The Flea

The Flea

by John Donne

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou denyest me is;
It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou knowest that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
And this, alas, is more than we would do.

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, w’are met,
And cloistered in these living walls of jet.
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that, self murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
Yet thou triumph’st, and say’st that thou
Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now;
’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be:
Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,
Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.

Summary

• The Flea is a short poem that uses the image of a flea to explore the idea that a small, harmless creature can symbolize sexual union. It argues that sharing a single parasite, which has already mixed the speaker’s and the beloved’s blood, can be a more innocent form of intimacy than any deliberate act.
• Despite the poem’s playful surface, it contains a deeper meditation on the nature of love, desire, and how people are willing to control or suppress their own passions.
• John Donne uses this conceit to illustrate how society sometimes judges sexual activity more harshly than it does other forms of violence or harm.

The Flea as a Representative of Sex

• The poem operates on a clever conceit. Donne employs the flea as an extended metaphor representing sexual union. He argues that the flea has already mingled their blood, creating a physical connection that precedes any conscious act. This mingling, he insists, is not sinful or shameful. He appeals to his beloved’s reason, suggesting that if a tiny insect can achieve this intimacy without consequence, so too can they. Later, when she kills the flea, he dramatically portrays it as a triple offense – the death of the flea, a symbolic self murder, and a sacrilege against their potential union.

Major Themes

• The poem examines the contrast between the innocence of a tiny parasite and the seriousness of human desire. It also reflects on the tension between moral judgment and natural instinct.
• Through the conceit of the flea, the poem invites the reader to question how much society expects people to do to prove love.

Analysis of Literary Devices

Assonance

• The poem shows long vowel sounds that echo each other. In “How little that which thou denyest me is,” the vowel in “little” and “denyest” creates a melodic feel that draws the reader’s ear.
• In “And pampered swells with one blood made of two,” the “a” sound in “pampered,” “made,” and “two” creates a gentle harmony.

Alliteration

• Repeated consonant sounds are used. In “Thou knowest that this cannot be said,” the repeated “s” sound in “knowest,” “said,” and “this” gives the line a rhythmic quality.
• In “Let not to that, self murder added be,” the “m” sound in “murder” and “added” echoes the preceding lines.

Imagery

• Donne uses vivid descriptions to paint the flea’s presence. In “Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence,” the image of a purple‑tinted nail brings a striking visual to the reader.
• In “Wherein could this flea guilty be,” the speaker questions the nature of guilt in a small creature, prompting the reader to think about the broader implications.

Personification

• Donne gives the flea human-like qualities. In line eight, the flea is described as “pampered,” attributing a gentle care to the insect and reinforcing its symbolic role.

Metaphor

• The flea is a metaphor for a hidden relationship. Donne suggests that, through the flea, two people have already become intertwined, a connection that is not a real act of intimacy.
• He also uses the flea as a way to argue against the idea that the beloved’s refusal is a moral failing.

Enjambment

• Lines flow across sentence boundaries. For example:
  Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
  Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?
  The sentence continues on the next line, encouraging the reader to keep reading and maintain the flow of the thought.

Poetic Devices

Stanza

• The poem is organized in three stanzas, each containing nine lines, making a total of twenty‑seven lines.

Rhyme Scheme

• The poem follows a structured rhyme scheme, often described as AABBCCDDD for each stanza.

Rhyming Couplet

• Some lines form tight rhyming pairs. For instance, “A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead” and “Yet this enjoys before it woo” both finish with an “e” sound, creating a subtle connection between the ideas.