John Donne - "The Flea"
Imagine trying to convince someone to sleep with you using a flea bite as your main argument. Donne's metaphysical conceit is brilliantly ridiculous: since a flea has already mixed their blood by biting them both, they're practically married already, so why not go all the way?
The poem's three stanzas follow the flea's life and death. First, Donne argues the flea represents their union. Then he begs his lover not to kill it (calling it murder, suicide, and sacrilege). Finally, when she crushes it anyway, he flips the logic: see how little you lost? That's exactly how little honour you'd lose by sleeping with me.
💡 Key insight: The phallic imagery throughout isn't subtle - Donne's comparing the flea's swelling after sucking blood to sexual arousal.
The consistent rhyme scheme creates a heartbeat-like rhythm that mirrors both sexual urgency and the relentless nature of his argument. Donne's cleverness lies in turning the woman's resistance into proof of his point - whatever she does, he wins the debate.