The Ghost

The speaker's ghost symbolizes revenge. The speaker argues that if the woman continues to reject him, he will appear as a ghost at her bedside and scare her into her own form of ghostliness. The speaker uses the concept of the ghost to imply that his ultimate revenge will be in making the woman join him in death. In early modern poetry, erotic poems often mention death as a double entendre that also connotes orgasm. Thus, the speaker argues that in returning to haunt the lady who rejects him, they will still be united sexually.

The Candle

The taper, or candle, symbolizes mortality. The speaker tells the lady that, when he comes to her bedside as a ghost, "Then thy sick taper will begin to wink" (6). Here, the speaker paints a portrait of the future in which the lady's candle will flicker as he appears...