The Flea

In his poem "The Flea," John Donne implores his lover to take part in the activity he suggests, as it is not in fact a "sin". Donne explains that his suggestion is nothing to be fearful of, because the "swells of one blood made of two" have been present before--if the flea has done it, why shouldn't they?

Donne reveals that his intentions are entirely superfluous in the closing lines, where he abandons his previous argument (that their "wedding" had already taken place, and that their union was so severe that further developments would change nothing) upon his lover's realization that, despite his impressive metaphor, she can simply avoid seduction with no true problem. To this, Donne replies with the claim that, since the previous union is unimportant and can be ignored, seduction cannot hold any significant problem. Essentially, Donne wants to argue his case without consistency--the conclusion is all that he cares about.