Ted Hughes: Gog (Parts 1 and III)

Length / Form Three parts, each written in free verse.

Allusion to Classical figure Coriolanus

Allusion to Classical place Rome

Relationship to Classical text  Pt. I  Alludes to the letters Alpha and Omega from the Greek Alphabet: ‘I woke to a shout: “I am Alpha and Omega.”’.  Pt. III Mentions Coriolanus and Rome: ‘Unlike Coriolanus, follow the blades right through Rome’.

Comment  This Wodwo collection marks a change of direction for Hughes. His more regimental verse forms (present in The Hawk in the Rain and Lupercal) here give way to instinctive free verse experiments which would continue for the rest of his career. Hughes includes prose and drama in part two of the volume which emphasises Wodwo’s experimental qualities.