The Fashion of Marriage Needs Help

in which the fashion of marriage gets beaten up by John Dryden in a poem

“Foolish marriage vow.” With these words, John Dryden sets fire to one of the most explosive topics of the age. In the 18thcentury, divorce was frowned upon, and marriage was a fashionable thing to do, and an unfashionable thing to leave.

Why should a foolish marriage vow, which long ago was made, oblige us to each other now when passion is decayed?

Using imagery and satirical logic, Dryden makes a statement with his poem: that the trend of marriage now is deeply flawed.

Use of Title

Through the author's use of the title, he reveals that the modern society of the time just thought marriage was trendy. When we research the meaning of the phrase “a-la-Mode”, we find that it means “in a fashionable or modern style”. Thus, his title reads: "Marriage in the fashionable or modern style". This reveals that Marriage has just become a style. John Dryden names his poem this to point out a flaw: that marriage has become something that is just trendy and fashionable.

Imagery Of a Broken Marriage

The author uses imagery to show us that he finds there is no point in a lasting relationship that no longer is bound by love if you no longer love each other. We can first see this, when the author states “ ‘Twas pleasure that made an oath,” and “the pleasure has fled.” This shows us that love made a vow and after it left, there was no more reason to stay together. He also uses the words, “our marriage is dead” to show us that they are dead to each other. This shows us that his society would rather have you stay together in a loveless marriage than divorce. John Dryden sees as a huge flaw in the trend of marriage, and thus points it out.

John Dryden questions the foolishness of holding a vow made with passion when passion is gone. He asks why our vow obliges us to each other “when passion is decayed”. He points out the stupidity of the marriage vow, which is made with passion, but cannot be broken when passion runs out. He makes this point with a contrast. In his first line he asks why a vow should hold even when passion is decayed, while in the last line of the stanza he says that it was “'Twas pleasure first made it an oath”. This contrast shows us that the problem with marriage in the 17th century was that it could not be broken, even when the love that caused them to marry was gone.

Marriage Can't Be Broken, and It's a Problem

The authors use of words reveals another flaw in marriage, and that is that we can’t break it. It reveals that the rules for marriage are stupid. The author uses words such as ‘foolish’ marriage. After they got married, the author says that their love is out in both. But the church wouldn’t let those two to break up.

Locked in a Loveless Marriage Means Love is Hindered

Another flaw is that the rules of marriage overlooked the pain in those left loveless in marriage, as well as hindered the virtue of love. He illustrates this in the line “What wrong has he whose joys did end, and who could give no more?” In this line he makes an argument for the man who society looked down upon, and with it shows us the unfairness of an unbreakable marriage vow. His choice of the words “what wrong has he” is used to influence the reader, as it forces the reader to ask the question, and when the question is not found wanting, it allows sympathy. John Dryden points out that marriage hinders love with contrast in his poem. When he speaks of marriage, he says that “our love was lov’d out of us both,”. Yet later on, he says that “I have…farther love in store”. This illustrates that though the two do not love each other, he still has love in him. John Dryden illustrates that marriage is hindering love because the love in him is gone to waste in the confines of a loveless marriage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this poem reflects the rules of marriage of that time period and shows us the problems of it. Marriage traps people in a life that they are forced to stay in. Sometimes, love fades away, and people want to be with other people, but the fashion of marriage doesn’t let that happen. The fashion of marriage that society forced on people makes sure that people stay with the people that they married, even if they don’t feel love towards each other anymore. This poem is trying to state that this fashion is deeply flawed.

-B. Lit Group Six