Symbol Analysis
The Greek and Roman gods have come and gone in popularity over the centuries, but with Marvell they are certainly a lot closer to heroes than they are to zeroes. Allusions to classical myths pop up all over his poetry, and two are used very prominently in "The Garden." The myths of Apollo and Daphne and of Syrinx and Pan, however, are more forms of wordplay than they are symbolic gestures. Marvell takes two stories about deities who escape rape by turning into plants and changes the meaning; according to Marvell, the men whose designs are frustrated in the original myths weren't chasing after the women at all; they wanted the plants. Clever though the twist in meaning may be, it's plenty twisted enough to make us very wary of Marvell's speaker's true intentions.
- Lines 29-30: You can check out the story of Apollo and Daphne here.
- Lines 31-32: You can check out the story of Pan and Syrinx here.