Carol Ann Duffy

LitCharts guides for works by Carol Ann Duffy

Explore LitCharts poetry guides for works by Carol Ann Duffy. Each guide offers line-by-line analysis, exploration of poetic devices, and helpful resources for studying Carol Ann Duffy's poetry.

A Child's Sleep

"A Child's Sleep" was written by the Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy and first published in her 1999 book Meeting Midnight, a collection of poems written specifically for children. The poem describes... view guide

Anne Hathaway

Carol Ann Duffy's "Anne Hathaway" first appeared in the British poet's 1999 collection, The World's Wife. As with the other poems in this collection, "Anne Hathaway" imagines the perspective of a f... view guide

Before You Were Mine

"Before You Were Mine" was written by the contemporary British poet Carol Ann Duffy, published in her 1993 collection Mean Time. The poem's speaker imagines her mother's glamorous, vivacious, fun-l... view guide

Circe

A satirical tale of revenge, Carol Ann Duffy's "Circe" is a dramatic monologue told from point of view of an enchantress from Greek myth known for turning men into pigs. Duffy's Circe describes, in... view guide

Death of a Teacher

The British poet Carol Ann Duffy included "Death of a Teacher" in her collection New Selected Poems 1984-2004. Written in response to the death of Duffy's favorite childhood English teacher, the po... view guide

Demeter

Based on an ancient Greek myth, Carol Ann Duffy's "Demeter" illustrates the immense power of a mother's love. Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture and the harvest, whose beloved daughter, Pe... view guide

Education For Leisure

“Education for Leisure” was written in 1985 by the British poet Carol Ann Duffy. It depicts the inner life of a disturbed teenager as he tortures and kills animals while proclaiming his genius. Thi... view guide

Elvis's Twin Sister

"Elvis's Twin Sister" appears in Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife (1999). This celebrated collection features dramatic monologues from the perspectives of female relatives—real or invented—of fam... view guide

Eurydice

"Eurydice" appears in Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife (1999). Through a series of dramatic monologues, Duffy's collection adopts the perspectives of various forgotten or overlooked women, includ... view guide

Foreign

"Foreign" appears in Carol Ann Duffy's collection Selling Manhattan (1987). The poem urges readers to imagine themselves as an immigrant who has lived for 20 years in their adopted country. In the ... view guide

Havisham

First published in Carol Ann Duffy's 1993 collection Mean Time, "Havisham" is a dramatic monologue spoken from the perspective of Miss Havisham, the wealthy, embittered spinster from Charles Dicken... view guide

Head of English

Carol Ann Duffy's "Head of English" satirizes the dreary conventionality of a lot of poetry teaching (and poetry teachers). This dramatic monologue's speaker, the conservative old head of the Engli... view guide

In Mrs Tilscher’s Class

“In Mrs Tilscher’s Class” is a poem by the Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, first published in her 1990 collection titled The Other Country. The poem describes the angst-filled transition between chi... view guide

In Your Mind

The British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "In Your Mind" in her 1990 collection The Other Country. Like many of the poems of this collection, "In Your Mind" explores the startling journeys people ... view guide

Little Red Cap

"Little Red Cap" was written by the Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, who served as the first female poet laureate of the United Kingdom between 2009 and 2019. It is the first poem in her 1999 collect... view guide

Mean Time

Carol Ann Duffy's "Mean Time" is a poem about heartache, regret, and the relentless passage of time. The poem's speaker, mourning a recent breakup, walks down a dark, rainy street in the middle of ... view guide

Medusa

"Medusa" first appeared in Carol Ann Duffy's 1999 collection The World's Wife. The poem is a dramatic monologue written in the voice of Medusa, a mythical figure with venomous snakes for hair and w... view guide

Mrs Aesop

Carol Ann Duffy's "Mrs Aesop" is a poem about an ancient Greek storyteller famous for his fables, or short tales that teach a moral lesson. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue from the ... view guide

Mrs Darwin

"Mrs Darwin" takes the form of an imagined diary entry by Emma Darwin, wife of the naturalist Charles Darwin, in which she recounts an 1852 trip to the zoo where she told her husband that he resemb... view guide

Mrs Faust

"Mrs Faust" appears in Carol Ann Duffy's collection The World's Wife (1999), which features monologues from the perspective of overlooked or invented female figures in myth, history, and literature... view guide

Mrs Icarus

Scottish poet and playwright Carol Ann Duffy first published "Mrs Icarus" in her 1999 collection The World's Wife, a book of dramatic monologues told from the perspective of the wives, girlfriends,... view guide

