"A Dialogue Between the Soul and the Body" Poem Analysis

In Andrew Marvell’s lyrical poem “A Dialogue between the Soul and the Body”, Marvell’s use of punctuation, metaphor, and his form of melodic diction contributes to the overall flow of the piece, with a constant regurgitation about how the body and soul work together or apart; to achieve the explanation of emotion’s play on the mind.
Marvell has each new stanza as the opposite point of view. First it’s the SOUL then it’s the BODY, this pattern continues on throughout in order to show both points of view on how they react to each other. Marvell’s use of metaphors are mainly when the mind is talking, it feels as though it is trapped inside the body, “With bolts of bones, that fetter’d stands [I]n feet, and manacled in hands” (3-4). The word “bolts” as well as “manacled” both give off a negative connotation, while his hands and feet are not really bolted or handcuffed this is how he feels. Then moving forward it seems that the “soul [is] hung up, as ‘twere, in chains” (7), alluding to the soul feeling like he cannot take control of the actions and that he is just the brain and heart of the operation. The body believes that the “physic yet could never reach” (31) because “The maladies thou me dost teach” (32). He cannot obtain what he wants because the soul is holding him back by teaching him about the hurt and troubles of illness before letting him learn them on his own through experience. This experience can only be gained by the body or soul overtime, but seeing as the soul has his own mind and emotions, he never experiences the feelings he wishes he could.
The complication between the mind and the emotions play into this poem through the body and the soul’s conversation because even when the soul wants something done the body thinks it’s hopeless, as from his own perspective, “wanting where its spite to try [H]as made me live to let me die.” (17-18). The word “spite” in this instance is adding to the idea of hopelessness because the body is saying that it’s pointless to want something, only to explain on the next line that if you try and want something you will be happy for a moment, then be crushed the next. Marvell’s use of diction for this specific quote illuminates how bitter his tone is towards the soul because the soul and the body hardly work together throughout this poem. However, at the end the body sort of comes to a realization that the soul has “buil[t him] up for sin so fit”(42). As he sins he sees the emotional toll the soul puts upon the body, but it has prepared him. Now as time goes on and he grows up, the body relates his life in the metaphor that, “So architects do square and hew [G]reen trees that in the forest grew” (43-42), all he is saying here is that trees grow organically, but architects build things, and in this case the architect is building the tree; the architect symbolizes the soul, while the tree symbolizes the body. The body sees he is being shaped into whatever the soul wishes to shape him as because in his inability to make his own mistakes and learn from them, the soul knows too much and the body is practically being made by design.
The theme that I have connected to this poem and my two novels is emotions effect on rationality. As is shown throughout The Phantom of the Opera the Phantom is jealous of Raoul because he is in love with Christine and the phantom thinks she should only be his, even though she doesn't really love the phantom. This jealousy over powers what is right and contributes to the phantoms horrendous actions upon the members of the opera house. His Emotions get the best of him and cause him to be the villain, when he really only loved Christine and his underlying goal was to have her love him too. I used Marvell's poem because he talks about how the body and the soul don’t work together because knowledge can shape a person’s view of life, while wants, hopes, and emotions can make a person ill, or as he said, “The maladies thou me dost teach; [W]hom first the cramp of hope does tear.” (32-33) The phantom is unable to see the hope of having Christine as his own, because he had such a horrible past and the only world he knows is one of pain. His lack of hope mixed with his awareness of the lovesick state contributes to his emotion-filled actions.
For The Mystery of the Yellow Room jealousy is said to be the emotion that is causing the murderer to come after Mlls Stangerson. They had a past together where they loved each other but her father didn't approve. Most likely the murderer has the mid set that if he couldn't have her, the no one could, because coincidentally this murder mystery began to occur after Mlls Stangerson said that she would marry Robert Darzac. The connection to Oldfield's poem is when she brings up that emotions must be equal with reasoning in order for a person to be rational about a situation, which the murderer is not. however, Mlls Stangerson is lucky that Joseph Rouletabille is able to have his "heart and head/ Try[ing] to share a bed" (Oldfield) so that there is a smart and reasonable person able to solve the mystery that is threatening her life.