William BUtler Yeats critique on Lead and the Swan
William Butler Yeats' poem "Leda and the Swan" depicts the mythological story of Zeus, the king of the Gods, descending to earth in the form of a swan and raping the irresistibly attractive mortal woman, Leda. By portraying this molestation, the persona presents the fruit of the union as ultimate destruction; this is seen in his allusions to the fall of Troy. While relaying this story, the persona also questions whether Leda takes on the indifference of her attacker, Zeus. This questioning is seen in the final lines of the poem in which the persona asks, "Did [Leda] put on [Zeus'] knowledge [the attitude of the attacker, one of indifference] with his power, Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?" Through the use of certain rime, imagery, and allusion, Yeats' persona reveals the indifference of Zeus while showing that Leda is not capable of inheriting his apathetic attitude.Through the use of poetic devices such as imagery and diction in the first stanza, Leda's true fear is evoked by the relentless attack of the swan. The swan's "sudden blow" (1) suggests the surprise in his attack and the unexpectedness on Leda's behalf. As the swan balances himself atop the girl, the reader witnesses Leda "staggering" (2) out of sh
In the fourth stanza, the definitive characterization of Zeus is made. He has taken advantage of a woman for his own benefit and stripped from her a sense of decency and virtue. He has taken advantage of his appointed position while contributing to the ultimate destruction of a great civilization. (With his godly powers, one can only imagine he must have had the ability to foresee the future.) These actions can indeed be considered heartless and self-centered. Therefore, the title of "indifferent" (15) given to Zeus is well-deserved. From the opening lines of the poem, Yeats' persona establishes an appropriate tone for the poem by suggesting the overwhelming power of Zeus as well as the vulnerability of the beautiful Leda. These characterizations are apparent in the aforementioned lines relating to the violence of the Swan and the awe-struck nature of Leda as she is attacked. Through certain use of rime and allusion, the persona makes clear that the fruit of such a union would result in destruction. The reader not only sees Leda's purity filched, but he also sees the final fall of Troy. Although the poem offers enough evidence to prove Leda's failure to take on the attitude of her attacker, a reader can only wonder if Leda had acquired the indifference of Zeus, would the result have been so fatal? Though one can only speculate, perhaps if Leda had been as apathetic as Zeus, their daughter Helen, on whose account the Trojan war was fought, may have prevented the war rather than pr
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1005
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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