Mrs Lazarus Summary & Analysis
by Carol Ann Duffy

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British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "Mrs. Lazarus" in The World's Wife, her 1999 collection of poems focused on the female counterparts to male figures from history and myth. This poem's speaker is the wife of Lazarus, whom Jesus famously raised from the dead in the Bible. Lazarus's resurrection is typically praised as one of Jesus's greatest miracles, but the Mrs. Lazarus of Duffy's poem has a different perspective. Having deeply mourned the loss of her husband, Mrs. Lazarus has finally begun to heal—and to allow herself a chance at new love—when Lazarus unexpectedly returns to a world where he no longer belongs. The poem explores the difficult nature of grief while questioning the concepts of faithfulness and betrayal. It also prompts readers to reconsider how traditional expectations around women's bereavement make it difficult for them to move on with their lives.

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