Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy
The world’s wife is a compilation of poems published in 1999 and written by Carol Ann Duffy, a modern feminist poet. It covers various myths in order to give women a voice. This includes the short monologue like poem: “Medusa”. How do metaphors, symbols and allegories contribute in clarifying the meanings of the poem? Primarily, they emphasise Duffy’s feminist ideals, Medusa’s emotions and aging difficulties.
Medusa, the protagonist, uses the myth metaphorically in order to create a modern and reliable tone, allowing a wider audience and switching the focus from her actions to her feelings. The poem rehabilitates the bad image methodology gave Medusa by making her go from a stoned hearted character into a humane one. Duffy asserts: “Poets deal in … trying to find the language and images for intense feelings.” (n.d, p. 2), based on the poem, jealousy destroys Medusa while in the Myth it is Athena’s. We can comprehend it through a metaphorical use of language: “jealousy grew in my mind”. It started growing in her and when it had no more place, outside, as dirty and vicious hair: “filthy snakes” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.3), which are literal in the myth but metaphorical in Duffy’s interpretation. To Medusa the snakes symbolise her “thoughts” spitting on her “scalp” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.4-5), as she could not hold it inside anymore, leading to grief. The theme of sadness never vanishes. However, it is mostly evident in the second stanza, when she mentions: “bullet tears” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.10), reflecting the myth while contrasting it by adding some humanity; a monster does not cry. It is a paradoxical phrase as bullets are dangerous and violent objects when tears are weak and soft. It is also ironic as her tears fall from her eyes, which turn men into stone in mythology. Duffy metaphorically expresses that Medusa’s tears are as harmful as bullets, especially to herself; they make her mad. If sadness reduces, anger increases. In the second stanza, we are
Medusa, the protagonist, uses the myth metaphorically in order to create a modern and reliable tone, allowing a wider audience and switching the focus from her actions to her feelings. The poem rehabilitates the bad image methodology gave Medusa by making her go from a stoned hearted character into a humane one. Duffy asserts: “Poets deal in … trying to find the language and images for intense feelings.” (n.d, p. 2), based on the poem, jealousy destroys Medusa while in the Myth it is Athena’s. We can comprehend it through a metaphorical use of language: “jealousy grew in my mind”. It started growing in her and when it had no more place, outside, as dirty and vicious hair: “filthy snakes” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.3), which are literal in the myth but metaphorical in Duffy’s interpretation. To Medusa the snakes symbolise her “thoughts” spitting on her “scalp” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.4-5), as she could not hold it inside anymore, leading to grief. The theme of sadness never vanishes. However, it is mostly evident in the second stanza, when she mentions: “bullet tears” (Duffy, 2008, p.1, l.10), reflecting the myth while contrasting it by adding some humanity; a monster does not cry. It is a paradoxical phrase as bullets are dangerous and violent objects when tears are weak and soft. It is also ironic as her tears fall from her eyes, which turn men into stone in mythology. Duffy metaphorically expresses that Medusa’s tears are as harmful as bullets, especially to herself; they make her mad. If sadness reduces, anger increases. In the second stanza, we are