Herroism - Duffy

“The World’s Wife” is composed of diverse characters ranging from stories based on mythology, religion, literature and history. Duffy transforms these figures into heroines and anti-heroines, taking their benevolent and malevolent qualities respectively to the extreme.

Duffy portrays an anti-heroic figure in her poem, “Salome.” The brief, first line, “I’d done it before,” captures the reader’s attention and serves to set a frightening atmosphere in the poem. Duffy continues explaining the gruesome event that has taken place: “woke up with a head on the pillow beside me.” Yet, the worrying aspect is that she cannot even remember who she murdered. Duffy highlights Salome’s ignorance and uncaring attitude by using a set of rhetorical questions: “Whose? - what did it matter?” This is morally inscrutable and highly provocative. The question, “What did it matter?”, suggests a touch of naivety present in Salome - it is reckless of her to murder a random person.

Duffy uses half rhyme to create dark humour in the poem. The repetition of the “l” sound in “laughter” and “lighter” provides a playful atmosphere - one unsuitable to this horrific incident. In the previous six lines, Duffy does not use any rhyme. This shows that Salome is still bewildered, having just woken up, and has not yet grasped the concept of what occurred during the previous night. The rhyme then starts to pick up: “Flatter...pewter...Peter?” The reoccurrence of the similar sound hints that Salome is getting back into her old and normal routine - one that is rather disgusting. The thought of kissing the “colder that pewter” lips of the dead victim is horrific. It is a symbol of monstrous behaviour that would not be tolerated by the bible. Salome, however, continues provoking Christianity. She refers to disciples from the bible as possible names of the poor victim: “Peter? / Simon? Andrew? John?” Despite the break between “Peter?” and “Simon,” the pace is kept up through enjambment. The successive...