A Comparison of Marlowe and Ralegh

A detailed Summary of A Comparison of Marlowe and Ralegh

What is it about a cheerful, honest and optimistic invitation to love that brings out the desire in some to sling the literary mud? This paper will examine both Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" and Sir Walter Ralegh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" on a stanza by stanza basis. It'll compare and contrast Ralegh's poem as a response to Marlowe's. That comparison will focus on how Ralegh uses his poem to ultimately reject Marlowe's call to love.

We'll start off be analyzing Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." The first stanza starts with an invitation from the shepherd to his love to come and live with him so that they may taste "all the pleasures" that nature has to offer. The second stanza offers up an idyllic portrait of the couple sitting "upon the rocks, / Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks." The two will then be serenaded by "melodious birds" near falls and "shallow rivers." All in all, it's an attractive place for two lovers to while away the day. The third stanza's focus is on all the things the shepherd will do for his lover. Such as "make thee beds of roses / And a thousand fragrant posies." The third stanza has a flower theme as the shepherd also menti

ons "a cap of flowers" and a skirt made of "myrtle." The fourth stanza continues much in the same vein, except now the focus is on the shepherds sheep. "A gown mad of the finest wool / Which from our pretty lambs we pull." The shepherd even promises "buckles of the purest gold" for the "fair lined slippers" which will protect his love from the cold. The fifth stanza winds up the shepherds mentioning of all the things that nature and their pastoral surroundings will provide for them. And then in lines 19 and 20 of the fifth stanza the shepherd makes his plea that "if these pleasures may thee move, / Come live with me, and be my love." It's a simple enough declaration. If all these pleasure of nature and love that I can provide do it for you, then come with me. But just to make sure that his message has been heard, the shepherd takes it up a notch in the sixth and final stanza. He promises to "dance and sing / For thy delight each May morning." The final two lines of the stanza and the poem (23-24) end in much the same way that the last two lines of stanza five (19-20) ended. "If these delights thy mind may move, / Then live with me and be my love." What else could be more romantic than this simple and honest request?

Marlowe's poem is one of joyful exuberance. It uses a naturalist perspective to set up all the wonders and happiness that the passionate shepherd (through nature) will provide for his love. Unfortunately for Marlowe, this pastoral metaphor proves to be a double edged sword. Ralegh uses it just as effectively to show the folly of the shepherd. It seems to me that Ralegh's position is that young, passionate love cannot long sustain itself. Just as the bloom of nature canno

Some common words found in the essay are:
Shepherd Love, Reply Shepherd, Ralegh's Marlowe, Unfortunately Marlowe, Nymph's Marlowe's, , nymph's reply, thee thy love, fifth stanza, move /, shepherd love, marlowe's poem, thy love, thee thy, passionate shepherd, Sir Walter, Christopher Marlowe's, Ralegh's Nymph's, Nymph's Reply, sir walter ralegh's, metaphor proves, pastoral metaphor, / live love, move / live, walter ralegh's nymph's,

Approximate Word count = 1146
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English