Carol Anne Duffy's Adultery
FORM AND STRUCTURE Carol Anne Duffy’s poem “Adultery” is structured in a
traditional and straightforward way. It is comprised of eleven verses - each
with the common four lines, which consist of between four and nine words. This
makes the poem not particularly striking at the first look, before it is read.
The typography does not attract the readers attention, this is probably because
Duffy wants the reader to concentrate on the language, and is not concerned with
the shape that the lines form, or how they relate to the themes of the poem.
RHYME AND RHYTHM Duffy does not seem particularly interested in rhyme in this
poem, and probably decided before writing it that she did not want any.
Therefore rhyme has been avoided, as has a regular, repetitive rhythm. I think
that Duffy wants to allow the language to speak for itself, without getting
tangled up in rhyme and rhythm schemes, and having to change what she wants to
say in order to make it fit these limitations. She also wants to avoid losing
the impact of the poem. This has much to do with the language used, poetic
devices, and very often, the lack of rhythm, seen clearly in the first verse
when she writes: “Guilt. A sick, green tint” The caesura breaks up the line,
splitting it into two. If she were writing within the barriers of a specific
rhythm, she would probably be tempted, and perhaps compelled to, split this line
exactly in half, in order to balance it and keep the structure. This would not
have the same effect. The caesura is used as dramatic device, implying that the
poem is intended to be read out loud. The break makes the reader pause, giving
the first word a larger impact as it is isolated from the rest of the text. It
also does the same for the following sentence, and as it is on the end of the
verse, there is a natural pause here as well, giving this line impact and power.
Seeing as it also highlights a key theme in the poem, guilt, it is also an
important line as it tells the reader a little about what to expect, and also
raises their interest and expectations, Guilt? Why? Who? LANGUAGE Duffy uses
language very effectively in this poem. She wants to create a specific
atmosphere and then build on it, creating characters, situations and emotions as
she does so. She wants an atmosphere of sleaziness and seediness, but wants it
to sound exciting, dangerous and seductive. She also examines the harm that the
situations cause. The first verse (or stanza) is packed with intrigue, mystery,
excitement and questions.
“Wear dark glasses in the rain”, demands the first line, and the reader gets
ideas of disguise. It goes on to mention “unhurt” and “bruise” - dark glasses to
hide a black eye? Maybe not, another glance at the title, “Adultery”, suggests
something else - sado-masochism? Then comes the “guilt”, as mentioned above, and
reader knows she is talking about a sexual affair - but who? What? Where? We
want to know more. The second verse builds on the sexual intrigue with mentions
of “hands can do many things”, and “money tucked in the palms” suggests
prostitution, as well as “wash themselves” maybe implying that they feel dirty?
Duffy is building an atmosphere which is sexually charged and filled with
riddles and ambiguous comments, daring the reader to assume a sexually link. The
next verse features the line: “You are naked under your clothes all day...”,
another sexual connotation, perhaps implying that the clothes are a disguise,
and all day the character does something which is not really them, and
underneath they are different, “naked” suggests vulnerability. There is also
“...brings you alone to your knees...” and “...more, more...”, which could
suggest oral sex, while the repetition shows that Duffy considers this the most
important word of the line, demanding it stands out, and it could suggest an
unsatisfied sexual appetite, or description of the frequency of the couple’s
meetings. Dishonesty is mentioned with “deceit” and “Suck a lie with a hole in
it”. This could be a more explicit reference to oral sex, or more obscurely,
Polo mints, the mint you suck with a hole in it. Duffy could be saying that the
lies are sweet, addictive and refreshing compared with a mundane life, like Polo
mints; she could mean that the lies come as easily as sweets from a packet,
although probably not. Or perhaps the key is in the next line: “On the way home
from a lethal thrilling night.” Maybe the character is mulling over what the
excuse will be to the spouse, how he/she will lie their way out of where they
have been, but the lie will always be flawed as it is not true - hence the hole.
The “lethal” also brings a touch of danger to the atmosphere. Duffy does not
want the reader to be comfortable with this deceit or the situation as a whole.
We know it is sordid, and now we know it could be a bit hazardous. Duffy
continues with “up against a wall, faster”, an obvious reference to the e night
they’ve just had, with fast exciting sex - quick gratification.
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