Carpe Diem was a popular wave of thinking throughout Renaissance in literature. Translated from Latin, Carpe Diem means seize the day. The idea represents the idea that one must make most of one's life now, because you don't have forever to live, and if you want something you must push to get it today, not tomorrow. Christopher Marlowe's The Passionate Shepard to His Love, is the epitome of Carpe Diem poetry. The shepard is trying to convince his love to live in the "now", and come live with him, for he could give her a truly wonderful care-free country life. Sir Walter Raleigh's retort, entitled The Nymph's Reply to the Shepard is the antithesis of the Carpe Diem ideology. The Nymph is thinking of the future, when life won't be quite so wonderful.
Christopher Marlowe's The Passionate Shepard is a prime example of a Carpe Diem poem. The passionate shepard is trying to convince his love to come live with him n the serenity of a pastoral life. The shepard can give her fun-filled days of watching shepards with their flocks, while sitting on rocks. The shepard can give her a warm wool gown, beautiful slippers, with beautiful buckets of the finest gold, beds of roses, a belt of straw and ivy buds. The shepard would give her all of this in hopes that she will come to live with him, and be his love. The speaker wants his love to seize the day: "If these delights thy mind may move/ Then live with me, and be my love." (Stanza 6, ll 23 & 24) He wants the love of his life to take a leap into his pastoral world, and in return, he will make her happy. The speakers Carpe Diem philosophy is a romantic view of life, but not at all realistic.
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In Sir Walter Raleigh's retort to Marlowe's poem, The Nymph's Reply to the Shepard, the speaker takes on the contrary view of life, realism. The speaker does not take on the Carpe Diem perspective of the world, and looks beyond today and see's the consequences of the decisions she may make now.
Sir Walter Raleigh Essay The English Renaissance was a time of change. ... Raleigh saw the world from a different perspective then most. ... The purpose of the monarchy was questioned by Raleigh. ... Raleigh seems to present God as a man made creation. ... Raleigh presents God as a hope rather than factual being. ...
Raleigh decided to take on a completely different view of love. ... Raleigh was not only a poet, but also and explorer. ... "The prevailing tone of virtually everything Raleigh wrote is of disappointment and defeat." ... Raleigh destroys the dream image created by Marlowe, and replaces one of grim reality. ... Raleigh, Sir Walter. ...
An Idealistic Shepherd vs. a Realistic Nymph As human beings we deal with life essentially two ways, either realistically or idealistically. ... Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh have captured these two phenomenon through the writings of their contrasting poems "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Marlowe and "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Raleigh. ... In contrast, Sir Walter Raleigh responds to the shepherd's invitation through the voice of the Nymph in his poem "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." ... Though these poems are Similar in format, Raleigh u...
"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh, is a reply to the poem written by Christopher Marlowe entitled "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." ... In Raleigh's poem, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," the figment from "The Passionate Shepherd" is answered with a practical look on love. ... The only slight difference is that Sir Walter Raleigh used a lot more alliteration in his poem than Christopher Marlowe exercised in his. ...
Both Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh wanted great things for England. ... Not only did Sir Walter Raleigh want great things for England; he also wanted great things for himself. ... Both Queen Elizabeth and Raleigh were pleased with what they had learned about this new land. ... She even invested in Raleigh's expedition, and her ship, the Tiger was the flagship. ... Queen Elizabeth refused to let Raleigh go to sea, so Raleigh's cousin, Sir Richard Grenville sailed in his stead. ...
Pastoral Poems "Come live with me and be my love." This is a famous line from Christopher Marlow's poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love". Marlow's poem is thought to be one of the greatest pastoral poems ever written, and has resulted in many responses. None of these responses is as famo...
In Sir Walter Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" (683-4) the nymph explains to the shepherd that she wants a love that will last indefinitely, not materials things that are temporary. ... Raleigh shows that the nymph feels that life is too short to spend time with someone because they offer her material things in the last stanza: But could youth last, and love still breed, Had joys no date, nor age no need, Then these delights my mind might move To live with thee and be thy love (21-24). ...
