"Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
These lines use enjambment, or the flow of a thought or phrase that begins in one line and flows into subsequent lines. In this case, enjambment speeds up the rhythm of the final stanza to create anticipation about whether or not the speaker’s ingenious analogy is successful—though it seems that the young woman has firmly rejected the speaker by killing the flea.
"Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Line thirteen features a diacope, or the repetition of a word or phrase with intervening words in between them. By repeating the word “marriage” in rapid succession, Donne lends musicality to the poem’s rhythm while also developing the central conceit between sexual love—which takes place in the “marriage bed”—and the flea, whose body provides the “marriage temple.”
"This flea is you and I..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Donne employs a metaphysical conceit between a flea bite and the relationship between the speaker and his love interest. A conceit is a particularly far-fetched metaphor, which is a comparison made between two dissimilar things by implying or stating that they are the same. A metaphysical conceit establishes a clever analogy between the spiritual and the physical. Here, Donne compares the spiritual experience of sexual love to the physical experience of a flea bite—specifically, the mingling of blood within the body of the flea that bit the speaker and the young woman.
"this enjoys before it woo..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Donne personifies the flea by suggesting that it is capable of wooing, or seducing, the young woman. Personification involves attributing human-like qualities or behaviors to a nonhuman thing. After arguing that sex is as small a thing as a flea bite, the speaker complains that the flea is able to suck blood from the young woman without having to woo her first. He, on the other hand, must exert effort to seduce her.
"Mark but this flea, and mark in this,..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
The first line of the poem contains a caesura. A caesura is a break within a line of verse, usually in the form of punctuation such as a comma (,), em dash (—), or ellipses (...). Here, interrupting the first line with a comma creates a natural pause that emphasizes the presence of the flea—which is a crucial component of the poem’s metaphysical conceit—while also establishing rhythm.
