Poetry often allows its audience to gain meaningful messages which have been deliberately left behind by their creators. Two poems which deal with the representations of women are Ted Hughes "The Minotaur" and Sylvia Plath's "The Rival". The major difference between the themes of these two poems is that while Hughes uses the poem to express his contempt of women, Plath bemoans the exploitation and pain they receive. Both attempt to expose dissatisfaction and victimisation …showed first 75 words of 951 total…

…showed last 75 words of 951 total…women. They have been able to successfully reach audiences through the fame of their context and concerns, their structure and a range of devices, including reference, comparison, symbols and tone. Plath gives a convincing portrait of women as subject to "abuse", while Hughes believes them to be "horned, bellowing" - satanic influences upon men. From these, the audience can gain greater insight to their fellow humans and the individual ideas of the world around them.