Mrs. Tiresias is one of the poem in the collection of World’s Wife by Carol Anne Duffy. The narrator, Mrs Tiresias complains about the shocking event where Mr. Tiresias “went out for his walk a man and came home female”. The gender of transformation Mr. Tiresias is an allusion made by Carol to the Geek mythology where similarly Tiresias was out on a walk, and was transformed into a women, as he murdered a female serpent.
Mrs. Tiresias exaggerates unnecessary facts, such as "the first cuckoo of spring," so much that he writes it" to The Times." Moreover, she emphasizes about his "whistling," which Mrs. Tiresias finds very arrogant. Then, Mrs. Tiresias describes the strange events she notices where “a faint sneer of thunder up in the woods”. She became anxious since he was late, and upon his return she notices the same eyes, though women breast. “When he uttered my name in his women’s voice I passed out.” The gender transformation was extremely discomforting for Mrs. Tiresias, but there was nothing could be done, therefore life had to be continued. Mrs. Tiresias tries to carry on life normally, as she assist her female transformed husband in daily activities which are definitely new to him. One aspect which is very different for men than women is of menstrual periods. Mrs.Tiresias thinks her husband is ridiculously cowardly. Having menstrual period, which she has dealt with throughout her life without too much fuss, he is taking the situation to another step. He is staying in bed for "one week," calling the doctors, having "three painkillers four times a day," and even having extreme mood swings. Duffy tries to make an important emphasis on the pain a woman suffers in life because of menstrual period by exaggerating Mr.Tiresias situation. Although she is trying to overcome hatred and be in love with him once again like in the beginning of their relationship, it seems as though it has gone beyond the point of control.
Duffy continues to connect with the Greek Mythology further in her poetry. After Mrs,Tiresias broke up with Mr. Tiresias, she saw him “entering glitzy restaurants on the arms of powerful men”. Mr. Tiresias directly relates to the greek Tiresias again, as during feminine days he practiced prostitution. Duffy comments on her husband's behavior when she describes him as "telling the women out there how, as a woman himself, he knew how we felt”. She implies that her husband thinks that he has a superior manner by stating that he thinks he knows exactly what women experience. Bearing in mind Mr. Tiresias’s gender exploitation, he has experiences in women body, but he cannot know everything. Duffy hints at the husband's incomplete understanding of women when she comments "The one thing he never got right was the voice". As much as the actual Mr. Tiresias tries to prove that he understands women, Duffy points out that he is not as knowledgeable as he thinks. Duffy interestingly uses a lot of sexual ideas & themes, which she symbolizes in the form of fruit imagery. She describes Tiresias' voice as a "cling peach slithering out from its tin." Its very interesting how she twists her words, as peach slithering out from its tin, she implies its color fading away, perhaps the peach's tint representing whatever is left of Tiresias' masculinity as it "clings" on. He no longer possesses any sort of masculine aspects.
Karan Parakh 12,3
In the section of the poem, Duffy recaps wonderful memories that Mrs.Tiresias had with Mr.Tiresias back in the days when he carried masculine characteristics. She builds up her emotions as she flashes back from the first day they met with the first glimpse. Duffy uses another reference to fruits, “her bite at the fruit of my lips” ,where jealousy arises and the exact question of which “lips”, of her former husband or of the present unprincipled women simply a prostitute are being bit to cause the “red wet cry in the night.” Duffy used fruits agin, though implied in different manner where she means the female form is soft, juicy and pleasureful, making a fruit a prime metaphoric choice.
To conclude, Mrs.Tiresias is an excellent piece of art which connects Greek myth with english literature. From Mrs. Tiresias we learn something interesting about Carol Anne Duffy, as she constantly supports her feministic viewpoint. From Mr.Tiresias’s menstrual period example, Duffy describes no matter how physically strong men are or how difficult their lives are, they cannot compare themselves with women, who evidently face numerous challenges too. Its very cleverly written, as Duffy emphasizes on how mentally not physically strong women are, as Mrs Tiresias took her break up from Mr.Tiresias is a fairly pleasant way.
Mrs. Tiresias exaggerates unnecessary facts, such as "the first cuckoo of spring," so much that he writes it" to The Times." Moreover, she emphasizes about his "whistling," which Mrs. Tiresias finds very arrogant. Then, Mrs. Tiresias describes the strange events she notices where “a faint sneer of thunder up in the woods”. She became anxious since he was late, and upon his return she notices the same eyes, though women breast. “When he uttered my name in his women’s voice I passed out.” The gender transformation was extremely discomforting for Mrs. Tiresias, but there was nothing could be done, therefore life had to be continued. Mrs. Tiresias tries to carry on life normally, as she assist her female transformed husband in daily activities which are definitely new to him. One aspect which is very different for men than women is of menstrual periods. Mrs.Tiresias thinks her husband is ridiculously cowardly. Having menstrual period, which she has dealt with throughout her life without too much fuss, he is taking the situation to another step. He is staying in bed for "one week," calling the doctors, having "three painkillers four times a day," and even having extreme mood swings. Duffy tries to make an important emphasis on the pain a woman suffers in life because of menstrual period by exaggerating Mr.Tiresias situation. Although she is trying to overcome hatred and be in love with him once again like in the beginning of their relationship, it seems as though it has gone beyond the point of control.
Duffy continues to connect with the Greek Mythology further in her poetry. After Mrs,Tiresias broke up with Mr. Tiresias, she saw him “entering glitzy restaurants on the arms of powerful men”. Mr. Tiresias directly relates to the greek Tiresias again, as during feminine days he practiced prostitution. Duffy comments on her husband's behavior when she describes him as "telling the women out there how, as a woman himself, he knew how we felt”. She implies that her husband thinks that he has a superior manner by stating that he thinks he knows exactly what women experience. Bearing in mind Mr. Tiresias’s gender exploitation, he has experiences in women body, but he cannot know everything. Duffy hints at the husband's incomplete understanding of women when she comments "The one thing he never got right was the voice". As much as the actual Mr. Tiresias tries to prove that he understands women, Duffy points out that he is not as knowledgeable as he thinks. Duffy interestingly uses a lot of sexual ideas & themes, which she symbolizes in the form of fruit imagery. She describes Tiresias' voice as a "cling peach slithering out from its tin." Its very interesting how she twists her words, as peach slithering out from its tin, she implies its color fading away, perhaps the peach's tint representing whatever is left of Tiresias' masculinity as it "clings" on. He no longer possesses any sort of masculine aspects.
Karan Parakh 12,3
In the section of the poem, Duffy recaps wonderful memories that Mrs.Tiresias had with Mr.Tiresias back in the days when he carried masculine characteristics. She builds up her emotions as she flashes back from the first day they met with the first glimpse. Duffy uses another reference to fruits, “her bite at the fruit of my lips” ,where jealousy arises and the exact question of which “lips”, of her former husband or of the present unprincipled women simply a prostitute are being bit to cause the “red wet cry in the night.” Duffy used fruits agin, though implied in different manner where she means the female form is soft, juicy and pleasureful, making a fruit a prime metaphoric choice.
To conclude, Mrs.Tiresias is an excellent piece of art which connects Greek myth with english literature. From Mrs. Tiresias we learn something interesting about Carol Anne Duffy, as she constantly supports her feministic viewpoint. From Mr.Tiresias’s menstrual period example, Duffy describes no matter how physically strong men are or how difficult their lives are, they cannot compare themselves with women, who evidently face numerous challenges too. Its very cleverly written, as Duffy emphasizes on how mentally not physically strong women are, as Mrs Tiresias took her break up from Mr.Tiresias is a fairly pleasant way.