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The Symbolism in “To His Coy Mistress” We all have the choice either to take advantage of time or allow time to take advantage of us. This choice has been a struggle for everyone in some point in their lifetime. It has also been a topic in many literary pieces, for example this idea is presented in “To His Coy Mistress”, a poem by Andrew Marvell. In this poem, the opportunity of living life to the fullest or choosing to waste your time is supplied through symbolism. According to Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus symbolism is, “conveying impressions by suggestion rather than by direct statements”(“symbolism”). Using symbolism to express ideas makes it possible to visualize things that are not usually perceived, and in this case it makes time seem almost visible. Time is symbolized through a lover attempting to seduce a mistress, “a lady to whom courtesy and courtly convention and erotic longing attribute a superordinate status, a power to command”(Atlantic), into having a sexual relationship with him. The idea that tim