Introduction: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
“Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath, first appeared in 1965, in her posthumously published collection, Ariel, is characterized by its raw, confessional style, unflinching exploration of suicide and resurrection, and the use of unsettling imagery drawn from the Holocaust. Plath’s speaker, Lady Lazarus, is defiant and theatrical, boasting of her repeated deaths and resurrections. Its unique rhythm and rhyme scheme contribute to its hypnotic quality, while its dark humor and grotesque imagery make it both disturbing and compelling.
Text: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
I have done it again.
One year in every ten
I manage it——
A sort of walking miracle, my skin
Bright as a Nazi lampshade,
My right foot
A paperweight,
My face a featureless, fine
Jew linen.
Peel off the napkin
O my enemy.
Do I terrify?——
The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth?
The sour breath
Will vanish in a day.
Soon, soon the flesh
The grave cave ate will be
At home on me
And I a smiling woman.
I am only thirty.
And like the cat I have nine times to die.
This is Number Three.
What a trash
To annihilate each decade.
What a million filaments.
The peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand and foot——
The big strip tease.
Gentlemen, ladies
These are my hands
My knees.
I may be skin and bone,
Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman.
The first time it happened I was ten.
It was an accident.
The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut
As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.
Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.
I do it so it feels like hell.
I do it so it feels real.
I guess you could say I’ve a call.
It’s easy enough to do it in a cell.
It’s easy enough to do it and stay put.
It’s the theatrical
Comeback in broad day
To the same place, the same face, the same brute
Amused shout:
‘A miracle!’
That knocks me out.
There is a charge
For the eyeing of my scars, there is a charge
For the hearing of my heart——
It really goes.
And there is a charge, a very large charge
For a word or a touch
Or a bit of blood
Or a piece of my hair or my clothes.
So, so, Herr Doktor.
So, Herr Enemy.
I am your opus,
I am your valuable,
The pure gold baby
That melts to a shriek.
I turn and burn.
Do not think I underestimate your great concern.
Ash, ash—
You poke and stir.
Flesh, bone, there is nothing there——
A cake of soap,
A wedding ring,
A gold filling.
Herr God, Herr Lucifer
Beware
Beware.
Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air.
Annotations: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
| Stanza | Annotation |
| 1 | Introduction to the speaker’s suicidal tendencies, comparing herself to a “walking miracle” and a “Nazi lampshade” |
| 2 | Description of her physical appearance, comparing her skin to “Jew linen” and her face to a “featureless” mask |
| 3 | Addressing her enemy, wondering if she terrifies them, and describing her decaying body |
| 4 | Reflection on her past suicide attempts, comparing herself to a cat with nine lives |
| 5 | Description of her third suicide attempt, feeling like a “trash” to be discarded |
| 6 | Addressing the audience, showing off her body, and declaring her identity |
| 7 | Description of her first two suicide attempts, the first an accident, the second a deliberate act |
| 8 | Declaration of her expertise in dying, comparing it to an art form |
| 9 | Addressing her enemy, Herr Doktor, and Herr God, warning them of her power |
| 10 | Rising from the ashes, comparing herself to a phoenix, and threatening to consume men like air |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
| Device | Example | Explanation |
| Allusion | “Nazi lampshade” | Refers to atrocities in WWII, evoking horror and inhumanity. |
| Anaphora | “I do it…I do it” | Repetition of “I do it” at the beginning of successive lines emphasizes the speaker’s control over death. |
| Assonance | “I have done it again” | Repetition of the vowel sound ‘i’ in “I” and “it.” |
| Caesura | “I manage it——” | The dash creates a pause, adding emphasis to the statement. |
| Consonance | “Pick the worms off me like sticky pearls” | Repetition of the ‘k’ sound in “pick” and “sticky.” |
| Enjambment | “I have done it again. / One year in every ten” | The sentence continues beyond the end of the line, creating a sense of continuation. |
| Hyperbole | “The peanut-crunching crowd” | Exaggeration to emphasize the public’s morbid curiosity. |
| Imagery | “My skin / Bright as a Nazi lampshade” | Vivid visual description that evokes a strong image. |
| Irony | “Dying / Is an art, like everything else.” | The statement is ironic because dying is not traditionally considered an art. |
| Metaphor | “A sort of walking miracle” | Compares the speaker to a miracle, implying resurrection. |
| Onomatopoeia | “Crunching” | The word mimics the sound it represents, adding to the sensory experience. |
| Paradox | “Dying / Is an art” | Contradicts the common perception of death as purely tragic by suggesting it can be done skillfully. |
| Personification | “The grave cave ate” | Attributing human characteristics to the grave, suggesting consumption. |
| Repetition | “I do it exceptionally well. / I do it so it feels like hell. / I do it so it feels real.” | Repeated phrases for emphasis on the act of dying. |
| Simile | “I rocked shut / As a seashell” | Compares the speaker to a seashell, emphasizing closure and isolation. |
| Symbolism | “Ash, ash” | Ash symbolizes death and rebirth, as the speaker rises from it. |
| Tone | “Do I terrify?——” | The tone here is confrontational and challenging, questioning the reader’s reaction. |
| Allusion | “Herr Doktor, Herr Enemy” | References to authoritarian figures, possibly doctors or oppressors, enhancing the theme of control and domination. |
| Oxymoron | “Smiling woman” | Combines contradictory terms to highlight the paradox of happiness in the face of suffering. |
Themes: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
- Death and Resurrection: Lady Lazarus’ central theme is the cycle of death and resurrection, echoing the biblical figure she is named after. She recounts, “One year in every ten/ I manage it,” revealing a pattern of intentional deaths, a macabre ritual she repeats. Each time, she emerges “A sort of walking miracle,” emphasizing her defiance and survival against the forces of erasure. The poem’s chilling imagery, such as “The grave cave ate will be/ At home on me,” reflects not only physical decay and rebirth but also the psychological death and resurrection Plath herself experienced through her struggles with mental illness.
