Questions for "Medusa"

1. The poem opens with a surprising statement. Who is speaking? What is ironic about what she is saying?
2. Medusa is both a victim of metamorphosis and one of its greatest agents. What do you think is the tone of line 6 – “I too was human”? How does Medusa feel about her own metamorphosis?
3. Humans dread Medusa, yet Medusa herself dreads something. According to lines 11-14, what does she dread, and why?
4. Lines 15-27 delve deeply into Medusa's character. What does Medusa threaten to do? What is her motivation – the reason for her plans?
5. In the final stanza, what is about to happen, unknown to Medusa?
6. How does the poet's use of the first-person point of view affect your feelings about Medusa?