Star Note

A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy
grew in my mind,
which turned the hairs on my head to filthy snakes
as though my thoughts
hissed and spat on my scalp.

My bride’s breath soured, stank
in the grey bags of my lungs.
I’m foul mouthed now, foul tongued,
yellow fanged.
There are bullet tears in my eyes.
Are you terrified?

Be terrified.
It’s you I love,
perfect man, Greek God, my own;
but I know you’ll go, betray me, stray
from home.
So better by for me if you were stone.

I glanced at a buzzing bee,
a dull grey pebble fell
to the ground.
I glanced at a singing bird,
a handful of dusty gravel
spattered down.

I looked at a ginger cat,
a housebrick
shattered a bowl of milk.
I looked at a snuffling pig,
a boulder rolled
in a heap of shit.

I stared in the mirror.
Love gone bad
showed me a Gorgon.
I stared at a dragon.
Fire spewed
from the mouth of a mountain.

And here you come
with a shield for a heart
and a sword for a tongue
and your girls, your girls.
Wasn’t I beautiful
Wasn’t I fragrant and young?

Look at me now.

Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy

Background

Who is Medusa?

Derived from Greek mythology, the story of Medusa is well known for the curse that transformed her into a gorgon, a creature with a small snake for hair, green-blue skin and anyone who looked at her eyes would turn to stone. Medusa used to be a beautiful priestess of Athena. One vow that all priestesses follow is to remain celibate. However, Medusa was assaulted by the god Poseidon in a temple of Athena. Athena was furious by the desecration of her temple, and cursed Medusa by turning her into a gorgon.

Summary

This poem shows the narrator as a woman filled with insecurity, jealousy and rage. She implies that her husband is unfaithful to her, and his actions are the reason she is acting irrationally. This shows how some men can use and discard women, while not bothering to care for her, while it destroys her, leading to her having to pay for a man’s actions. It follows a similar, more modernised version of the story of Medusa. The same way Medusa was punished for something that a man did to her, in this story, the narrator is being punished by feeling hatred and jealousy for her husband presumably not being faithful to her.

Analysis

A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy
grew in my mind,
which turned the hairs on my head to filthy snakes
as though my thoughts
hissed and spat on my scalp.

1st Stanza

“A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy“

• Tricolon creates a dramatic and ominous atmosphere.
• Absence of conjunctions, asyndeton, in the tricolon leaves the reader unsure of the connection between these emotions.
• Ambiguity of the emotions unbalances the readers and reflects the speaker’s own uncertainty.
• Quick movement between words – speaker trapped in swift, painful feelings. 

“grew in my mind,“

• “Grew” – implies that the emotions are intensifying and taking on a life of their own. 

“which turned the hairs on my head to filthy snakes“

• Reference to Greek myth, Medusa, made here even though the title of the poem is Medusa.
• Jealousy has transformed her into a monster – “filthy snakes”
• “Filthy” – suggests the speaker’s disgust at her monstrous transformation.
• Alliteration – repetition of /h/ sounds in “hairs” and “head”, adds auditory texture.

“as though my thoughts“

• Sibilance – repetition of /s/ sounds in “snakes,” “thoughts,” “hissed,” “spat,” and “scalp” evokes the unpleasantness of the transformation.

“hissed and spat on my scalp.“

• Imagery of hissing and spitting suggests the torment of carrying such thoughts.
• The agony of the speaker’s transformation is vividly conveyed.

My bride’s breath soured, stank
in the grey bags of my lungs.
I’m foul mouthed now, foul tongued,
yellow fanged.
There are bullet tears in my eyes.
Are you terrified?

2nd Stanza

“My bride’s breath soured, stank“

• Alliteration of /b/ sounds, “brides breath” 
• Sibilance of “soured, stank”
• Speakers previous mention of emotions of “suspicion,” “doubt,” and “jealousy,” in relation to “brides breath,” suggests romantic betrayal has led her to this transformation. 

“in the grey bags of my lungs.“

• Consonance of /l/ and /g/ sounds creates a slow and guttural feeling, which enhances the unpleasantness of this transformation she’s going through.
• Poem leaves open the possibility of the speaker literally being Medusa or someone like Medusa – the speaker’s transformation being awful and that she has become hideous and unrecognizable to herself.

“I’m foul mouthed now, foul tongued,“

• Harsh words like soured,” “stank,” “bags,” “lungs,” “foul,” “tongued,” and “fanged” convey the speaker’s visceral ugliness.

“yellow fanged.“

• This line suggests that this transformation may extend beyond physical appearance, reflecting a change in the speaker’s personality or internal identity, turning her into someone “foul tongued” and “yellow fanged.”

“There are bullet tears in my eyes.“

• Metaphor used by describing “bullet tears” in her eyes, showcasing her vulnerability and sorrow while also suggesting her potential for danger. 
• The tears, likened to bullets, imply the transformation of sorrow into a weapon which reflects the speaker’s inner turmoil and potential for revenge. 
• Metaphor also alludes to Medusa’s ability to turn everything she looks at to stone, suggesting the hardening of the speaker’s heart in response to the betrayal faced.

“Are you terrified?“

• Rhetorical question asked to her husband if he is terrified – dramatic gesture that combines boldness and vulnerability.
• Question could hint at the speaker’s underlying desire for assurance and validation while questioning whether her emotions are valid or monstrous in the eyes of her husband.

Be terrified.
It’s you I love,
perfect man, Greek God, my own;
but I know you’ll go, betray me, stray
from home.
So better by for me if you were stone.

