Analysis of the Carpe Diem Theme of Robert Herrick's and Richard Lovelace's Poem.

ABSTRACT

Dalam skripsi ini saya menganalisis enam puisi dari pertengahan abad ke17 yang bertemakan Carpe Diem (maksimalkan hidup). Keenam karya tersebut
ditulis oleh dua pujangga Cavalier, yaitu Robert Herrick dan Richard Lovelace.
Tiga diantaranya adalah karya Robert Herrick yang berjudul “To the Virgins, to
Make Much of Time,” “A Lyric to Mirth,” dan “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,”
sedangkan tiga lainnya adalah karya Richard Lovelace yang berjudul “To Althea,
from Prison,” “To Lucasta, Going to The Warres,” dan “The Grasshopper.”
Saya menganalisis tema keenam puisi melalui diksi karena mereka memiliki
tema yang berkaitan dengan prinsip Carpe Diem yang diyakini oleh pujangga
Cavalier pada jaman pemerintahan Raja Charles I. Selain persamaannya, kedua
pujangga memiliki perbedaan dalam penerapan konsep Carpe Diem dalam
kehidupan sehari-hari. Robert Herrick menerapkan konsep tersebut sebagai
kesenangan duniawi, sedangkan Richard Lovelace menerapkannya sebagai nilainilai kebajikan dan perasaan.
Sebagai

simpulan,

saya

berpendapat

bahwa

pilihan

kata

yang

mengungkapkan tema dari puisi-puisi tersebut menunjukkan dinamika konsep
Carpe Diem pada pertengahan abad ke-17. Hal ini ditunjukkan dari adanya
persamaan dan perbedaan penerapan konsep tersebut.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study..........................................................................
Statement of the Problem..........................................................................
Purpose of the Study.................................................................................
Method of Research..................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis........................................................................

1
3
4
4
4

CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE CARPE DIEM THEME
IN ROBERT HERRICK’S THREE POEMS......................................

6

CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE CARPE DIEM THEME
IN RICHARD LOVELACE’S THREE POEMS................................ 20
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION................................................................. 34
BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................... 38
APPENDICES:
The Poems of Robert Herrick...................................................................
The Poems of Richard Lovelace...............................................................
Biography of Robert Herrick....................................................................
Biography of Richard Lovelace................................................................

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study
One of the most longstanding features that is considered in the middle of
the 17th century English literature is the existence of the Cavalier poets and their
notable works. Cavalier poets is “a group of mid-17th century English lyric poets,
mostly courtiers of King Charles I during the English Civil War” (“Cavalier
Poets”). They wrote poems in a way which embodies the Carpe diem (seize the
day) attitude, and it was reflected on the themes of their major works. For this
thesis I choose two of the greatest Cavalier poets, Robert Herrick and Richard
Lovelace, who bear certain comparable similarities and differences in their works.
Robert Herrick is widely considered as the greatest Cavalier poet who has
ever lived even though he was not a courtier of Charles I. Herrick was one of Ben
Johnson’s followers called “Sons of Ben”, which made him excellent in writing
poems. “Herrick, being influenced by his master as a lyricist, was famous for his
simplicity, his care for design and detail, and his management of words and
rhythms, which made him recognized as a great lyricist in his era” (“English
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Literature, 1500 to 1799: Biographies; Robert Herrick”). Another reason why I
choose Herrick is that he has a strong Cavalier spirit reflected in the themes of his
works which promote how everyone should always seize the day physically, by
doing and experiencing the earthly pleasures such as making love and getting
drunk while one still has time. Paul Willis said that, “For the wistful spirit of
Carpe diem, he is truly unsurpassable” (Willis).
Being a soldier who dedicated all his life to the King, along with his
cleverness and charms, Richard Lovelace became a great and well known
Cavalier poet. He was “the most amiable and beautiful person that ever eye
beheld; a person also of innate modesty, virtue and courtly deportment” (Wood).
Another reason why I choose Lovelace is that his Carpe diem spirit can be seen
clearly from his works. He shows the readers how one should seize the day
mentally, by celebrating inner feelings and virtues such as freedom of mind and
soul, honor, and tranquility. “Among the poets who rallied to the king’s support
during the years of civil war, Lovelace has long been considered the unrivaled
embodiment of the Cavalier spirit” (Anselment).
I choose six poems that contain the ideas of Carpe diem as their themes.
Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism which is usually translated into “seize the day”,
and it is first taken from a Horace’s poem in 23 BC. Three of the poems are the

works of Herrick entitled “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” “A Lyric to
Mirth,” and “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,” while the other three are Lovelace’s
entitled “To Althea, from Prison,” “To Lucasta, Going to The Warres,” and “The
Grasshopper.”

