Medusa - Carol Ann Duffy

●Group 5 - Veer, Siddharth, Kavish, Aashna

INTRODUCTION
Carol Ann Duffy's "Medusa" was originally published in 1999

Medusa is told in the first person as a dramatic monologue by a woman who is insecure and worried that her husband is
cheating on her.

Purpose : The objectives of this poem are to show the jealousy in the poem through intrinsic elements, also to explain the
jealousy and its effect towards human psyche.

The poem has a dark, almost gothic tone.

Unlike our feelings towards the traditional monstrous character, this poem evokes empathy for the character.

The language in this poem is quite harsh, emphasising the anger ‘Medusa’ feels for this man. There is a field of destruction
and disgust ‘shattered’ ‘filthy’ ‘stank’ that connotes the negative feelings of envy and fury that the poet is feeling.
Stanza 1 - Siddharth Shrivas
From the very outset of the poem, it is evident to the
readers that the themes of Anger, jealousy are A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy
expressed metaphorically through the poem. grew in my mind,
The first stanza, in particular, opens with the idea of
jealousy and suspicion. This is evident from the first 2 which turned the hairs on my head to
lines wherein the poet says “a suspicion… mind”; here filthy snakes
the applied technique is expressing ideas in quick
succession, using the ‘power of 3’ (suspicion, doubt,
jealousy all grew in her mind). Personification is also
as though my thoughts
used to say that negative thoughts are ‘growing’ in the hissed and spat on my scalp.
mind of the poet, meaning that OVER TIME, they’re
getting stronger and consuming her with jealousy.

This idea is reiterated further in the poem, when in

lines 3 and 4, a mythological reference is made to the
evil goddess Medusa, “which… snakes”.
Stanza 1 - Siddharth Shrivas
The technique used here is to metaphorically say that
the growth of the negative thoughts in the mind of the A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy
poet, turned her into a monster, symbolized by the grew in my mind,
snakes on her head, which turn people into stone.
Monsters are known to harbour ill-intentions and are
symbolic for human vices, hence, the idea of jealousy which turned the hairs on my head to
is reinforced by claiming that the poet is turning into a filthy snakes
monster.

The thoughts of the poet are then described as being

as though my thoughts
the very snakes growing through her scalp and hissed and spat on my scalp.
causing this transformation in her by making her a
monster that she is not. Leading onto the ideas
discussed in the second stanza of transformation and
loss of innocence.
Stanza 2 - Siddharth Shrivas
Stanza 2 opens with ideas lead on from stanza 1, My bride’s breath soured,
i.e: Innocence and Transformation. These ideas stank
are discussed from the first lines of stanza 2, when
the poet thinks of herself as a bride “my… lungs”, in the grey bags of my lungs.
but quickly presents a juxtapositionary concept by
saying that her breath ‘stank’ and that her lungs I’m foul mouthed now, foul
were ‘grey’. These contrasting claims tell the tongued,yellow fanged.
readers that the symbolically innocent bride, had a
darker and more deprecated side in the context There are bullet tears in my
that her breath stank because of her grey lungs - eyes.
an allusion to to the bride being a regular smoker
and hence, a corruptible and transformable soul. Are you terrified?
Stanza 2 - Siddharth Shrivas
The idea of transformation into a monster is My bride’s breath soured,
elaborated in the 3rd, 4th and 5th lines of the stank
poem, “I’m… eyes”. These lines use the extended
metaphor of the poet becoming medusa and in the grey bags of my lungs.
provide a visual description of what the poet
seemingly looks like now, after her transformation. I’m foul mouthed now, foul
tongued,yellow fanged.
In line 5 symbolism is used when talking about the
‘bullet tears’ of the poet, this is because bullets are There are bullet tears in my
generally cold and hard, a representation of the eyes.
emotional state of the monster the poet has
become. Are you terrified?
Stanza 2 - Siddharth Shrivas
Lastly, the stanza ends with a rhetorical question in My bride’s breath soured,
line 6, asking the readers if they are terrified. stank
Engaging them in an intimidating manner, which
sets the ideas for the next stanza, which is that of in the grey bags of my lungs.
intimidation and authority.
I’m foul mouthed now, foul
The first line of the second stanza also opens with tongued,yellow fanged.
the answer to the rhetorical question of the first
stanza, i.e: “Be terrified.” Using a device called There are bullet tears in my
‘hypophora’, to create fear. eyes.

Are you terrified?

