In her haunting and intensely intimate poem "Edge," Plath explores the

concepts of sadness, suicide, and the need for escape using strong and
vivid imagery. The entire poem itself is a metaphor as the “edge” portrays
the poet’s suicidal ideas and desires. The speaker of the poem opens by
describing her position perched on a cliff's edge, gazing down into the
depths:

"The woman is flawless. The illusion of a Greek necessity flows in the

scrolls of her toga, and her dead body wears the smile of success."

With its bleak and frightening images of death and decay, this first stanza
establishes the mood for the remainder of the poem. Here, the speaker
herself is referred to as the "lady," and she believes that death has
"perfected" her, leaving her "dead corpse" with a "smile of
accomplishment" as if she had accomplished something significant.

The speaker may view her own death as a necessary and inevitable end to
her life if this image is placed next to the "illusion" of Greek tragedy. The
belief that death is an unavoidable and necessary part of existence, as it
was depicted in ancient Greek literature and mythology, is referred to in
this context as "the illusion of a Greek necessity." The speaker is implying
that this concept is untrue, that it is a delusion used to rationalize suicide.

The speaker continues to describe the world around her in the following
stanza, from her seat on the edge, the "children" and "dogs" below her
seeming little and insignificant:
"Her bare Feet appear to be saying: It's over; we've come so far."
The speaker's bare feet, which convey the impression that she has
thrown away all of her worldly possessions and is ready to leave this life
behind, are particularly touching. It is further implied that the speaker has
arrived at her destination and is ready to make the final trek into the void
by her repeated use of the phrase "it is over."

The poem's final stanza, in which the speaker muses on suicide and the
possible relief it would provide, is one of its most moving passages:
"The moon Gazes down at her blankly; the darkness Spits back like a
weak light Ghostly in its restless rider."
Here, the moon and the night take on a menacing and callous
appearance, as if they don't care about the speaker's situation. According
to the "uneasy rider," the speaker may not fully understand what she is
doing or where she is going, but she is nevertheless willing to take the
chance and leap.
At the end, "Edge" is a powerful poem that explores the darkest depths of
the human soul.
By her vivid imagery and sharp language, Plath captures the suffering and
hopelessness of despair while also hinting that there might be some type
of relief.