Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem “An Ancient Gesture” qualifies as a lyric as it’s short and expresses a personal emotion. In this case, the emotion is the admirable tradition of crying—specifically, tears shed by women. As the speaker identifies with Penelope and sees herself as a part of her lineage, it’s reasonable to say that Millay’s speaker is a woman, so it’s fine to use feminine pronouns. The speaker sets up a distinction between Penelope and her husband Ulysses that favors the former and, thus, furthers the argument that the speaker, like Penelope, is a truly emotional woman.

The tone, however, is less emotional and more thoughtful. Although tears and feelings serve as one of the poem's primary themes, the poem starts on an intellectual note, as the speaker thinks. “I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron,” says the speaker (Line 1). The speaker's state is contemplative. Yes, she’s crying, and those tears indicate she’s upset over something, yet her tone remains considered.

In Line 2, the speaker considers how “Penelope did this too.” The speaker compares her state to that of Penelope. The Ancient Greek poet Homer narrates the story of Queen Penelope and her husband, King Ulysses (Odysseus), in his epic poem The Odyssey. Missing for 20 years, Ulysses endures war, kidnapping, and a host of other dangers. Back home in Ithaca, Penelope has to fend off suitors and threats to her son, Prince Telemachus.

To keep the men at bay, Penelope tells them she’s weaving a shroud for Ulysses’s dad, Laertes, and won't remarry until she's completed it. When Millay’s speaker says “you can’t keep weaving all day” (Line 3), the speaker uses a literary device, allusion, to link to this part of Penelope's narrative. Penelope weaves the shroud during the day and undoes her work “through the night” (Line 4) so that she's unable to finish the shroud and remarry. The process is taxing, and the tone of Millay’s speaker is blunt. The speaker realizes this “can’t” (Line 3) go on for much longer.

In Lines 3-8, the speaker uses the second-person pronoun “you” four times and the second-person possessive “your” three times. It’s not overwhelmingly clear if the speaker is addressing Penelope, if she’s talking to herself, or if she’s in dialogue with Penelope and herself. The speaker’s strong identification with Penelope and her forthright tone create a bit of confusion. The speaker’s tone is firm and sure. She seems to know what Penelope is thinking and feeling as if they shared the same feelings and thoughts—as if they were the same person. At the same time, there’s a distinction between the speaker and Penelope. There’s an “I” and a “you,” so identity is another critical theme in Millay’s poem.

Setting aside identity for the moment, the speaker maintains her direct tone. She’s not dilly-dallying. Using the literary device imagery, Millay shows what happens when a person weaves all day and then undoes their work at night. “Your arms get tired, and the back of your neck gets tight,” says the speaker (Line 5). The reader can see the exhausting arms and stiff neck. The precise language produces a picture or image. The imagery continues in Line 6, with the picture of approaching morning. Of course, “morning” and “light” (Line 6) could also serve as symbolism, representing hope or relief.

In Lines 6-9, the speaker takes on a slightly more hyperbolic tone. She’s theatrical and uses absolute terms like “never” (Line 6). Ulysses has been missing “for years” (Line 7). The dramatic absence of Ulysses leads to an explosion or a “burst” (Line 8) of tears. The absolute language continues in Line 9, the last line in Stanza 1, when the speaker declares, “There is simply nothing else to do.” The eruption of feeling matches the speaker’s exaggerated tone. Her diction or word choice is categorical and undebatable.

Stanza 2 kicks off with the literary device repetition since Line 10 repeats Line 1, although Millay’s speaker adds an “[a]nd.” Once again, the tone is thoughtful. The speaker contemplates how the tears relate to “an ancient gesture” (Line 11). Not for the first time, the speaker uses allusion since she doesn’t come right and say that tears date back to the Ancient Greek text The Odyssey. Instead, she refers to tears as a part of “the very best tradition, classic, Greek” (Line 12). In these lines, the speaker is confident. Crying doesn’t make the speaker feel inferior since shedding tears belongs to an admirable custom.

Next, the speaker brings up the theme of gender and uses the literary device juxtaposition. The speakers compare the woman Penelope with the man Ulysses. The speaker says, “Ulysses did this too” (Line 13), so he also cried. Yet his tears were only a “gesture”—a superficial signal to “the assembled throng” (Line 15) or for the public.

Concerning Ulysses’s tears, the speaker’s tone is dismissive. She’s not sympathetic to Penelope’s husband since she presents his emotion as one-dimensional. “He learned it from Penelope,” says the speaker (Line 16). He’s copying Penelope’s actions. It’s Penelope “who really cried” (Line 17). She represents authentic emotion, so the speaker exalts her and privileges her womanly tears over the manly tears of Ulysses. Through the differing tones, it's clear the speaker is on Penelope's side.