Conversation Among the Ruins
Conversation Among the Ruins - meaning Summary
Marriage as Destructive Storm
Plath dramatises a domestic relationship as a ruined classical estate, where a partner arrives as a violent, stormlike force that shatters order and beauty. The speaker, arrayed in Grecian costume, is immobilised by the other’s hostile gaze and the collapse of ceremonial decorum. The ruined setting and unanswered question at the end emphasize marital breakdown and the insufficiency of language to repair emotional devastation.
Read Complete AnalysesThrough portico of my elegant house you stalk With your wild furies, disturbing garlands of fruit And the fabulous lutes and peacocks, rending the net Of all decorum which holds the whirlwind back. Now, rich order of walls is fallen; rooks croak Above the appalling ruin; in bleak light Of your stormy eye, magic takes flight Like a daunted witch, quitting castle when real days break. Fractured pillars frame prospects of rock; While you stand heroic in coat and tie, I sit Composed in Grecian tunic and psyche-knot, Rooted to your black look, the play turned tragic: Which such blight wrought on our bankrupt estate, What ceremony of words can patch the havoc?
Feel free to be first to leave comment.