3rd Stanza

“Be terrified.“

• Despite the vulnerability the speaker possesses, they quickly adopt a defiant stance.
• Refusing to play the victim and embracing this monstrosity – speaker asserts agency and rejects societal expectations of femininity and passivity. 

“It’s you I love,“

• Addressing the husband directly and revealing why he should be terrified.

“perfect man, Greek God, my own;“

• Despite his betrayal, the speaker describes him as the “perfect man” – irony to highlight the disparity between his perceived perfection and cruel actions. 
• “Greek god” – can be interpreted as mocking his egotism, genuine admiration or both.
• Despite the speaker’s anger, she refers to the husband as “her own” – reveals vulnerability and inability to stop her love for him.

“but I know you’ll go, betray me, stray
from home.

• Internal rhyme between “betray” and “stray” highlights the theme of infidelity and the consequences that come with it.

“So better by for me if you were stone.“

• Speaker gives in to her painful emotions and expresses desire for her husband to be turned to stone – completes her transformation into Medusa. 

I glanced at a buzzing bee,
a dull grey pebble fell
to the ground.
I glanced at a singing bird,
a handful of dusty gravel
spattered down.

4th Stanza

“I glanced at a buzzing bee,
a dull grey pebble fell
to the ground.
I glanced at a singing bird,
a handful of dusty gravel
spattered down.“

• “I glanced at a..” is repeated in this stanza which creates anaphora – emphasizes the persuasive nature of the speaker’s ability to turn things into stone. 
• Sonic devices used in this stanza, with harsh consonance of /g/ and /d/ sounds, reflect the speaker’s state of mind and the heaviness of her power.
• Instead of the sounds  “buzzing” and “singing,” there is the dull thud of a “dull grey pebble” and the impact of “dusty gravel” hitting the ground.
• Parallel between the two sentences in the stanza mirrors the pattern of the speaker’s life, where everything she looks at turns into something lifeless.
• This stanza can be interpreted as a representation of the lifelessness of the speaker.

I looked at a ginger cat,
a housebrick
shattered a bowl of milk.
I looked at a snuffling pig,
a boulder rolled
in a heap of shit.

5th Stanza

“I looked at a ginger cat,
a housebrick
shattered a bowl of milk.
I looked at a snuffling pig,
a boulder rolled“

• Transition from “glancing” to “looking,” which suggests the deliberate and destructive expression of her rage and jealousy.
• Progression of victims becoming larger and more significant – bee to a bird to a cat and to a pig; pebbles to boulders.
• Speaker’s action shows the realization of her power and the willingness of hers to continue her role as a monster rather than a victim. 
• Accumulation of creatures turned to stone is exhausting which suggests that Medusa is just beginning this transformation – no stopping at pigs and cats.

“in a heap of shit.“

• Aggressive language used which reflects the speaker’s anger and the destruction of her world.

I stared in the mirror.
Love gone bad
showed me a Gorgon.
I stared at a dragon.
Fire spewed
from the mouth of a mountain.

6th Stanza

“I stared in the mirror.“

• Parallel between previous two stanzas (4 & 5) – from “glancing” and “looking” to now “staring” – focuses on herself in the mirror. 

“Love gone bad“

• The power of love that made her turn into this monster – how a beautiful thing like love went wrong and became monstrous. 

“showed me a Gorgon.
I stared at a dragon.“

• Mirror reflects the speaker as a “gorgon” and a “dragon” – creatures that are associated with power and anger.

“Fire spewed
from the mouth of a mountain.“

• This description introduces a metaphor, possibly portraying the speaker as a volcano.
• This imagery evokes her rage and transforms her into a powerful and unstoppable force of nature – volcano.

And here you come
with a shield for a heart
and a sword for a tongue
and your girls, your girls.
Wasn’t I beautiful
Wasn’t I fragrant and young?

7th Stanza

“And here you come“

• Directly addressing the husband – in this stanza the speaker implies that the husband is now entering her line of sight and suggesting that he will turn into stone if she looks at him. 
• Husband is here to battle with the speaker as hes in her sight – positions himself as the hero facing this monster, the speaker, despite the fact that the husband turned the speaker into a monster through his infidelity. 

“with a shield for a heart
and a sword for a tongue“

• Echoes the speakers earlier made descriptions of herself as a “gorgon” and a “dragon.”
• Metaphor used in both these lines highlights the husband’s unkindness and cruelty.

“and your girls, your girls.“

• Repetition of “your girls” conveys the speaker’s exhaustion and also suggests that she’s seen this behavior from her husband before. 

“Wasn’t I beautiful
Wasn’t I fragrant and young?“

• Vulnerable again and questions whether she wasn’t enough for him. 
• Speaker seeks for reassurance and asks if she wasnt deserving of love and admiration. 
• Rhetorical questions – speaker’s realization that her youth and beauty didn’t protect her from her husband’s actions.
• Questions challenge the readers to consider if these actions were justifiable – evokes empathy and understand the consequences of this transformation; misogyny.

Look at me now.

8th Stanza

“Look at me now.“

• Simple statement addresses both readers and husband in different ways/affecting them differently.
  • Readers: statement serves as a commentary on the consequences of using the discarding women – jealousy and rage has completely consumed the speaker and that turned her into someone unrecognizable.
  • Husband: statement accuses him for what the speaker has turned into and also could be a possible command for the husband to look at the speaker so she can turn him into stone.