The following version of the poem was used to create this guide: Marvell, Andrew. "The Unfortunate Lover". Poems of Andrew Marvell via Archive.org. https://archive.org/stream/poemsofandrewma00marv/poemsofandrewma00marv_djvu.txt

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

Andrew Marvell was an Englishman, born in Yorkshire in 1621. His father, after whom he was named, was a clergyman. Marvell (the poet) was educated at Cambridge and likely spent some time traveling in continental Europe afterwards, though his exact whereabouts and occupation during this time are not known. As a student at Cambridge, he began writing poetry, as well as anonymous satires denouncing the monarchy, Catholicism, and censorship. His political views were complex and often controversial. He did identify himself as a Protestant. At the time of his death in 1678, he was suffering from severe poverty, most of his works unpublished. A woman named Mary Palmer, likely Marvell's secretary though claiming to be his wife, had his works published three years after his death.

"The Unfortunate Lover" is a poem about the struggles of a tragic life, and particularly unrequited love. The speaker contrasts the perfection of ideal love with the pain of lost love, combining robust, mythical images with ordinary descriptions of the poem's central figure.