Last Supper LIZ LOCHHEAD

The Poem In this poem, Lochhead challenges our usual perceptions of women who have been betrayed by a partner who has been unfaithful.

Instead of presenting the woman as a victim, she is depicted preparing a final meal to mark the end of the relationship. She portrays herself and her girlfriends later divulging themselves on the lies of her ex-lover.

With this, she renders a portrayal of female relationships in today’s society.

Last Supper is written in free verse and separated into four stanzas Last Supper is written in free verse and separated into four stanzas. She uses very gruesome terms of onomatopoeia to idealise the greedyness and animalistic nature of the friends.

She purposely lacks in punctuation to symbolise the unbalance in the relationships and situations.

She is getting good and ready to renounce/his sweet flesh/Not just for lent. (For ever). The use of (For ever) strongly conveys how the woman is absolutely definitive in her belief that the relationship has no hope for a future.

But meanwhile she is assembling the ingrediants for their last treat, the proper feast (After all they always eat together rather more than rather well.)

So here she is tearing foliage, scrambling the salad, maybe lighting candles even, anyway stepping back to admire the effect of the table she’s made (And oh yeas now will have to lie on) These words are reminiscent of the phrase 'you’ve made your bed now lie on it', used to convey the idea that sometimes we need to endure difficult situations that have arisen because of our own actions.

The Silverware, the nicely al-dente vegetables, the cooked goose, He could be depended on to bring the bottle plus betrayal with a kiss. This is a religious reference, to Judas betraying Jesus at the Last Supper. She uses this comparison to show us how infidelity in her relationship is unforgivable.

Stanza 2 In this stanza, Lochhead’s focus shifts away from the meal she is preparing for her unfaithful lover to her anticipation of enjoying a meal of a different kind.

What kind of leftover hash she’d make of it among friends. This is used to highlight how the literal meal with her man is now finished, and she is set and ready to speak rudely about him to her friends…

Extending the food metaphor, she describes the ”very good soup/she could render from the bones” of their affair which she describes as “substantial” and ”extra/tasty if not elegant.”

Stanza 3 A much more sinister mood is conveyed in stanza 3 with her poetic techniques and references to MacBeth’s witches.

They’d be cackling around the cauldron, spitting out the grislier bits of his giblets. The language is deliberately gruesome throughout. The verbs “spitting” and ”gnawing” emphasise the women’s determination to savour and pick over every detail of this failed romance. The alliteration Lochhead uses with ‘c’ highlights the frailness and witch like nature of the woman, being a crispy hard sound.

Gnawing on the knucklebone of some intricate irony. This conveys how they plan to enjoy this meal slowly, and unravel and pick at every single mishap and negative feature of his – This be physical or in terms of their relationship – They have no remorse. There is a mood of viciousness in the way that the plan to devour his flaws.

Getting Grave and dainty/Petit-Gout mouthfuls of reported speech. Petit-Gout translates to ‘little taste’ This strangely contrasts with the ideas Lochhead gave us in the previous stanza about the ‘girls’ plans for him. This may highlight their means to not look petty…

Stanza 4 Stanza 4 channels a link to the viciousness mentioned earlier and leaves the reader feeling shellshocked to an extent with the haunting finish.

That’s rich, they’d splutter. Lochhead furtherly attempts to teach us about the girls feelings of triumph through the breakup. The use of splutter highlights an eagerness to speak.

Sink back/gorged on truth/their own savage integrity. The use of the word gorged clearly idealises the negative aspects of the friendship. They seem to depend on misery. The use of savage integrity creates a feeling of hypocrisy for the women, like they expect men to be unfaithful and are ready to put themselves on a pedestal for it.

Preening like Corbies. The reference made to corbies (Crows) highlights how the woman plan to pick at the bones and the carcass until there’s not a shred left.

Thanks for reading. Audio: Always Hate Me – James Blunt