“Lady Lazarus” is a poem by Sylvia Path. The main subject of the poem is death. The speaker in the poem talks about how she has attempted suicide in various instances without achieving her ultimate goal of death. Throughout the poem, Plath uses several literary devices such as repetition, allegory, imagery, and irony among others. Plath ensures that these devices help her in communicating the theme of death and suicide. Plath seems to be relating the events in the poem to her personal life which makes it more appealing to the reader. Plath, in “Lady Lazarus” consults various literary elements advancing the theme of death, suicide, and sorrow.
Plath has used allegory to a great extent in the poem. The use of name Lazarus as the heading of the topic points out to a possible inference to death. Lazarus was a character in the Bible who died and was eventually raised by Jesus Christ. Therefore, from the topic alone, one can easily get the direction of the overall poem. From the poem, it remains evident that this is the speaker’s third attempt at suicide. However, she is constantly “resurrected” by the doctors who come to her aid. As such, she qualifies the name Lazarus based on the slight similarity seen in their lives.
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The speaker in the poem also uses apostrophe as a literary device that also helps in the overall creation of the theme. In this style, the writer appears to be talking to somebody who is not necessarily present in the vicinity. Apostrophe is used when the speaker addresses the doctors. In line 65 and 66, the speaker says, "So, so, Herr Doktor. So, Herr Enemy." She seems to be talking to the doctors who have supposedly brought her back to life. However, they are not present. The words also have an ironic touch as the speaker refers to the doctors as her enemies despite having brought her back to life. The use of apostrophe and irony, in this case, helps to build the speaker's disregard for life and her desire to die.
The poet further uses assonance as a strategy in bolstering the speaker’s willingness to terminate her life. From line 61 through to 64, she uses words that have the same vowel sound. “And there is a charge, a very large charge, for a word or a touch, or a bit of blood, or a piece of hair on my cloths.” The use of the assonance helps in depicting a mocking tone against the doctors whose job is to ensure her safety and health. All that the speaker wants is to die and not receive any help whatsoever.
The use of imagery is also evident throughout the poem. Just like the rest of the literary elements, the imagery has also built on the thematic representation of the poem. In line 4 to 5, she says, “A sort of walking miracle, my skin bight as a Nazi Lampshade.” The use of the Nazi as a source of comparison helps in bolstering the death connotations that the speaker explores. The Nazi Germans were known for their role in the Holocaust where thousands of Jewish people were killed. Therefore, its utilization in the poem is necessary based on the theme of death and sorrow.
In conclusion, Plath has used a wide array of stylistic devices and literary elements in expounding on the theme of death, suicide, and sorrow. Some of these aspects include assonance, allegory, irony, and imagery among others. She uses these to show her disregard for life and how badly she would want to terminate her life. She further uses the elements to mock the doctors who bring her back to life on every attempt at suicide.
