Duffy's poem "Mrs Aesop" captures Mrs Aesop's resentment towards her husband through her abusive and scornful narration. She criticizes Aesop for being small, boring, and preachy as he shares his fables. Mrs Aesop mocks and revises the fables to humiliate Aesop and highlight her dissatisfaction with their marriage and lackluster sex life. In a role reversal, Mrs Aesop gets revenge by creating her own vulgar fable about Aesop's impotence, silencing him. The poem uses allusions to Aesop's fables, a sarcastic tone, and the theme of a dissatisfied wife's voice to portray Mrs A

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Mrs Aesop
By Carol Ann Duffy,
from The World’s Wife

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Major qualities of the poem:
 Mrs Aesop’s words are honest, harsh, and somewhat
abusive  She shows no mercy for Aesop.
 Mrs Aesop’s words have a darkly humorous effect  This
helps us feel her exasperation (intense irritation) and
resentment (hatred; bitter feelings).
 We don’t pity Aesop because he is too righteous (principled
in an annoying) and patronizing (looking down on others)
 We take Mrs Aesop’s side.

3. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
1 By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. He
was small,
2 didn’t prepossess. So he tried to impress.
Dead men,
3 Mrs Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let
me tell you now
4 that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve,
5 never mind the two worth less in the bush.
Blasphemy is the act of insulting God’s name, usually to
show exasperation. This captures Mrs. Aesop’s exasperation
right from the start.
1

4. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
1 By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. He
was small,
2 didn’t prepossess. So he tried to impress.
Dead men,
3 Mrs Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let
me tell you now
4 that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve,
5 never mind the two worth less in the bush.
Diction: “Small” carries a sexual connotation when applied to
men, suggest-ing that Aesop’s penis is small. We get the
sense that Mrs A won’t hold back.
1

5. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
1 By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. He was small,
2 didn’t prepossess. So he tried to impress. Dead men,
3 Mrs Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let me tell you
now
4 that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve,
5 never mind the two worth less in the bush. Tedious.
Dialogue: We get Aesop’s words through Mrs A.  She’s in
control, not him. Allusion to Aesop’s fable. Mrs A
understands Aesop’s work; she’s smart, too. Mrs Aesop. The
first of many times Aesop addresses Mrs A to share his
wisdom  We see that he is righteous and patronizing.
1

6. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
1 By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. He was small,
2 didn’t prepossess. So he tried to impress. Dead men,
3 Mrs Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let me tell you
now
4 that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve,
5 never mind the two worth less in the bush. Tedious.
Allusion to Aesop’s fable. Mrs A revises it, exposing a new
and embarrassing detail to air out the truth and to show her
scorn. This tarnishes Aesop’s reputation and makes us
question the credibility of his words.
1

7. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
1 By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. He was small,
2 didn’t prepossess. So he tried to impress. Dead men,
3 Mrs Aesop, he’d say, tell no tales. Well, let me tell you
now
4 that the bird in his hand shat on his sleeve,
5 never mind the two worth less in the bush. Tedious.
Negative diction: Tedious = dull, boring. This captures the
scornful tone.
Syntax: Punchy one-word sentence goes straight to the point,
capturing Mrs A’s exasperation.
Caesura: The pause intensifies Mrs A’s complaint. We feel
her scorn for Aesop.
1

8. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
6 Going out was worst. He’d stand at our gate, look,
then leap;
7 scour the hedgerows for a shy mouse, the fields
8 for a sly fox, the sky for one particular swallow
9 that couldn’t make a summer. The jackdaw,
according to him,
Diction: “leap” and “scour” suggest a lot of dedication to
finding the animals. We get the sense that Aesop is very
committed to his job and quite proud of his fables --- but Mrs
A twists them in this poem in order to tarnish his work.
2

9. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
6 Going out was worst. He’d stand at our gate, look,
then leap;
7 scour the hedgerows for a shy mouse, the fields
8 for a sly fox, the sky for one particular swallow
9 that couldn’t make a summer. The jackdaw,
according to him,
10 envied the eagle. Donkeys would, on the whole,
prefer to be lions.
Alliteration of L sound in “look” and “leap” quickens the pace
to capture Aesop’s enthusiasm in looking for the animals.
This highlights his enthusiasm.
2

10. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
6 Going out was worst. He’d stand at our gate, look, then
leap;
7 scour the hedgerows for a shy mouse, the fields
8 for a sly fox, the sky for one particular swallow
9 that couldn’t make a summer. The jackdaw, according to
him,
10 envied the eagle. Donkeys would, on the whole, prefer to be
Allusions to Aesop’s fables. The large number of these
captures Aesop’s success; the whole world knows his work --
- but Mrs A still tarnishes it in this poem.
2

11. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
11 On one appalling evening stroll, we passed an old
hare
12 snoozing in a ditch – he stopped and made a note
–
13 and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise,
somebody’s pet,
14 creeping, slow as marriage, up the road. Slow
Negative diction: “appalling” = horrible. This shows us just
how much Mrs A hates spending time with Aesop, a clear
sign of her resentment. In this case, a very specific evening
walk was especially terrible because it highlighted how slow
and boring her marriage was.
3

12. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
11 On one appalling evening stroll, we passed an old
hare
12 snoozing in a ditch – he stopped and made a note
–
13 and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise,
somebody’s pet,
14 creeping, slow as marriage, up the road. Slow
15 but certain, Mrs Aesop, wins the race. Asshole.
Allusion to Aesop’s fable. Mrs A revises it and uses it to
highlight her dissatisfaction with her marriage.
3

13. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
11 On one appalling evening stroll, we passed an old
hare
12 snoozing in a ditch – he stopped and made a note
–
13 and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise,
somebody’s pet,
14 creeping, slow as marriage, up the road. Slow
15 but certain, Mrs Aesop, wins the race. Asshole.
Simile comparing Mrs A’s slow, uneventful marriage to the
tortoise’s slow crawl. Another dig at her marriage.
3

14. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
11 On one appalling evening stroll, we passed an old
hare
12 snoozing in a ditch – he stopped and made a note
–
13 and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise,
somebody’s pet,
14 creeping, slow as marriage, up the road. Slow
Mrs Aesop. Aesop addresses Mrs A (again) to share his
wisdom  We see that he is righteous and patronizing to his
wife.  We sense Mrs A’s irritation as nobody likes a
preaching know-it-all.
3

15. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
11 On one appalling evening stroll, we passed an old
hare
12 snoozing in a ditch – he stopped and made a note
–
13 and then, about a mile further on, a tortoise,
somebody’s pet,
14 creeping, slow as marriage, up the road. Slow
Negative diction: “Asshole” = abusive insult. Mrs A finds
Aesop despicable.
Syntax: One-word sentence goes straight to the point, like a
sharp punch.
Caesura: The pause intensifies Mrs A’s abuse. Her scorn is
loud and clear.
3

16. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
16 What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse,
17 sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish? Some
days
18 I could barely keep awake as the story droned on
19 towards the moral itself. Action, Mrs A., speaks
louder
Syntax: Questions challenge the meaningfulness of Aesop’s
fables. This heightens Mrs A’s scorn for her husband and his
moral tales. Unlike the rest of the world, she doesn’t believe
Aesop or his work is such a big deal.
Repetition of “What” builds rhythm and intensifies Mrs A’s
scorn.
4

17. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
16 What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse,
17 sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish? Some
days
18 I could barely keep awake as the story droned on
19 towards the moral itself. Action, Mrs A., speaks
louder
Negative diction: “droned on” = to speak tediously in a slow,
boring voice. Mrs A doesn’t find Aesop’s stories engaging or
valuable. We can imagine her boredom and irritation.
4

18. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
16 What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse,
17 sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish? Some
days
18 I could barely keep awake as the story droned on
19 towards the moral itself. Action, Mrs A., speaks
louder
20 than words. And that’s another thing, the sex
Mrs Aesop. Aesop addresses Mrs A again.
Allusion to Aesop’s fable. Mrs A uses it to humiliate Aesop by
bringing up the action of sex to defile Aesop’s masculinity.
4

19. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
16 What race? What sour grapes? What silk purse,
17 sow’s ear, dog in a manger, what big fish? Some
days
18 I could barely keep awake as the story droned on
19 towards the moral itself. Action, Mrs A., speaks
louder
20 than words. And that’s another thing, the sex
Enjambment creates anticipation, forcing readers to suffer a
pause before gathering the rest of the information. This
mirrors Mrs A’s sexual frustration.
4

20. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
21 was diabolical. I gave him a fable one night
22 about a little cock that wouldn’t crow, a razor-sharp
axe
23 with a heart blacker than the pot that called the
kettle.
24 I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
25 That shut him up. I laughed last, longest.
Negative diction: “diabolical” = extremely bad. This reinforces
the ideas noted in Stanza 1: “He was small, / didn’t
prepossess.” Mrs A attacks Aesop’s manhood, escalating his
humiliation. We get the sense she’s going in for the kill.
5

21. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
21 was diabolical. I gave him a fable one night
22 about a little cock that wouldn’t crow, a razor-sharp
axe
23 with a heart blacker than the pot that called the
kettle.
24 I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
25 That shut him up. I laughed last, longest.
Role reversal: Mrs A is now the storyteller. She is in control,
and she exercises the power that Aesop has enjoyed
throughout his career. She will give him a taste of his own
medicine --- a way to take revenge.
5

22. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
21 was diabolical. I gave him a fable one night
22 about a little cock that wouldn’t crow, a razor-sharp
axe
23 with a heart blacker than the pot that called the
kettle.
24 I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
Diction: “cock” = male bird or penis. Mrs A uses an animal
that carries a sexual connotation to make a clear reference to
Aesop’s impotent penis. This is darkly humorous and cruel,
but we take Mrs A’s side because Aesop is too proud.
Metaphor: crowless cock = erectile dysfunction/impotence
5

23. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
21 was diabolical. I gave him a fable one night
22 about a little cock that wouldn’t crow, a razor-sharp
axe
23 with a heart blacker than the pot that called the kettle.
24 I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
25 That shut him up. I laughed last, longest.
Revised idiom: Mrs A changes Aesop’s words from Cutting off
the nose to spite the face to her own idiom: Cutting off the tail
to save my face. Again, she twists his words to threaten and
humiliate him.
Metaphor: tail = penis
5

24. + Duffy uses a scornful + sarcastic tone, negative
diction, and allusions to Aesop’s fables to capture
Mrs Aesop’s resentment to highlight the themes of
female voice and dissatisfaction with marriage.
21 was diabolical. I gave him a fable one night
22 about a little cock that wouldn’t crow, a razor-sharp
axe
23 with a heart blacker than the pot that called the
kettle.
24 I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.
Allusion to proverb He who laughs last, laughs longest. The
poem ends with Mrs A in the position of power; she has finally
put Aesop in his place.
Alliteration: the triple “L” sound reinforces Mrs A’s strength.
Jouissance: Mrs A is laughing long and hard --- a sign of
deep pleasure
5