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The first reason why I choose these poems is that all of them describe the
theme of “seize the day” to the readers in a simple, clear, and beautiful way. “To
the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” “A Lyric to Mirth,” and “Corinna’s Going
A-Maying” are considered to be the finest poems composed by Herrick, all of
which reflect the idea of seizing the day by urging someone to experience earthly
pleasures. George Walton Scott said that these poems are “Herrick’s finest and
most sustained poems- perhaps his masterpieces, and even remarks on his
knowledge of the time-honored customs. . .” (Scott).
Lovelace’s three poems are widely known as his most famous works that
suggest the idea of celebrating inner feelings and virtue, despite their strength of
telling the Carpe diem theme through their dictions. “Lovelace seeks to celebrate
freedom and tranquility. His sense of happiness encourages the idealism and the

imagination apparent in his most famous poems, “To Althea, from Prison,” “To
Lucasta, Going to The Warres,” and “The Grasshopper”” (Anselment).
I choose to analyze the theme of the poems through dictions. According
to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, theme is “An idea that recurs in or
pervades a work of art or literature”(“Theme”), while diction is “The choice of
words and phrases in speech or writing” (“Diction”). I decide to focus on the
dictions because the strength of Cavalier poetry lies on its simple dictions. It
reflects every thought as they are supposed to be understood along with their
motto Carpe diem. “In fact, the strong factor that binds the cavaliers together is
their use of direct and colloquial language which expresses a highly individualistic
personality”(Skelton). The dictions help reveal the themes which will show how
the Cavalier poets lived and applied the concept of seizing the day.
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Statement of the Problem
The statements of the problems of this thesis are as follows:
1. What are the themes of the poems?
2. How do the dictions of the poems help to reveal the themes?

Purpose of the Study
The purposes of this thesis are:
1. To show the themes of the poems which reflect the idea of Carpe diem.
2. To show how the dictions help to reveal the themes of the poems.

Method of Research
The method of research that I used in writing this thesis is library research.
First I read all six poems before I analyzed them. Afterwards, I started to analyze
the theme of each poem through the dictions. Then I browsed, read and collected a
lot of references from the Internet websites and several books to help me with my
analysis. The next thing I did was to make comparisons of similarities and
differences between the poems. In the end, I drew a conclusion from my analysis.

Organization of the Thesis
This

thesis

is

divided

into

three

parts,

preceded

by

the

Acknowledgements, the Table of Contents, and the Abstract. Chapter One is the
Introduction, comprises the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization
of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the Analysis of the Carpe diem Theme in Robert
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Herrick’s Three Poems, followed by Chapter Three which is the Analysis of The
Carpe diem Theme in Richard Lovelace’s Three Poems, and the last chapter is
Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which
give-out the attachment of Robert Herrick’s and Richard Lovelace’s poems, and
the Biography of the Authors.

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

Having analysed the poems of Robert Herrick and Richard Lovelace in the
previous chapters, I would like to draw some conclusion. In my opinion, all of the
six Cavalier poems are worth analysing. After analyzing the dictions to reveal the
theme of each poem, I have discovered a great deal of knowledge on how
Cavalier poets lived and applied the principle of Carpe diem during the reign of
King Charles I.

In the first poem, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” Herrick urges
them to get married and have an intercourse while they are young through the
theme, which is “One should live for the moment by urging oneself to get
married and have an intercourse because youthfulness lasts briefly.” In this
poem Herrick compares the fastness of human lives with the short time between
sunrise and sunset, using the word “sun”. He also uses the word “rosebuds” to
symbolize youth since both of them only last for a short time. The word “marry”
is also used to represent marriage and also the pleasure of sexual intercourses.

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In the second poem, “A Lyric to Mirth,” Herrick persuades people to
satisfy themselves with extreme amount of drinking wine, dancing, playing, and
singing. The theme is “One should live for the moment by satisfying oneself
with earthly pleasures before death comes.” In this poem Herrick chooses the
words “drink,” “dance,” “kiss,” “pipe,” “play,” and “sing” to represent the earthly
pleasures. The phrase “crowned with clusters of vine” is also used to emphasize
the satisfaction of drinking wine abundantly.
Through the third poem, “Corinna’s Going A-Maying”, which theme is
“One should urge oneself to always celebrate earthly pleasures without
wasting one’s short time,” Herrick urges people to experience earthly pleasures
by joining the celebration. The words “cakes and cream,” “woo’d,” and “greengown” are used to represent the earthly pleasures of May Day festivities, while
Herrick uses the phrases “as fast away as does the sun” and “as a vapour or a drop
of rain” to represent she shortness of human lives and how they cannot be
returned.
In “To Althea, from Prison,” Lovelace describes an imprisoned man
whose freedom of mind and soul cannot be confined by anything. The theme is
“One should live for the moment by celebrating one’s freedom of mind and
soul although one is in confinement.” In this poem Lovelace chooses the words
“unconfined wings” and “liberty” to represent his freedom of mind and soul. The
phrases “stone walls do not a prison make” and “nor iron bars a cage” are also
used to describe how his mind and soul cannot be confined by anything.
The fifth poem, “To Lucasta, Going to The Warres,” is about a man who
leaves the safe refuge of his lover to dangers of war because he appreciates honor
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more than anything. The theme is “One should live for the moment by
appreciating one’s honor even if one has to sacrifice important things.” In this
poem Lovelace uses the words “arms,” “foe,” and “field” to represent war. The
dictions “fly” and “chase” are used to show the fastness of time, and the phrase
“lov’d I not honour more” is chosen to describe the importance of honor for the
author.
The theme of the last poem, “The Grasshopper,” is “One should always
live for the moment by celebrating one’s freedom and being tranquil in every
situation.” In this poem Lovelace chooses the dictions that show how he applied
the principle of Carpe diem such as “swing,” “hop,” and “fly” to represent
freedom, and the words “sickle,” “green ice,” and “o’erflowing glass” to
symbolize the hard situation in one’s life.
The dictions used and the themes revealed have some similarities. The
first similarity between Herrick’s and Lovelace’s three poems is shown from the
themes. All themes are about the principle of Carpe diem or seize the day. The
poems show that during the reign of King Charles I, the people of England
(especially courtiers and soldiers) lived in the middle of Civil Wars and deadly
diseases. They were in the situation where today might be their last day to live.
This condition explains the reason why Herrick and Lovelace as Cavalier poets
believe in Carpe diem.
Another similarity is that as Cavalier poets, they really believe that time is
limited and the lives of humans are very short so everyone has to make the fullest
of their lives. They choose several similar dictions that describe the quick passing

