The Wife of Asdrubal

This poem obviously reflects Heman’s belief that men “betray” the “hearth and home” (1180). In the poem, Asdrubal is characterized to represent a strong, powerful woman in contrast to the cowardly, weak Asdrubal. I really liked the way that Hemans takes female-stereotypes and reverses them within the poem. Physically, Hemans takes the stereotypes of beautiful blonde locks (stereotypical of the Romantic female) and flushed cheeks and turns them into “dark… locks unbound” and flushed cheeks that instead of representing an innocence, produce her “haughty mien.” The wife abandons her female characteristics to become the “avenging goddess.” In addition, obviously the wife abandons stereotypical maternal roles as she stabs and burns her own children. However, I found it interesting that in doing so, the speaker claims she is helping them because their “woes and passions soon shall be at rest.” By acting unmaternally, she is being maternal. With the abandoning of female appearance and maternal nature, I wonder if Hemans is suggesting the need for women to abandon these characteristics to obtain power. Or, since the man in the poem is opposite the male stereotype, is she showing how wrong stereotypes have been in producing female and male roles? I know her beliefs and opinions from the intro, I just found it interesting that the woman must abandon her appearance in gaining power, but still remains maternal at the end of the poem, almost like she cannot abandon who she is, but needs to use it in her obtainment of power.