- Trauma and Suffering: The poem is saturated with images of pain and trauma, both physical and psychological. Lady Lazarus describes her body in grotesque detail, “My skin/ Bright as a Nazi lampshade,” invoking the horrors of the Holocaust as a metaphor for her own suffering. The repeated attempts at self-annihilation, recalled in lines like “The second time I meant/ To last it out and not come back at all,” expose the depths of her despair. This theme serves as a raw and unfiltered expression of Plath’s personal anguish and the lasting scars of trauma.
- Feminine Power and Resistance: Despite her suffering, Lady Lazarus embodies a fierce feminine power and resistance. She challenges societal expectations and refuses to be a passive victim. She uses vivid imagery, like “I eat men like air,” to portray herself as a powerful and consuming force. Her repeated resurrections become acts of defiance against the patriarchal forces that seek to define and control her. This theme reflects Plath’s own struggle against societal constraints and her desire to assert her own agency.
- Theatricality and Performance: The poem is highly performative, with Lady Lazarus casting herself as the star of a grotesque spectacle. She addresses the audience directly, taunting them with lines like, “Do I terrify?” and “There is a charge/ For the eyeing of my scars.” Her dramatic language and vivid imagery create a sense of suspense and intrigue, as she controls the narrative of her suffering. This theatrical element reveals the speaker’s self-awareness and her determination to transform her pain into a captivating performance, ensuring her voice is heard and her story remembered.
Literary Theories and “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
| Literary Theory | Application to “Lady Lazarus” | References from the Poem |
| Feminist Theory | Explores the poem as a response to patriarchal oppression and societal expectations of women. Lady Lazarus’ repeated resurrections symbolize defiance against the forces that seek to silence and control her. | “I eat men like air,” “Do not think I underestimate your great concern,” “Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair” |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | Examines the poem as an expression of Plath’s personal struggles with mental illness and trauma. Lady Lazarus’ self-destructive tendencies and the grotesque imagery of death and rebirth can be interpreted as manifestations of her inner turmoil. | “Dying/ Is an art, like everything else,” “The second time I meant/ To last it out and not come back at all,” “They had to call and call/ And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls” |
| Reader-Response Theory | Focuses on the reader’s individual interpretation and emotional response to the poem. Lady Lazarus’ theatrical performance and provocative language invite readers to engage with her story and confront their own feelings about death, suffering, and resilience. | “Do I terrify?,” “There is a charge/ For the eyeing of my scars,” “A miracle!/ That knocks me out” |
Critical Questions about “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
- How does Plath use Holocaust imagery to convey themes of suffering and resurrection?
- In “Lady Lazarus,” Sylvia Plath employs Holocaust imagery to draw stark parallels between personal suffering and historical atrocities. The comparison of the speaker’s skin to a “Nazi lampshade” and her face to “Jew linen” invokes the horrific realities of the Holocaust, emphasizing the extremity of her anguish (lines 4-6). This imagery serves to deepen the reader’s understanding of the speaker’s pain, suggesting that her personal struggles are as intense and dehumanizing as the atrocities endured by Holocaust victims. The evocation of such profound suffering also enhances the theme of resurrection, as the speaker, like a phoenix, rises “Out of the ash” (line 81), symbolizing rebirth and the cyclical nature of destruction and renewal.
- What is the significance of the speaker’s repeated references to death and rebirth?
- The repeated references to death and rebirth in “Lady Lazarus” underscore the speaker’s complex relationship with her own mortality. She describes herself as a “walking miracle” and refers to her resurrections with a mix of triumph and resignation, suggesting a recurring cycle of self-destruction and renewal (line 4). The speaker’s assertion that she has “nine times to die” and that this is “Number Three” (lines 21-22) points to a pattern of deliberate confrontation with death, emphasizing the performative aspect of her suffering. The repeated resurrection is not just a return to life but a reclaiming of power, as seen in her final defiant declaration: “Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air” (lines 82-84). This cyclic rebirth transforms the speaker into a figure of resilience and vengeance.
