Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Sylvia Plath's "Sonnet to Satan" serves as a fascinating exploration of the complexities of moral dualities and the subversion of traditional paradigms of good and evil. The sonnet opens with an evocative image: "In darkroom of your eye the moonly mind / somersaults to counterfeit eclipse." Here, Plath crafts an almost alchemical space, a "darkroom" that implies both photography and ancient rites, where the "moonly mind" performs acrobatics to imitate an eclipse. This portrays Satan as an entity capable of reshaping perceptions, creating shadows where there once was light.

The term "counterfeit" serves a dual purpose. First, it denotes something fake or false, implying that the eclipse is not natural but orchestrated. Second, it suggests an act of creation, as in the counterfeiting of money or art. This establishes the Devil as a false creator who mimics and distorts the original creations of God or logic.

The line "bright angels black out over logic's land" underscores the idea that Satan's powers can extend even over divine beings and rational thought. The use of "black out" here is especially striking, suggesting both a literal extinguishing of light and a metaphorical wiping out of reason. The angels, symbols of moral purity and guardians of rationality, are thus handicapped, unable to counter the dark forces at play.

The notion of chaos and disruption continues as Satan is commanded to "pitch the white world down in swiveling flood." The "white world," usually a symbol of purity, innocence, or even monotony, is thrown into disarray by a flood of ink, another symbol of creation and articulation. This act darkens the world, upturning its established order.

The latter part of the poem, "Steepling snake in that contrary light / invades the dilate lens of genesis," aligns Satan with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Here, he is depicted as a corrupter of beginnings, a spoiler of what is pure. He leaves an indelible mark, a "flaming image in birthspot," as if sin is an inescapable part of creation. This image, described as being resistant to "characters no cockcrow can deface," is eternal, unchangeable, and part of the very fabric of existence.

The poem closes with a kind of dark reverence for Satan: "O maker of proud planet's negative, / obscure the scalding sun till no clocks move." This final apostrophe elevates Satan to the role of a creator, albeit of negatives, of darkness and voids. He holds the power to halt time, to freeze all movement, a symbolic gesture that cements his role as a disruptor of natural order.

"Sonnet to Satan" employs the sonnet form to create a sharp contrast between the traditional function of the sonnet and the poem's subject matter. The sonnet is often seen as the epitome of order and beauty; yet, this sonnet speaks of Satan, the harbinger of chaos and darkness. Through this incongruity, Plath challenges the notion that the divine and the diabolical are easily separable. The sonnet form serves to dignify Satan, to give him a kind of terrible grandeur. By using a form commonly associated with high art, love, and celestial themes to discuss a figure traditionally seen as the epitome of evil, Plath disrupts our preconceived moral binaries. It's as though the structure of the sonnet itself becomes a space where such dualities can be deconstructed and examined in a new light.

"Sonnet to Satan" is a complex tapestry of themes, woven with religious imagery, moral complexities, and poetic formality. Plath navigates these multifaceted ideas with a dexterity that leaves the reader contemplating the perpetual dance between darkness and light, chaos and order, good and evil. The poem offers a rich terrain for pondering the nebulous zones where these dualities blur, leaving us to question the boundaries of moral certainties in a universe steeped in ambiguity.

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