Delilah (Duffy, 1999) and Toxic Masculinity

Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, Delilah, is a retelling of the biblical story of Samson set in a contemporary context and told through the perspective of Delilah. It spins the perception of Delilah as a seductress on its head as it shows an intimate moment between two consenting adults together in a relationship. This poem is unique in its crafting as it one of the few in Duffy’s collection that directly gives a voice to the male character. In this retelling, he retains his impermeable strength, the main difference being his lack to feel as a person, which he expresses in the form of a question directed to Delilah.

Through the characterization of rhyme, lineation, and word choice, Duffy shines a light on the problems that surround alpha masculinity. One of these is depicted in line 14, “There’s nothing I fear.” which is preceded by rhyming words such as tiger, fire, bear, dare, that link together an idea of the extent of his prowess. He iterates the stereotype of having no fear as if to overcompensate for his inability to be vulnerable, reflecting the constant desire for men to show no signs of weakness. Another way in which his masculinity is portrayed is through lines 16-18, “he guided my fingers over the scar, over his heart, a four-medal wound from the war” for the reason that he is attempting to be vulnerable by revisiting a physical reminder of a conflict he went through, à la war veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder. Where men would usually brag about battle wounds and the stories that accompany them, Samson asks, “What is the cure?” a solitary line as if his strength was in affliction he wanted to be rid of in order to feel the emotions buried beneath the surface. Finally, the power dynamic in their sexual relationship is illustrated in line 22, “He fucked me again” to emphasize that Samson is the doer of the action and he does it for his convenience. Duffy uses an expletive to tell the reader that this moment is not meant to be romanticized, that a euphemism would not serve to tell the message that Samson regresses into his alpha male ways despite his wish to be liberated.