Another poem of Yeats that addresses the divine or mythology is Leda and the Swan. The sonnet is a retelling of the Greek myth about the rape of Leda by Zeus who descended upon her in the form of a swan.
"A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast" (line 1-4).
Yeats uses evocative imagery within the sonnet. He showcases the strength of Zeus with words like, beating and caught. Zeus is clearly overpowering Leda. This is not an act of love, but of lust. He is "indifferent to her emotions (line 15). He is only after his desire. While Leda's weakness is portrayed by, staggering, helpless, and terrified. She lacks any control in this situation. Leda is at Zeus's mercy. However, Yeats suggests that after the rape that perhaps Leda comes away with the power. After all Leda's children are the people who bring about a change in the world. Helen brings about the Trojan War, and Clymestra's husband, Agamemnon, begins the actual war. Once the Trojan War ends, the ancient world is changed. Greece is the superpower of the ancient world, but soon Rome will rise and Greece will fall. The fall of Greece also means the downfall of the Greek gods. Therefore, Zeus loses his position and power. Zeus brings about his own downfall.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteSome insightful comments on Yeats's poem, with good attention to the significance of specific words, and the way they develop patterns of meaning. Be sure to put quoted words in quotation marks, though. Towards the end of your post, though, you stop providing textual evidence, and at that point I think your discussion gets less persuasive. Are there any words or passages in the poem that support your claims about Rome?
After reading that poem, I had no idea how to write about it. I think you do a great job discussing this difficult topic. The one thing I didn't understand about Yeats was why he wrote the story in poem form. Considering the strong emotions involved in something like a rape, this seems to gloss over the horror of the event, and I am not sure that he does justice to the victim. So why a poem like this? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this poem I wasn't sure what to say about it. I think you do a great job at providing an explanation to the poem and relating it to the Greeks and power.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this poem, but I enjoy Greek Mythology even more. Your last sentence left me a bit puzzled though. The Roman Mythology kept the same Gods but change their names. So it made me wonder how did Zeus bring about his down fall if he is Jupiter?
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