Sexton uses simile to elaborate on the way this protectiveness of the King to his daughter may imply a physical desire for her. Sexton describes the extensive lengths that the King went to protect Briar Rose, which includes burning all the spindles and forcing the men of the castle to poison their tongues. Sexton writes, “Thus she dwelt in his odor. / Rank as honeysuckle.” Comparing honeysuckle to rank with a negative connotation emphasizes that this “sweet” type of protection may have been unwanted from Briar Rose herself. Slowly, something that was supposed to have a positive association to her, a father, became something negative, in the same way the honeysuckle would traditionally be a positive image.
