Themes in Plath’s poetry

Motherhood:

Positive portrayal of motherhood – You’re/Morning Song (although this

poem does present a somewhat ambiguous perspective, lots of metaphors
and similes used to describe babies .
Protectiveness – Nick and the Candlestick/ Mary’s Song/Morning Song/By
Candlelight
Uncertainty – In the Manor Garden (apprehension about ‘difficult borning’),
Maudlin( a poem about periods! And how fertility brings physical discomfort)
Barrenness / infertility – Moon and the yew tree/Munich Mannequins/spinster
Miscarriage – Tulips
Negative portrayal of motherhood – Tulips/Lesbos/Edge/Ariel – extended
metaphor of children as ‘hooks’ is present in these poems, think about the
image of vampires here and the effect these two combined have on Plath.
The dead children in Edge is v.creepy and in Ariel Plath’s speaker is running
from a child’s cry

Wife/domesticity:

Lesbos/Babysitting/Mary’s Song/The Bee Meeting/A Birthday Present/Daddy

– all pretty mush negative unless you consider the positive portrayal of
motherhood/an appearance

Parents:

Negative portrayal of the impact of the parents

Moon = mother and the statues esp. Virgin Mary. in Mary’s song and Moon
and the Yew Tee
Father – Little Fugue/Finistierre/Daddy/Full Fathom Five/Suicide off Egg
Rock/

Life and Death –

Think about symbolism of colours/flowers and the seasons in just about every
poem she has written!
Edge/Ariel/tulips/the poppy poems/the stones/death & co/cut/full fathom
five/suicide off egg rock/daddy/Mary’s song – the list is pretty much
exhaustive. Consider imagery linked with the holocaust/persecution etc as
well

Madness/healing: (a desire for rebirth etc)

The Stones/Tulips/edge/resolve/cut/miss drake/edge/Ariel

Nature
Moon and Yew tree/elm/among the narcissi/tulips/poppy poems/sheep in
fog/winter trees/the bee meeting/suicide off egg rock
Look at how she sees nature as destructive. How it’s warped in her mind
Seascapes are important here – think about Otto Plath’s fate
No comfort/answers in the natural world

The self : (her perception of herself)

The Bee meeting/Facelift/Mirror/The Munich mannequins/the
stones//maudlin/tulips/lesbos/a birthday present/Ariel/edge…
Think about existential narcissism/why she’s got issues with her
appearance/the rivalry for Ted Hughes/ the impact of her parents on
her/battling for possession of herself-who she is. Also consider her rejection of
the natural and materialistic world and the healing world too.

Myths/Imagery/allusions

Vampirism
Religious allusion – ascension/virgin Mary /fish/statues/graveyards
Godiva – in Ariel
Greek myths – Cleopatra, medusa/Electra(the Electra complex in Daddy)atlas
Moon
Also Shakespeare – full fathom five/Ariel

Flowers
Threatening personification – tulips/poppy poems
Sometimes benign – threatening but ultimately harmless – among the narcissi
Roses – the mind/sanity – the stones/also maternal affection in morning song
Link to colour red and white. Flowers a symbol of life

Colour
Red: Life/fertility/pain/vulnerability – usually a positive colour can also
symbolise rebirth
Ruby - nick in Nick and the Candlestick – precious
Tulips/poppies – threatening – life/vitality, but comforting
Blood – Maudlin and Cut – thrilled by sign of own vitality
In Ariel the red sun of the morning links to rebirth

Black – death and foreboding, masculine colour associated with the yew tree
and Germans, also symbolises mental and physical torture.

White
Symbol of purity and innocence, virginity and sacrifice
Also represents death/perfection (see edge)
Ice/wintry references usually link to
death/sterility/barrenness/numbness/stasis – an inability to move physically or
emotionally,

Blue

Motherhood- usually positive but is also the colour of the sea which has
negative connotations in Plath’s poems, it can convey fragility and pain and
can be seen as threatening – see Among the narcissi/an appearance/the sea
poems etc

Green – fertility and endurance, some sense of protection and hope, but is a
weak not often referred to colour – see the green stars in Nick and the
Candlestick