He knows that God is capable of forgiving sins, but Donne seems to believe that there is a limit to how much or how often God can forgive. He asks God “Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run/And do run still, though still I do deplore?” He wants to know if God will absolve him of a sin that he keeps committing, although he feels sorry for doing it.

Donne obviously understands the struggle of recognizing when one is doing wrong and asking for forgiveness. But forgiveness isn't enough to keep him from committing the same sin again! Donne struggles against temptation, and as in his previous poems, is very hard on himself when it comes to the state of his immortal soul. He blames himself entirely for succumbing to the temptation to sin, and throws himself on the mercy of God when he repents.

“But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son/Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore/And having done that, Thou hast done/I fear no more.”

Donne trusts that at his death and final judgment, God the Father will have pity on him and forgive him of all his sins, both past and present, through the intercession of God the Son. Though his earthly struggles pain him, he puts his faith in God's mercy, and hopes to one day be absolved absolutely of his sins, and never to sin again.

In ‘The Flea’ we see one of the oldest qualities of man, as he is trying to woo his woman in order to get sex. It seems totally absurd in the manner in which the speaker goes about this since he mentions that they are united already without the consummate act of sex. The flea that bit both of them has become their wedding temple. The descriptive manner in which the story is told has charmed and enticed people for such a long time. Even now, many forget what the man is seeking and just look at the comedic romantic format he is displaying his words to his lady love hoping for the love to be returned in the primal act that all humans crave.

In the second stanza, the speaker has moved beyond talking of the flea as enabling their union and has begun to build an entire world within the flea. This world is one in which their physical love is realized, also with mention of marriage vows. But by the end of this stanza, his ladylove has had enough of her suitor's nonsense and threatens to kill the flea. To this, the speaker reacts that killing the flea will carry three sins: murder, for killing his blood; suicide, for killing her own blood. A sacrilege, in going against the union that he deems was meant to be. Throughout all of this the essential thought of the speaker is to achieve the goal he has set out for, yet the romance and words he spins helps to lead the reader through a maze of sweetening thoughts to achieve his prize.

Throughout the poem there is the extended use of metaphor and Donne uses many metaphors throughout the poem, most having to do with the flea itself. One example of this use of metaphor concerning the flea is the line in which he says, "This flea is you and I..." Without comparing the flea to such things as their marriage bed, this suitor would have no line for his lady at all. The metaphors add a comical aspect, for those who have a sense of humor, in that he is able to compare all of these complicated, universal concepts to a flea. As part of Donne's use of metaphors, symbolism is equally important and equally abundant. The use of the flea as a symbol seems to be divided by the stanzas. In the first stanza, the flea is a symbol of the union between this man and woman. In the second stanza, the speaker expands the symbol to make the flea the entire world in which the union of their love physically exists. Finally in the third stanza, after the woman has crushed the flea without another thought, the flea becomes a symbol of the triviality of her concerns that through losing her innocence, she will also lose her honor. Donne uses some imagery throughout the poem such as; the visual imagery that becomes real in the line, "And cloistered in these walls of living jet". This line immediately brings to mind a small, dark, secretive place such as that within the flea. However, imagery is not widely used in this poem, which helps to keep it light, on a superficial level. Without sinking deep into the imagery, the reader is allowed to keep a perspective on what the poem is truly about, a come-on. Of course, in a poem such as this, connotations, specifically sexual connotations, are abundant. Lines such as, "It sucked me first and now sucks thee" or, "And pampered swells with one blood made of two" are words drenched with sexual undertones. The purpose of this use of connotations, if nothing else, is to give the reader insight into the speaker's intentions, and perhaps more accurately, just where his mind is while he is spouting his charm. But through this poem, we see a man who tries to woo a lady, and she being the person she is decides rather not to fall for the advances but rather to seek her own way of ruining this pitiful wooing.

‘The Rape of the Lock’ by Alexander Pope at first glance is a commentary on human vanity and the ritual of courtship. The poem also discusses the relationship between men and women, which is the more substantial matter. In this manner it is quite similar with ‘The Flea’ since both pieces speak about the same things in different ways or means to achieving what is sought in terms of sex and the object of their wooing. With Donne it was done with regarding the flea as a temple and using it in such a manner to help the speaker try and soften the woman he is wooing. With Pope, it is a different noun rather than ‘flea’, it is a lock of the target’s hair.

The poem portrays men and women as more concerned with social status, material values, and physical beauty than the development of character. Pope suggests that man is on the morally wrong path, and criticizes his characters for their vanity and lack of morality. The significance of a woman's outward beauty, Belinda in particular has direct consequence for her role in society and at least she tries to be somewhat moral. The place of woman is shaped by social and economic forces. Women are routinely subordinate in the 'public' sphere, partly because of their confinement to roles associated with being wives. Which is why we see Belinda, a married woman, being pursued.

In those times; women were not valued as objects of individuality but as beautiful objects to possess: “The adventurous Baron the bright locks admired,/He saw, he wished, and to the prize aspired.”(II, 29-30) Therefore, Belinda's power lies within her outward beauty. Belinda's strength is her physical appearance. Pope mocks the importance placed on appearance as he compares a hero's donning of armor to Belinda's being made up at her dressing table;

Here files of pins extend their shining rows,
Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet doux.
Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms... (I 137-39)

In a manner of speaking the situation was a real battle of the sexes, not only for superiority, but as to who can hold out the longest to the charms of another. Belinda values her lock of hair as her source of honor. Hence, the Baron symbolically steals away her virtue. Belinda is reproached by an older woman of the court, who has lost her own beauty and advises Belinda to rely on inner grace. She mentions “Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.” This in itself is a battle of another kind were the woman and the man are at odds with each other. The man has his own ideas and so does the woman.

The difference here is that Pope shows where the woman stands even more clearly than Donne, who shows the symbolic stand of the woman. They are both exceptional in the way they show love coming to a halt because of the overpowering flow of lust and a way the Pope shows a real ‘battle’ of the sexes in his work whereas with Donne it is implied. It makes a person wonder of the theatrics, trickery and deceit involved. If the romantic poets thought so highly of these emotions, and the way to love was really overshadowed by lust. What really is love?