- How does the poem explore the theme of identity and transformation?
- “Lady Lazarus” delves deeply into the theme of identity and transformation, portraying the speaker’s struggle to assert her individuality amid cycles of death and rebirth. The metaphor of a “big strip tease” (line 31) suggests a peeling away of layers to reveal a core self, yet this self is constantly in flux. The speaker insists, “I am the same, identical woman” (line 36), yet the processes of dying and resurrecting seem to alter her fundamentally. This tension highlights the fluidity of identity; each death strips away old selves, and each resurrection brings forth a new iteration. By rising “Out of the ash” (line 81) repeatedly, the speaker embodies perpetual transformation, challenging static notions of identity and emphasizing the power of continual self-reinvention.
- In what ways does “Lady Lazarus” critique societal attitudes towards women’s suffering and resilience?
- “Lady Lazarus” offers a pointed critique of societal attitudes towards women’s suffering and resilience, highlighting the voyeuristic and exploitative tendencies of society. The “peanut-crunching crowd” that “Shoves in to see” (lines 26-27) represents the public’s morbid fascination with the spectacle of the speaker’s pain and her subsequent resurrections. This crowd’s hunger for the “big strip tease” (line 31) underscores a societal penchant for consuming and commodifying women’s suffering. Moreover, the speaker’s interactions with male figures like “Herr Doktor” and “Herr Enemy” (line 65) reflect the oppressive forces that seek to control and objectify her. However, the speaker’s ultimate defiance, as she rises “with my red hair / And I eat men like air” (lines 82-84), challenges this exploitation, asserting her autonomy and strength in the face of societal objectification.
Topics, Questions and Thesis Statements about “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
| Topic | Question | Thesis Statement |
| Suicide & Mortality | How does Plath explore suicide and mortality in “Lady Lazarus”? | “Through the speaker’s dark humor and vivid imagery, Plath subverts the traditional notion of suicide as a tragic event, instead presenting it as a form of empowerment and rebirth.” |
| Identity & Performance | How does the speaker’s identity shape her performance of self in “Lady Lazarus”? | “The speaker’s use of metaphor and dramatic monologue reveals a tension between her authentic self and her performed self, highlighting the instability of identity and the power of performance to shape reality.” |
| Gender & Power Dynamics | How does Plath critique gender roles and power dynamics in “Lady Lazarus”? | “Through the speaker’s address to ‘Herr Doktor’ and ‘Herr God’, Plath challenges patriarchal authority and subverts traditional gender roles, reclaiming agency and power for the female speaker.” |
| Trauma & Resilience | How does the speaker’s experience of trauma shape her resilience in “Lady Lazarus”? | “The speaker’s repeated suicide attempts and subsequent ‘resurrections’ demonstrate a complex interplay between trauma and resilience, highlighting the ways in which trauma can both destroy and empower the individual.” |
Literary Works Similar to “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
- “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath: Both poems explore the speaker’s complex and troubled relationship with their father figure, using dark humor and irony to convey the intensity of their emotions.
- “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot: Both poems employ a stream-of-consciousness style to explore the speaker’s inner thoughts and feelings, creating a sense of intimacy and vulnerability.
- “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot: Both poems use fragmented structures and vivid imagery to convey a sense of disillusionment and despair, reflecting the chaos and fragmentation of modern life.
- “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe: Both poems feature a mysterious and ominous presence that haunts the speaker, symbolizing the inevitability of death and the darkness of the human psyche.
- “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas: Both poems use powerful and emotive language to express a fierce resistance to mortality, with the speaker urging themselves or others to fight against the inevitability of death.
Suggested Readings: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
Books:
- Alvarez, A. The Savage God: A Study of Suicide. Random House, 1971.
- Wagner-Martin, Linda. Sylvia Plath: A Biography. Simon and Schuster, 1987.
Web Links:
- Academy of American Poets: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath: https://poets.org/poem/lady-lazarus
- Modern American Poetry: Sylvia Plath
- Poetry Foundation: “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
Representative Quotations of “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective (in bold) |
| “I have done it again. / One year in every ten / I manage it——” | The speaker announces their repeated suicide attempts. | Feminist Theory: Plath critiques societal expectations of women’s bodies and lives. |
| “Dying / Is an art, like everything else. / I do it exceptionally well.” | The speaker reflects on their skill at attempting suicide. | Existentialism: Plath explores the absurdity and futility of life. |
| “I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air.” | The speaker transforms into a powerful, vengeful figure. | Postcolonial Theory: Plath subverts patriarchal power dynamics, reclaiming agency and resistance. |
| “Ash, ash—— / Flesh, bone, there is nothing there” | The speaker describes their physical and emotional emptiness. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Plath reveals the fragmented self, echoing the void left by traumatic experiences. |
| “Herr God, Herr Lucifer / Beware / Beware.” | The speaker warns both God and the Devil, symbolizing male power structures. | Gender Studies: Plath challenges traditional gender roles, highlighting the speaker’s sense of disempowerment and rage. |