“The Flea” is a poem by the English poet John Donne, most likely written in the 1590s. In “The Flea,” the speaker tries to seduce his mistress with a surprising (and potentially gross) extended metaphor: both he and she have been bitten by the same flea, meaning their separate blood now mingles inside the flea’s body. Having sex is no different, the speaker argues, and no more dishonorable. His mistress should therefore yield to him. Though the metaphor is intentionally pretty crude, maybe even juvenile, the speaker infuses the poem with religious undertones: the union of speaker and mistress in the flea is like the Holy Trinity. In this way, the poem is both serious and silly, elegant and vulgar. It is as much a display of wit and erudition as a serious attempt to seduce the mistress.
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The Full Text of “The Flea”
1Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
2How little that which thou deniest me is;
3It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
4And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
5Thou know’st that this cannot be said
6A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead,
7 Yet this enjoys before it woo,
8 And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
9 And this, alas, is more than we would do.
10Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
11Where we almost, nay more than married are.
12This flea is you and I, and this
13Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
14Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,
15And cloistered in these living walls of jet.
16 Though use make you apt to kill me,
17 Let not to that, self-murder added be,
18 And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.
19Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
20Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?
21Wherein could this flea guilty be,
22Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
23Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou
24Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now;
25 ’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be:
26 Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,
27 Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.
The Full Text of “The Flea”
1Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
2How little that which thou deniest me is;
3It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
4And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
5Thou know’st that this cannot be said
6A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead,
7 Yet this enjoys before it woo,
8 And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
9 And this, alas, is more than we would do.
10Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
11Where we almost, nay more than married are.
12This flea is you and I, and this
13Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
14Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,
15And cloistered in these living walls of jet.
16 Though use make you apt to kill me,
17 Let not to that, self-murder added be,
18 And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.
19Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
20Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?
21Wherein could this flea guilty be,
22Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
23Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou
24Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now;
25 ’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be:
26 Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,
27 Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.
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“The Flea” Summary
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“The Flea” Themes
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Sex and Marriage
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Sex and the Church
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Flea”
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Lines 1-6
Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is;
It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou know’st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead, -
Lines 7-9
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
And this, alas, is more than we would do. -
Lines 10-15
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. -
Lines 16-18
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that, self-murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three. -
Lines 19-24
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; -
Lines 25-27
’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.
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“The Flea” Symbols
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The Flea/Blood
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Marriage Bed
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Marriage Temple
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Parents Grudge
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“The Flea” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Enjambment
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End-Stopped Line
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Caesura
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Alliteration
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Consonance
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Personification
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Apostrophe
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Conceit
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Allusion
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Assonance
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“The Flea” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Mark
- Thou
- Deniest
- Mingled
- Maidenhead
- Pampered
- Alas
- Cloistered
- Jet
- Self-Murder
- Sacrilege
- Hast
- Purpled
- Wherein
- Waste
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Flea”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Flea” Speaker
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“The Flea” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Flea”
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More “The Flea” Resources
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External Resources
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"The Flea" Out Loud — A dramatic reading of the poem, complete with costumes.
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A Close Reading of "The Flea" — Literary critic and poet Aviva Dautch close reads "The Flea" for the British Library.
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Biography of John Donne — A detailed biography of Donne, with a close attention to the development of his poetry, from the Poetry Foundation.
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A Brief Guide to the Metaphysical Poets — A brief guide to the group of 17th century poets known as the "metaphysicals"—among whom Donne was a leading figure.
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John Donne and Metaphysical Poetry — Michael Donkor explains why Donne is often counted among the metaphysical poets.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Donne
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