Welcome, everyone, to an insightful exploration of Carol Ann Duffy’s compelling poem, “Mrs Aesop”. This piece offers a vibrant and often humorous reinterpretation of classic fables, inviting readers to consider a familiar story from an entirely new perspective. Prepare to delve into the sharp wit and profound observations that make this poem a truly memorable work.
By Christ, he could bore me for Purgatory. He was small, didn’t possess. So he tried to impress; Dead men,
Mrs. Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let me tell you now that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve, never mind the two worthless in the bush. Tedious.Going out was worst. He’d stand at our gate, look, then leap; scour the hedgerows for a shy mouse, the fields for a sly fox, the sky for one particular swallow that couldn’t make a summer. The Jackdaw according to him envied the eagle Donkeys and would, on the whole, prefer to be lions. On one appalling evening stroll we passed an old hare snoozing in a ditch, he stopped and made a note, and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise, somebody’s pet, creeping slow as a marriage up the road. Slow but certain, Mrs. Aesop, wins the race. Asshole. What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse, sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish? Some days I could barely keep myself awake as the story droned on towards the moral of itself. Action, Mrs. Aesop, speaks louder. I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
Understanding “Mrs Aesop”: A Fresh Perspective on Ancient Wisdom
Carol Ann Duffy’s “Mrs Aesop”, published in her acclaimed collection The World’s Wife in 1999, offers a witty and subversive take on the famed fabulist, Aesop. The poem is a dramatic monologue delivered by Mrs Aesop herself, providing a long overdue counter narrative to her husband’s well known tales. This “Mrs Aesop summary” reveals a woman utterly exasperated by her husband’s incessant moralizing and his inability to see the world beyond his simplistic fables.
The central idea of “Mrs Aesop” revolves around the reclaiming of voice and challenging established narratives. Duffy gives agency to a historically silent figure, allowing her to express her frustration, boredom, and ultimate disillusionment with a man whose wisdom, from her perspective, is nothing more than tiresome platitudes. The poem critiques the patriarchal structures that often silence women, presenting Mrs Aesop as a sharp, cynical, and ultimately empowered individual who refuses to be merely a passive listener to her husband’s pronouncements. It highlights the often overlooked domestic realities behind grand public figures and questions the universal applicability of simple morals.
Exploring the Literary and Poetic Devices in “Mrs Aesop”
The richness of “Mrs Aesop” is significantly enhanced by Duffy’s masterful use of various literary and poetic devices. Examining these elements provides a deeper understanding of the poem’s themes, the speaker’s character, and its overall impact. This section will delve into the “literary devices in Mrs Aesop” and “poetic devices in Mrs Aesop” that make this poem so compelling.
Voice and Perspective: Mrs Aesop’s Unfiltered Truth
The poem’s most striking feature is its first person perspective, giving voice to Mrs Aesop. Her tone is one of profound exasperation, cynicism, and dry humor. This allows readers to experience the world through her eyes, a world where Aesop’s wisdom is merely tedious. The opening line immediately establishes this tone:
By Christ, he could bore me for Purgatory.
This expletive and hyperbole instantly convey her deep seated annoyance, setting the stage for her candid and unfiltered observations. Her perspective is crucial for the poem’s central theme of challenging traditional narratives.
Allusion: Weaving Old Tales into a New Tapestry
Allusion is central to “Mrs Aesop”, as the poem is built upon references to Aesop’s fables and other well known sayings. These allusions are not merely decorative; they are twisted and subverted to reflect Mrs Aesop’s jaded view. Examples include:
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Dead men, Mrs. Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales.
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Well, let me tell you now that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve, never mind the two worthless in the bush.
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The Jackdaw according to him envied the eagle
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Donkeys and would, on the whole, prefer to be lions.
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Slow but certain, Mrs. Aesop, wins the race.
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What sour grapes? What silk purse, sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish?
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Action, Mrs. Aesop, speaks louder.
Each of these allusions is either directly quoted by Aesop or referenced by Mrs Aesop, who then proceeds to dismantle or mock their supposed wisdom, highlighting her weariness with their simplistic morals.
Intertextuality: A Dialogue Across Time
Intertextuality refers to the way texts relate to and influence one another. “Mrs Aesop” is a prime example, as it directly engages with and reinterprets the existing body of Aesop’s Fables. Duffy does not just allude to them; she actively rewrites their context and meaning from a female perspective. This creates a dialogue between the ancient fables and a modern domestic setting, transforming the original stories into a commentary on marriage, gender roles, and the nature of wisdom itself. The poem’s entire premise is an intertextual act, giving voice to a character previously confined to the margins of another’s narrative.
