Though Lewis unquestionably presents Imogene as morally tainted due to her social transgression of breaking her promise to Alonzo in “Alonzo the Brave, and Fair Imogene," her transformation from false maiden to bloodthirsty phantom is still quite jarring. Lewis’s poem clearly serves as a warning to women against straying from their men, even under circumstances that may make their unfaithfulness seem understandable. The social consequences of a woman’s falsehood could be devastating in a patriarchal society where a woman could easily corrupt her husband’s bloodline by carrying an illegitimate child without his knowledge, especially since in those days there was no unarguable way of proving paternity. Also, fear of losing their future spouses or of unfaithful wives could prevent men from wanting to go off to war and protect their country. I believe Imogene’s metamorphosis into a monster prevents the audience from empathizing with her when it may have otherwise been easy to do so. The conclusion of the poem also implies that a woman’s sin blemishes those around her as her husband is damned along with her.
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