Ariel is a posthumous poetry collection by Sylvia Plath, published in 1965. Written during the final months of her life, the collection captures intense emotional states shaped by her struggles with identity, mental illness, and societal expectations of women. The title refers to both a spirit from The Tempest and the horse she rode, symbolizing freedom and transformation.
The poems are vivid, confessional, and often unsettling. Plath uses powerful imagery, such as in "Lady Lazarus" and "Daddy," to explore themes of death, rebirth, trauma, and female oppression. Nature, violence, and the body appear throughout, reflecting her internal turmoil and search for liberation. Her tone shifts between despair, irony, and defiance.
Ariel redefined modern poetry with its raw honesty and lyrical power. It remains a groundbreaking work in feminist and confessional literature, offering insight into Plath's psyche and broader human experiences of pain, power, and identity.

Contents:
Morning Song
The Couriers
Sheep in Fog
The Applicant
Lady Lazarus
Tulips
Cut
Elm
The Night Dances
Poppies in October
Berck-Plage (1-7)
Ariel
Death & Co.
Lesbos
Nick and the Candlestick
Gulliver
Getting There
Medusa
The Moon and the Yew Tree
A Birthday Present
Mary's Song
Letter in November
The Rival
Daddy
You're
Fever 103°
The Bee Meeting
The Arrival of the Bee Box
Stings
The Swarm
Wintering
The Hanging Man
Little Fugue
Years
The Munich Mannequins
Totem
Paralytic
Balloons
Poppies in July
Kindness
Contusion
Edge
Words