Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Thetis
As with many of the classical Greek myths, this one has a number of variations but
the summary included here should be enough for our purposes. Thetis is one of ten
in The Worlds Wife from Greek mythology, and is one of six from this group in which
a female features strongly in the original story.
Thetis was originally wooed by two Gods (Zeus and Poseidon) but was rejected by
both when they learnt that Themis had prophesised that she was to father a child
who would become mightier than the father.
It was a mortal, Peleus, who eventually married Thetis and he had done so by
capturing her as she changed shape and form (just as she does in the poem).
Thetiss baby was Achilles and she made him immortal by dipping him into the
River Styx (although again some versions say she dipped him in fire) but because
she held on to his foot to do so, his heel remained unprotected: thus the saying
that a persons vulnerability is their Achilles heel.
The poem is about a woman growing more powerful with every stanza but thwarted
by a mans intentions (and attentions) until the moment she has a baby, at the end of
the poem. There are similarities in the poem to Pope Joan in which the woman
becomes all-powerful through the experience of giving birth (and many women do
say birth is empowering and liberating). Think about other poems in the collection,
such as Demeter and Queen Herod in which children feature and decide whether
you could use them as comparative poems.
Each animal Thetis becomes is more powerful than the last: a small bird; an
albatross; snake; lion; mermaid and other sea creatures, including a whale; and then
finally to animals that are well-known for their cunning and ability to survive despite
being hunted.
In the first five stanzas the rhythm of the first two lines is similar if not exactly
identical, but this breaks down when Thetis declares, I changed my tune / to racoon,
skunk, stoat and this mirrors her change to what are usually considered unpleasant
animals, as if she is no longer trying to please anyone but herself.
There is use of assonance throughout the poem and you need to think about why
Duffy has included this. There are half rhymes and near rhymes and a few full
rhymes, which all serve a purpose and which you must consider.
In the penultimate stanza Thetis becomes, wind, I was gas, / I was all hot air, She
has become intangible, ethereal: she can not be grasped or held.
Duffy has followed a fairly traditional view here, in which the female is seen as
nature, part of the natural order, with an innate desire to replenish and restore; to
continue life through giving birth, whereas the male is seen as a destructive force,
concerned with his own desires and promoting man-made elements.
4619.doc
Page 1 of 2
What do you think about this poem? Is it happy, sad, bitter, triumphant, celebratory?
What is your reaction to it? What other poems from the collection might you compare
it to? What is the poem about: love; relationships; childbirth; power?
4619.doc
Page 2 of 2