The version of this poem used to create this study guide appears in: Plath, Sylvia. Ariel: The Restored Edition. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2018.

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

“Lady Lazarus” is an 84-line, 28-stanza free verse poem written by American poet Sylvia Plath. Discovered in a manuscript left on her desk in the wake of the poet’s suicide at age 30, it was originally published in 1965 in Plath’s posthumously released collection of poetry, Ariel. Commonly interpreted as a reflection of Plath’s own suicidal urges, the poem intertwines allusions to the biblical story of Lazarus of Bethany with references to Nazism and carnival freak shows. Though by no means a reflection of the sum of her life and experiences, “Lady Lazarus” is one of Plath’s most notable poems due to its biting imagery, jarring rhythm, and feminist take on the poet’s own history of suicidal ideation.

The poem begins with an unnamed speaker describing her body being brought back to life after an attempt at dying. She recounts her previous experiences with dying and muses that it is an art form, while clarifying that it is difficult to die and be brought back. She addresses those who witness her restoration to life — her doctor, other spectators, even the readers of the poem — and informs them of the cost of the miracle they witness. The poem concludes with a warning to her spectators, and men in particular, that she eats "men like air" when she resurrects (84).