The Full Text of “Mrs Icarus”
The Full Text of “Mrs Icarus”
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“Mrs Icarus” Introduction
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“Mrs Icarus” Summary
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“Mrs Icarus” Themes
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Foolish Male Pride
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-5
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mrs Icarus”
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Lines 1-3
I'm not the ...
... man she married -
Lines 4-5
prove to the ...
... Grade A pillock.
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“Mrs Icarus” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Lines 1-5
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Colloquialism
Where colloquialism appears in the poem:- Line 5: “he's a total, utter, absolute, Grade A pillock”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “last / to”
- Lines 2-3: “hillock / watching”
- Lines 3-4: “married / prove”
- Lines 4-5: “world / he's”
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“Mrs Icarus” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Icarus
- Hillock
- Pillock
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(Location in poem: )
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mrs Icarus”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Mrs Icarus” Speaker
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“Mrs Icarus” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Mrs Icarus”
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More “Mrs Icarus” Resources
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External Resources
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More on Duffy — Learn more about Carol Ann Duffy's life and work in the Poetry Foundation's short biography.
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading of the poem by actor Helena Bonham Carter.
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On the Myth of Icarus — Read more about the ill-fated Icarus (and his father Daedalus).
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An Interview with Duffy — Read a newspaper interview in which Carol Ann Duffy discusses The World's Wife shortly after its publication.
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A Review of The World's Wife — Author Jeanette Winterson reviews Duffy's fifth collection of poetry, in which "Mrs Icarus" appeared.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
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