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Poet: Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath Art)
Poem: The Rival
Volume: The Collected Poems
Year: Published/Written in 1961
Poem of the Day:
Jan 13 2005
Comment 6 of 6, added on September 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 AM.
It seems as if people weren't looking into the background of Plath enough to find this poem is based on her friend (her husband's friend's wife) Didio Merwin as is "Face Lift" it makes more sense if you see this poem based on D Merwin and her husband.
ShaiKhai from United Kingdom
Comment 5 of 6, added on June 2nd, 2008 at 3:11 PM.
I saw this poem as Plath's way of counting the increasing distance between Ted and herself. In the poem, I felt there was reference to Medusa in the line "And your first gift is making stone out of everything." I gave a sense of coldness and led well into her prison/death sentence of being trapped in his "mausoleum." I'd like to count this poem as more of a mockery and expression of anxiety towards her husband more than anything.
Emily from United States
Comment 4 of 6, added on April 16th, 2006 at 8:07 PM.
Line 11 should have the word abases, not abuses.
Amanda from United States
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It seems as if people weren't looking into the background of Plath enough to find this poem is based on her friend (her husband's friend's wife) Didio Merwin as is "Face Lift" it makes more sense if you see this poem based on D Merwin and her husband.
ShaiKhai from United Kingdom