Mrs Lazarus

British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "Mrs. Lazarus" in The World's Wife, her 1999 collection of poems focused on the female counterparts to male figures from history and myth. This poem's speaker... view guide

Mrs Midas

“Mrs Midas” is a poem written by the contemporary Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, the former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. The poem alludes to the Greek myth of King Midas, who was granted a ... view guide

Mrs Sisyphus

Carol Ann Duffy's "Mrs Sisyphus" presents the mythical Sisyphus, a Greek king whose punishment for trying to trick the gods was to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, as a modern-day workaholic:... view guide

Originally

Carol Ann Duffy's "Originally" reflects on both the specific sadness of emigration and the universal sadness of growing up. In this poem, a small Scottish child, confused and frightened by her fami... view guide

Penelope

"Penelope" is Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy's feminist take on a classical heroine. In this poem, Penelope (wife of Homer's Odysseus) takes up embroidery to distract herself from her grief while he... view guide

Pilate's Wife

Carol Ann Duffy's poem “Pilate’s Wife" appears in her 1999 collection The World’s Wife, which retells myths, fairy tales and historical events from the perspective of famous men’s female family mem... view guide

Pope Joan

In Carol Ann Duffy's "Pope Joan," male-dominated religious and political institutions only think they hold all the power: women are the ones who perform real miracles. The poem's speaker is the leg... view guide

Prayer

“Prayer” was written by the Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate of the UK from 2009 to 2019. The poem explores what traditional religious faith can mean in modern society, suggesting that ... view guide

Pygmalion's Bride

Carol Ann Duffy published "Pygmalion's Bride" in her 1999 collection The World's Wife, a book of dramatic monologues spoken by the female counterparts of famous (and infamous) men from history, li... view guide

Queen Herod

Carol Ann Duffy published "Queen Herod" in The World's Wife, her 1999 collection of dramatic monologues that retell the stories of famous and infamous men throughout history, mythology, and literat... view guide

Quickdraw

"Quickdraw," by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, describes a passionate exchange between lovers as though it were a showdown between gunslingers in the Wild West. The lovers' back-and-forth via phone ... view guide

Recognition

The speaker of Carol Ann Duffy's "Recognition" is a lonely middle-aged woman out grocery shopping. As she goes through the motions of the mundane task at hand, her mind bounces between self-depreca... view guide

Salome

Carol Ann Duffy's "Salome" appears in The World's Wife (1999), a collection of dramatic monologues that reimagine historical and mythical tales through the eyes of women. The speaker of this poem i... view guide

Standing Female Nude

"Standing Female Nude" is the title poem of Carol Ann Duffy's first collection, published in 1985. A monologue told from the perspective of a sex worker modeling for a celebrated male painter, the ... view guide

Stealing

“Stealing” was written by the Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy, who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2019. The poem's speaker is a bored, isolated person who feels "sick of the wor... view guide

The Darling Letters

"The Darling Letters," by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, is about the way that relationships may change over time and how people often hang on to emblems of past love long after things have ended. T... view guide

The Dolphins

"The Dolphins," by Carol Ann Duffy, is told from the perspective of dolphins living in captivity. Having once freely roamed the ocean, the dolphins lament the limitations of the artificial pool to ... view guide

The Good Teachers

"The Good Teachers" appears in British poet Carol Ann Duffy's 1993 collection Mean Time. Looking at an old school photograph, the speaker reminisces about some of her former teachers. The speaker g... view guide

Thetis

Carol Ann Duffy published "Thetis" in The World's Wife, her 1999 collection of dramatic monologues that retell famous stories and myths from the perspectives of female characters. In Greek mytholog... view guide

Valentine

“Valentine” is a free verse poem written by Scottish poet, author, and playwright Carol Ann Duffy. The speaker presents their lover with a valentine in the form of an onion, then explains the reaso... view guide

War Photographer

"War Photographer" is a poem by Scottish writer Carol Ann Duffy, the United Kingdom's poet laureate from 2009 to 2019. Originally published in 1985, "War Photographer" depicts the experiences of a ... view guide

Warming Her Pearls

“Warming Her Pearls” is a free verse poem written by Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy. It is a dramatic monologue told from the perspective of a maid who pines for the mistress she serves. The poem is... view guide

We Remember Your Childhood Well

"We Remember Your Childhood Well" is a poem by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, published in her 1990 collection "The Other Country." Told from the perspective of parents responding to the accusations... view guide

Work

"Work," by British poet Carol Ann Duffy, links the exploitation of women's labor to humanity's exploitation of the earth. The poem follows a woman working tirelessly to provide for her growing broo... view guide