Imagery: Painting a Picture of Domestic Frustration
Duffy employs vivid imagery to bring Mrs Aesop’s world and her husband’s tedious habits to life. The descriptions are often mundane, yet they effectively convey the speaker’s irritation and the repetitive nature of her life. Consider these examples:
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scour the hedgerows for a shy mouse, the fields for a sly fox, the sky for one particular swallow that couldn’t make a summer.
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an old hare snoozing in a ditch
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a tortoise, somebody’s pet, creeping slow as a marriage up the road.
These images, drawn from everyday observations, are precisely what Aesop uses to construct his fables, but Mrs Aesop sees them with a cynical eye, highlighting their banality rather than their profound lessons.
Metaphor and Simile: Vivid Comparisons of a Weary Life
Figurative language, particularly metaphor and simile, enriches the poem by drawing striking comparisons that illuminate Mrs Aesop’s feelings. One notable simile is:
a tortoise, somebody’s pet, creeping slow as a marriage up the road.
Here, the slow pace of the tortoise is compared to the perceived slowness or stagnation of a marriage, subtly revealing Mrs Aesop’s disillusionment with her own relationship. While Aesop’s pronouncements are often metaphorical, Mrs Aesop’s own use of figurative language is rooted in her personal, often negative, experience.
Rhetorical Questions: Challenging the Status Quo
Mrs Aesop frequently employs rhetorical questions to express her incredulity and challenge the simplistic morals her husband espouses. These questions are not meant to be answered but rather to underscore her frustration and the absurdity she perceives in his pronouncements:
What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse, sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish?
This rapid fire succession of questions demonstrates her utter weariness and her active rejection of the fables’ underlying assumptions, emphasizing her critical and questioning nature.
Enjambment: The Unstoppable Flow of Annoyance
Enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break without a pause, contributes to the conversational and often breathless tone of Mrs Aesop’s monologue. It mirrors the relentless flow of her husband’s stories and her own mounting frustration. For instance:
He was small, didn’t possess. So he tried to impress; Dead men,
Mrs. Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales.
The sentence spills over the line break, creating a sense of continuous speech and the inescapable nature of Aesop’s pronouncements. Similarly, the long, unbroken second stanza reflects the droning quality of his tales.
Assonance and Consonance: The Sound of Discontent
Duffy skillfully uses assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and consonance (repetition of consonant sounds) to enhance the poem’s musicality and emotional impact. These sound devices often subtly emphasize Mrs Aesop’s irritation. For example:
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The repetition of the short ‘a’ sound in “He’d stand at our gate” creates a somewhat clipped, impatient rhythm.
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Consonance is evident in “Going out was worst. He’d stand at our gate, look, then leap”. The repeated ‘s’ and ‘t’ sounds contribute to a sense of harshness and the speaker’s underlying irritation.
Colloquial Language and Expletives: Authenticity in Anger
The poem’s use of colloquial language and occasional expletives lends authenticity to Mrs Aesop’s voice, making her feel real and relatable. Phrases like “By Christ”, “Asshole”, and “Tedious” are not refined or poetic in a traditional sense, but they perfectly capture the raw, unfiltered emotion of a woman pushed to her limits. This choice of language reinforces her defiance against the formal, moralizing tone of her husband’s fables.
Free Verse and Form: Unbound by Convention
“Mrs Aesop” is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a strict meter or rhyme scheme. This form allows Duffy to create a natural, conversational rhythm that mimics spoken language. The lack of rigid structure gives Mrs Aesop’s monologue an unconstrained quality, reflecting her desire to break free from the restrictive narratives imposed by her husband. The poem’s two long stanzas further emphasize the relentless, droning nature of Aesop’s storytelling and Mrs Aesop’s seemingly endless endurance.
The Enduring Resonance of “Mrs Aesop”
“Mrs Aesop” stands as a powerful and engaging poem that skillfully reworks a classic figure to explore contemporary themes of voice, gender, and the challenge of conventional wisdom. Through Mrs Aesop’s sharp wit and candid observations, Carol Ann Duffy invites readers to question the narratives they have inherited and to consider the untold stories that lie beneath the surface. The poem’s masterful use of literary and poetic devices creates a rich, layered experience, making it a truly unforgettable piece of literature that continues to resonate with audiences today. Its blend of humor, frustration, and ultimate empowerment ensures its place as a significant work in modern poetry.