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time and humans’ short lives such as “youth,” “fly,” “chase,” “run,” “decay,”
“fast,” “short,” and “dying.”
Apart from their similarities, I find a significant difference between both
of the authors in the way they apply the principle of seizing the day. On the one
hand, all three themes of Herrick’s works show that he always urges the readers to
make the fullest of our lives by chasing earthly pleasures such as having an
intercourse, drinking wine, and celebrating festivities. As a Cavalier poet, Herrick
spends his time focusing more on the physical satisfactions than inner peace.
On the other hand, Richard Lovelace applies the principle of Carpe diem
in a very different way. From the themes of his three poems, I find that all of them
show how Lovelace always persuades the readers to make the best of our lives by
celebrating and appreciating inner feelings and virtues such as freedom of mind
and soul, honor, and tranquility. As a Cavalier poet who believes in the speed of
time, Lovelace spends his time focusing more on the inner peace than physical
satisfactions.
Last but no least, I would like to say it is a pleasure to read and analyse
these six poems. They have greatly provided me knowledge about the lives of the
Cavalier poets in the middle of 17th century England, and how each of them
differently applies their own concepts of Carpe diem. For me, it does not matter
which one to choose, either Herrick’s or Lovelace’s way because both of them are
equally good, and I believe what really matters is what we do within our given
time.

Through their poems, the authors teach me something I will always

remember, which is the importance of living for the moment and making the best
of it because our lives are short and we should never waste it.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Texts:
“Richard Lovelace.” The Poetry Foundation. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Robert Herrick.” The Poetry Foundation. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
References:
Anselment, Raymond A. “Loyalist Resolve: Patient Fortitude in the English Civil
War.” Google Books. University of Delaware. N.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Anselment, Raymond A. “Richard Lovelace and the Gallant Thorough-made
Resolve.” Google Books. 1988. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
“Apace.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Arm.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Biography of Richard Lovelace.” Poem Hunter. N.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Brabcova, Alice. “Marriage in Seventeenth-Century England: The Woman’s
Story.” University of West Bohemia, Plzen. N.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.
Bumbar, Micky. “Cluricauns.” Lords of the Drinks. N.d. Web. 24 Jun. 2015.
“Cavalier Poets.” Collins English Dictionary- Complete and Unabridged. 2003.
Web. 26 Apr. 2014.

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“Coy.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Decay.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Diction.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Draught.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Embrace.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“English Literature, 1500 to 1799: Biographies; Robert Herrick.” The Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
“Fetch.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Fly.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Foe.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
Jokinen, Anniina. “The Life of Robert Herrick.” Luminarium. 26 Feb. 2003. Web.
30 Mar. 2014.
“Mar.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“May Day.” Project Britain: British Life and Culture. 2013. Web. 24 Jun. 2015.
“Mild.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Mirth.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Plight one’s troth.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2015. Web. 24 Jun. 2015.
“Poems & Poets, Biography: Robert Herrick 1591-1674.” The Poetry Foundation.
N.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
“Poet: Horace.” Poets,org. N.d. Web. 24 Jun. 2015.
“Prime.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
Pugh, Tison. “Medievalisms: making the Past in the Present.” Google Books.
2009. Web. 28 Jun. 2015.
“Quaff.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
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“Rosebud.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
Scott, George Walton. “The Finest Poems Composed by Robert Herrick.” Direct
Essays. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Skelton, Robin. “The Cavalier Poets.” Luminarium. 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Apr.
2014.
“Spring.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Tarry.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Theme.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
“Unconfined.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. 1995. Print.
Wilkinson, Cyril Hackett. “Biography: Richard Lovelace Facts.” Encyclopedia of
World Biography. 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Willis, Paul. “On Robert Herrick.” Antler. 9 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
Wood, Anthony. “Lovelace, Richard (1617-1657).” Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University Press. Jan. 2010. Web. 26 Apr.
2014.

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