When we examine “To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick and “Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Tennyson we notice some similarities. Herrick's poem, addressed "to the virgins," can be read as a warning to young women to marry while they are young, but his message to all readers is that we live our lives to the fullest, enjoy our youth, and find the 'love while we can. Tennyson's poem exemplifies this idea: the Lady of Shalott who sits in her tower isolated from the world, alone, decides to leave her tower to follow the man she loves, no matter the cost. Herrick's "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time" may be more overt in its message but, when we examine the lyrics, we see that Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott" shares the theme that life is too short to live and die alone, and we shouldn't wait to find love. “To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick warns us that life is short and that youth will not last forever. The title of the poem is aimed at “virgins” or the inexperienced. While this could be read in the sexual context of the word, we could interpret it as saying that Herrick is addressing all readers who have not fully experienced life and love in general. It begins: “Gather rosebuds while you can, / Old times still fly” (1-2). The use of the word “rosebud” gives the image of a flower that has not been exposed or opened to the world. It also evokes the feeling of youth, as a rosebud has not fully bloomed. “Old Time” is capitalized, which makes it a real entity that will not last forever, since it is “old.” In the second stanza, Herrick further emphasizes the urgency of living life to the fullest before it ends: The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, Higher is coming, Sooner will he run his race... to the center of paper... ...on poems we share the idea that we must live our lives actively. We should not be content to live passively and not experience love. Herrick's final message “to virgins” in his poem is that we marry young before we miss our chance and are alone forever. Tennyson's poem is the story of The Lady of Shalott who lived isolated from the world and spent her last hours of life searching for the knight she loved. Like virgins exhorted to make the most of what they have before time runs out, the Lady of Shalott followed her love, her last living act, so that her life would not be in vain. She died following her heart, no longer content to sit in her tower. Herrick and Tennyson's poems both share the theme of making the most of every moment we have, particularly when it comes to finding love, so that we are not isolated and alone when the "sun goes down”..”