Theme

The main themes of the poem “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath are death (suicide) and suffering. Given the fact that the poem was written just a year before Plath’s suicide, you might want to consider these themes as more than poetic; as very personal and powerful.

Death and suffering

Death and suffering are the main elements that resurface throughout the poem. Initially, death is depicted when the speaker discusses her failed suicide attempts. However, as the poem progresses, we get the idea that for the speaker, death is not something disastrous, but something she looks forward to. Note that Lady Lazarus does not speak about the pain and suffering of being dead, but about the pain brought by being alive and subjected to the control of others.

When she talks about death, peaceful images emerge. Lady Lazarus imagines herself shut as a shell, emerged into silence, or rotting alone in a silent cave, away from the looks of others. On the other hand, when she talks about being alive, she imagines herself as a victim, as being burned alive, as a living corpse, as a freak in a circus show or as a person who is vio...