Analysis of The Willing Mistress

Aphra Behn 1640 – 1689



Amyntas led me to a Grove,
Where all the Trees did shade us;
The Sun it self, though it had Strove,
It could not have betray'd us:
The place secur'd from humane Eyes,
No other fear allows,
But when the Winds that gently rise,
Doe Kiss the yielding Boughs.

Down there we satt upon the Moss,
And did begin to play
A Thousand Amorous Tricks, to pass
The heat of all the day.
A many Kisses he did give:
And I return'd the same
Which made me willing to receive
That which I dare not name.
His Charming Eyes no Aid requir'd
To tell their softning Tale;
On her that was already fir'd,
'Twas Easy to prevaile.
He did but Kiss and Clasp me round,
Whilst those his thoughts Exprest:
And lay'd me gently on the Ground:
Ah who can guess the rest?


Scheme ABABCDCD XEXEXFXFGXGEHGHX
Poetic Form
Metre 111101 1101111 01111111 1111011 01011011 110101 11011101 110101 11110101 010111 010100111 011101 01010111 010101 11110101 111111 110111010 11111 101101010 11011 11110111 11111 01110101 111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 719
Words 145
Sentences 6
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 16
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 282
Words per stanza (avg) 72
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

45 sec read
248

Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration, the first English professional female literary writer. more…

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