Discipline and Resistance: The Representation of Female Power in the Poetry of John Donne and Sylvia Plath

Abstract

This paper explores the representation of female power in the poetry of John Donne and Sylvia Plath through Michel Foucault’s theory of power, particularly the concepts of discipline and resistance. Although separated by several centuries and shaped by distinct historical and cultural contexts, both poets provide significant insights into the construction and transformation of female subjectivity within different systems of power. Through close textual analysis, this study examines how power relations operate through patriarchal discourse, religious ideology, social institutions, and bodily regulation. It argues that Donne’s poetry reflects the disciplinary mechanisms of early modern patriarchal society, in which female subjectivity is frequently shaped and constrained through metaphorical representations, gendered discourse, and religious frameworks. In contrast, Plath’s poetry reveals the oppressive forces embedded in modern social structures while demonstrating women’s attempts to resist discipline through subversive language, self-expression, and the reconstruction of identity. By comparing the different manifestations of female power in the works of these two poets, this research reveals the dynamic relationship between power and resistance, suggesting that literary language functions not only as a medium of domination but also as a potential space for female empowerment and subject formation.