Hughes’ ‘The Bee God’ appropriates Plath’s extended metaphor of the bees from her poem ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ to offer a similar examination of her mental state. Hughes also uses this to examine the impactful role of Otto Plath on his daughter’s life – specifically his alleged culpability in sparking her mental illness, according to Hughes. Structured in two-line stanzas, ‘The Bee God’ offers short confessions from Hughes’ perspective through a collection of metaphors. However, as always, we should note that Hughes cannot be considered a reliable source as to Plath’s true mentality or emotions – he can only speak to his truth, so it is up to us as responders to evaluate the disparities and resonances between the two.
