Andrew Marvell Biography

One of the major English poets of the 17th century, Andrew Marvell was a metaphysical poet known for his passionate, sensuous and elegant lyrics. The proof of his greatness as a poet lies in the fact that his works continue to be praised and admired even in the contemporary period. He was deeply influenced by John Donne and the metaphysical school, yet his works also display the characteristic elegance of the cavalier school. Thus Andrew Marvell can be called an important transitional figure whose works effortlessly bridged the metaphysical school and the cavalier school. He was a protégé and friend of John Milton, and like him, wrote several poems dedicated to contemporary political issues; in fact many postmodern theorists have focused on Marvell as a political writer. Marvell was also a politician who served as a member of the House of Commons. As a poet, he began writing at a young age though his initial poems that were published. while he was still in college, were in Greek and Latin. It is ironical that much of his sarcastic political satires were not published during his lifetime, and he became recognized as a major poet only after his death. The life of this enigmatic poet has always fascinated historians due to the scarcity of information about his personal life.