Point of View

Like the large body of Plath’s work, “The Colossus” is told in first-person narration. However, this poem veers away from the traditional confessional style into something more fabulist and allegorical. The poem is told as a conversation between the speaker and the statue, addressing it directly as though the narrative is a stage monologue between two characters. The first four stanzas contain lines that open with the pronoun “I,” putting more attention on the speaker’s dissatisfaction and animosity than the statue itself. Towards the end of the poem, the scope becomes broader and the characters smaller within the setting.

Language and Meaning

The speaker blends contemporary and archaic language, which enhances the sense of surrealism in the landscape. The voice is straightforward and the rhythm gives the poem a feeling of objectivity; lines such as the opening “I shall never get you put...