“Edge” is one of the last poems Plath wrote before her suicide. How does knowing this information affect your understanding of the poem?

This is Sylvia Plath's last poem, written mere days before she committed suicide. It is a short, bleak, and brutal piece that reflects the depth of her depression.

As is the case with many of her poems, the theme of death is quite conspicuous. There is a sense of finality and defeat; hope has fled. In fact, the woman is considered "perfected" rather than compromised, suggesting that her suicide was a mark of bravery and vision, not cowardice.