The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Plath, Sylvia. “Admonitions.” The Villainelle, http://thevillainelle.blogspot.com/2015/04/speaking-of-villanelle-i-have-thing-for.html.

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

"Admonitions" is a traditional 19-line villanelle by Sylvia Plath, written at the start of her literary career in 1953. It was originally written under the title “Never Try To Know More Than You Should” (a 2016 London auction sold an original hand-annotated copy of this poem under this title). Like many of Plath’s early works, it draws from themes of myth, folklore, and fairy tale with hints of pop cultural allusion to communicate a sociopolitical theme. The poem examines some of the social temptations women face in 20th-century America and raises questions about personal agency and responsibility.