The speaker
uses the occasion of a flea hopping from himself to a young lady as an excuse
to argue that the to of them should make love. Since in the flea their blood is
mixed together, he says that they have already been made as one in the body of
the flea. Besides, the flea pricked her and got what it wanted without having
to woo her. The flea’s bite and mingling of their bloods is not considered a
sin, so why should their love- making?
In the second stanza the speaker attempts
to prevent the woman formed killing the flea. He argues that since the flea
contains the “life” of both herself and the speaker, she would be guilty both
of suicide and a triple homicide in killing it.
The woman in question is
obviously not convinced, for in the third stanza she has killed the flea with a
fingernail. The speaker than turns this around to point out that, although the
flea which contained portions of their lives is dead, neither of them is weaker
for it. If this commingling of bodily fluids can leave no lasting effect, then
why does she hesitate to join with him in sexual intimacy? After all, her honor
will be equally undiminished.
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