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"A tension between the worlds of political engagement and private retreat"
How distinct are the political and the pastoral in Marvell's poetry

The political and the pastoral certainly figures highly in Marvell's poetry and often

the two worlds become intertwined. Indeed, Marvell frequently utilises metaphors of

nature to help convey and rationalise his political thoughts and feelings. With

particular reference to the ‘mower' and ‘Cromwell' poems, I shall explore the

relationship between the political and the pastoral in his work.

To begin, in the overtly political poem An Horation Ode upon Cromwell's return from

Ireland, Marvell begins by describing Cromwell emerging from a muses "shadow",

and "private gardens, Where he lived reserved and austere". This, as the critic

Friedman asserts, is a typical retreat of "poetic creativity", and one often employed by

Marvell. Indeed, in A poem upon the death of his late Highnesse the Lord Protector,......

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Approximate Word Count: 1541
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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