Comment on the male-female relationship in Sylvia Plath’s poetry.

Answer

 Comment on the male-female relationship in Sylvia Plath’s poetry. [NU: 2017, 21] ★★★

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) is one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. Her poetry gained recognition after her death. We find the pain and depression of her personal life in her poetry, especially in the male-female relationships. She shows that relationships between men and women can be filled with hatred, rivalry, pain, and fear.  

Plath’s Personal Life: Sylvia Plath suffered from depression for much of her life. Her father, a German named Otto Plath, was a dominating figure. Plath expresses her hatred for her father in her famous poem “Daddy.” Her married life with her husband, Ted Hughes, was also very difficult. She was unhappy about Ted’s affair with a lady named Assia Wevill. In her letters, Plath alleged abuse at her husband’s hands. She tragically died by suicide at the age of 30. We find her lifelong depression and sadness in the male-female relationships of her poetry. Let us take a closer look below.

Toxic Relationship: In “The Rival,” Plath talks about her toxic relationship with her rival, who could be her husband, Ted Hughes. She compares the rival to the moon. She says both the moon and the rival are beautiful but destructive. The moon has no light. It borrows from the sun. Just like this, the rival also takes attention and glory from others. As she writes:

“Both of you are great light borrowers.”

So, a male-female relationship can become toxic if there is no true love or care. It can be full of selfishness.

Pain and Suffocation: In “The Rival,” Plath also shows that close relationships can be full of pain, emptiness, and suffocation. She writes:

“I wake to a mausoleum…”

She feels as if she is waking up in a mausoleum (tomb), but her rival does not care. She feels lifeless or empty in her rival’s presence. Moreover, she compares