On Marriage

On Marriage - meaning Summary

Marriage's Changing Fortunes

The speaker questions the old proverb that marriage is a noble prize, arguing instead that human desire is changeable and what once seemed desirable quickly becomes tiresome. Addressing both the proverb and married men, the poem compresses a skeptical view of wedded life into a compact observation: marriage may begin as a valued possession but familiarity and shifting appetite can turn even the "best of things" into a source of boredom. The tone is wry and world-weary rather than celebratory.