Point of View

The poem has a clear and consistent first-person singular point of view. In this case, the speaker is also a central character in the poem’s narrative. This is a story of seduction, and he is the seducer.

The use of first-person point of view allows Carew to inhabit two different modes, equally important to the poem’s themes. The first is the sensual. With the use of a first-person point of view, the speaker can give voice to enormously intimate, sensory details of what it would be like to “enjoy” Celia (1). He expresses what he would see, what he would hear, and what he would feel as they consummated their desire. The use of detail is extremely specific, aided by the fact that it is rooted in one character’s experience. The use of first-person point of view allows Carew to describe the ideal...