Edge

The poem romanticizes death as a compelling, validating experience. This romanticization appears immediately, with the speaker announcing, “The woman is perfected” (Line 1). What makes the woman flawless is that she’s “dead” (Line 2). Thus, the speaker equates death with a supreme state, an “accomplishment” (Line 3). By dying, the woman has climbed to a level of breathtaking refinement and perfection. 

In the poem, part of the allure of death is the aestheticization. The woman isn’t a human but an object. This objectification positions her body as a passive canvas, much like the classical figures immortalized in art. The sculptress gives them a flowing “toga” (Line 5) and strong feet that took them “so far” (Line 8). The allusion to Greek myths adds to the artistic appeal. The woman’s peers are people from legendary stories, like Medea and Cleopatra. Through death, the woman in the poem joins the exclusive canon of literary figures. 

Halfway through the poem, Plath subverts the theme. The image of the dead child coiling back into her body like a “white serpent” (Line 9) is more grotesque than becoming. The affiliated image of the rose closing its petals is enticing, as flowers typically symbolize beautiful things. However, the context suggests fright and defensiveness. The rose closes due to the raucous sensuality of the garden. This imagery blends beauty with morbidity, reinforcing the allure and horror of death’s embrace.

The subversion of the theme continues with the moon. The moon doesn’t think of the dead woman as a perfect object. The moon isn’t “sad” about the death of the woman and her children, but they’re not exhilarated either (Line 17). The speaker claims, “She is used to this sort of thing” (Line 19). The poem indicates that death is an everyday occurrence, and the woman’s death doesn’t constitute a work of art but a common event. This conclusion starkly contrasts the earlier romanticization, suggesting a sobering truth about the inevitability and mundanity of death.