Mrs Sisyphus

Question 1

Ideas, attitudes and themes in the poem (4)

Answer 1

• Wife not showing a traditionally nurturing attitude towards her husband
• The husband is foolishly devoted to his task
• The wife is lonely, angry and frustrated
• Difficulties in marriage caused by a man’s work ethic are common

Question 2

Contexts within the poem (3)

Answer 2

• Dramatic monologue
• Late 20th century attitudes to gender roles, especially within marriage
• Greek myth

Question 3

Comedic elements in the poem (5)

Answer 3

• Marriage
• Comedic insults
• Bathos (change in writing, switching it from important to ridiculous)
• Subversion
• Comic resolution

Question 4

Structure in the poem (3)

Answer 4

• 3 irregular stanzas: lack of control over emotions
• Longest stanza focused on Sisyphus’ task
• Stanza on task containing alternating long and short lines to show the rising and falling of the stone

Question 5

Language in the poem (4)

Answer 5

• Rhyme: repeated consonants to show frustration
• Plosive sounds & sibilance
• Taboo language
• Colloquial language