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Sylvia Plaths Lady Lazarus is a poem published in 1965, two years after the poets suicide. It is considered to be one of the most illustrative examples of Plaths artistic style and explores the topic of death. The purpose of this short essay is to analyze how the author develops it.
The central theme of the poem is death and resurrection. It is reflected in the name of the poem referring to the biblical character Lazarus, who was restored to life by Jesus. Moreover, the poet alludes to the legend of the phoenix, using the imagery associated with the mythological bird which burns and regenerates from its ashes: Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair (Plath 82-83). However, while the most traditional approach to this theme is about overcoming death, for the speaker, talking about her childhood accident and a later suicide attempt, it is not the case.
Resuscitations performed by doctors after her two near-death experiences are an act of oppression and violence. It is not surprising that the poet uses an extended metaphor that compares her experience to the Holocaust: A sort of walking miracle, my skin / Bright as a Nazi lampshade (Plath 4-5). Moreover, Plath addresses her doctor as Herr Doktor and Herr Enemy : the use of the German language is significant, too (62-63). For the speaker, coming back to life is not a blessing or a miracle at all.
Death and dying, on the contrary, are something to be desired. Plath writes: Soon, soon the flesh / The grave cate ate will be / At home on me and the repetition of the word soon, tells the reader that she is impatient to meet her death (16-17). Attempting to kill herself and her determination not come back at all supports this idea (Plath 38).
Lady Lazarus is a poem about death and resurrection. For Sylvia Plath, as for many artists, these two concepts become objects of longing and rejection. However, contrary to the prevailing trend, it is the resurrection that the poet is against while death is an object of desire.
Work Cited
Plath, Sylvia. Lady Lazarus. Poetry Foundation, 2020, Web.
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