 Stanza 3 - Veer Chauhan
Be terrified.
The overarching theme of anger and possessiveness
Highlighted throughout the poem. It’s you I love,
perfect man, Greek God, my
The theme of fury is evident in the very first line of the third own;
Stanza “Be terrified” which shows us a sudden build up in
Confidence and rage in her. The theme of possessiveness
Is reiterated in line “It’s you….own” where usage of “my own” but I know you’ll go, betray
Clearly suggests a sense of obsession also writing “you” me, stray from home.
Before “I” shows that she prioritizes him before her
So better by for me if you
Also rhyming technique in betray and stray to have a sense of
flow in the poem
were stone.
 STANZA - 4 - Veer Chauhan
“Glanced” - suggests the idea of hesitance and that also hints that
Medusa fears her powers.

Talks about her heart and not the man, which is suggested in the I glanced at a buzzing bee,
preceding stanza. a dull grey pebble fell to the
ground.
Medusa acknowledges her power. The flying creatures; a bee and singing bird,
show that Medusa knows that she can destroy their freedom. I glanced at a singing bird,
a handful of dusty gravel spattered
Paradox created down.
Visual, Kinetic Imagery
Theme: reality, realization
STANZA 5 - Kavish Panchal
Theme: transformation. VISUAL IMAGERY

Medusa turns things she makes eye-contact with into stone; the cat becomes solid
like a house-brick.
I looked at a ginger cat, a house
This, like the other stanzas, is spare and concise, with no words wasted; even
conjunctions, like ‘and’ and ‘but’ are omitted. In her grief and anger Medusa brick
hasn’t the inclination to waste time on flowing narrative.
shattered a bowl of milk.
Her victims, from the soft, warm ginger cat to the snuffling pig, are a constant
reminder to Medusa of the sinister, destructive effect she has on her surroundings. I looked at a snuffling pig, a
boulder rolled in a heap of shit.
The pigs life going downhill can be seen as
representation of Medusa’s life from an
animated and vital woman whose life is ruined She turns a cat into a house brick
by Athena’s curse, resulting in her becoming a which in turn shatters a bowl of
heartless monster. milk. Medusa’s destructiveness is
spreading.
 “Stared” is part of a sequence, beginning with

Stanza 6 - Kavish Panchal “glanced”, to “looked” then finally to “stared”. This

may suggest that she is finally growing in confidence
in her destructive powers.

Could this be a reference to suicide? Maybe suggesting an attempt to turn herself to stone. The
reference to the mirror also foreshadows the trick Perseus used to kill Medusa. I stared in the
This could also be an expression of how she feels about herself – Medusa mirror.
was a beautiful young woman transformed into a grotesque Gorgon. If she
views her appearance has ‘gone bad’ perhaps she believes her thoughts and
feelings have too. Love gone bad
showed me a
Medusa sees herself as a dragon. There are similarities between Gorgon.
the various mythical creatures evoked in the poem, all of which
are ugly and destructive.
I stared at a dragon.
Fire spewed
This word “spewed”, with associations with vomit, This is a reference to anger erupting like a volcano.
from the mouth of a
Furthermore, it is a continuation of the extended metaphor
aptly describes the fire produced from the mouths
of mythical creatures. Furthermore, in the Christian
of destruction. It is a semantic field of words that have mountain.
escalated from pebble, gravel, house brick, boulder and
tradition hell comprises fire — all linked and lastly a mountain. This extended metaphor could represent
related ideas. her stony heart and her wild, untamed, lonely anger.
Stanza 7 - Aashna C
This indicates Medusa’s belief Interaction with
Theme - that her husband never loved the audience
her; she implies that his heart
Jealousy
was protected or ‘shielded’. And here you come
Main ideas - Mythical reference: Men at the (imagery) he was the one
Insecurity time would have used who ‘attacked’ her emotionally. with a shield for a heart
Betrayal weapons and shields to fight He couldn’t really love her ,his and a sword for a tongue
words hurt and damaged her.
Self-loathing physically; it is the women who alliteration
It was as painful as if he used
had only their hearts and
his his sword and shield to
tongues to cope with life break her heart.
and your girls, your girls.
The repetition of ‘your girls’ shows that he has been having multiple
repetition
relationships and suggests that he didn’t truly love her. These ‘girls’ are not Wasn’t I beautiful
differentiated, implying that he was simply a philanderer, and saw them as
objects. He clearly valued none of the women he meddled with, including Wasn’t I fragrant and young?
Medusa. Rhetorical questions
Look at me now.
The last 2 lines show her bafflement; a woman destroyed. She asks the
rhetorical questions as though seeking her husband’s sympathy and
affection — she is still needs him. She still clings to the memory of the lovely
woman she was and is disappointed about how her husband couldn’t see
her charm
Ambiguous, revengeful
CONCLUSION