William Butler Yeats, Leda and the swan
When I first read William Butler Yeats' poem, « Leda and the Swan », I barely understood that it was a poem that discribes an incidence of rape. I figured that there must have been something that I misunderstood, because the mix between rape and phrases hintting towards the presence of a bird did not seem like they should coincide. Never-the-less, I felt the poem's sinister, violent nature through the language the poet uses. "Staggering", "helpless", "terrified", "mastered"... Despite my ignorance at the time of what the poem discussed, a chill traversed me as I read the words. I knew it discussed something dark and cold. The poem sparked my curiosity; I wanted to know what the poem really meant, whether the words suggesting the presence of a bird, are simply figurative, a metaphor, or if they are truly representative of a literal bird. After a little research, I discovered that the poem is actually based on a myth. "Leda and the Swan" is an ancient Greek myth. Leda, wife of king Tydareus and mother of many noble children, was a very beautiful woman. So much so that she caught the eye of Zeus, the God believed by the Greek to be the God of all other Gods. When Leda refused to couple with Zeus, he turned himself into
Another figure of speech Yeats uses, is anacoenosis; asking the reader their opinion. This forces the reader to really stop in think about the poem; the situation, and the characters probable feelings. Yeasts does this through rhetorical questions. "How can the terrified vague fingers push the feathered glory from her loosening thighs?" and "how can body, laid in that white rush, but feel the strange heart beating where it lies?" These two rhetorical questions, are what constitute the second stanza. These show the sexual intercourse, or raping of Leda, and the questions lead the readers to ponder upon the emotional state Leda finds herself to be in. Aporia. There is a third rhetorical question in the last stanza: "Did she put on his knowledge with his power before the indifferent beak could let her drop?" This question asks the reader whether or not he or she believe that Leda being raped by a God, having an intimate connection with a God, lead her to a possibly greater understanding of the world. The answer to this is subjective; to each their own opinion. I particularly enjoyed Yeats' poem. It is beautifully written, and I am glad that I took the time to thoroughly analyse it. It truly makes one wonder about the coexistence of power and wisdom, and whether we should more often give into our true desires, as was forced upon Leda. "Leda and the Swan", is an Elizabethan sonnet, despite it's somewhat unusual layout. It has fourteen verses, which are divided into two quatrains and two tercets, which is typical of sonnets. What differentiates this sonnet from others in its layout is the sharing of the eleventh verse between the first and the second tercets. This is unusual, but still does not change its classification. Similarly to its form, the rhyme pattern is also structured, following the suit of ABAB CDCD FGH FGH. The length of the verses also is regular, giving the poem an even flow, an even rhythm. The poem beautifully describes a story using simple language; all the words are monosyllabic or bisyllabic. Although the poem does describe a rape, and Yeats does use language that suggests violence, and fear on Leda's part, it also suggests aporia. We are lead to believe that Leda is torn betwee
Some common words found in the essay are:
Zeus Zeus, Agamemnon Knowing, Leda's Zeus', Leda Swan, FGH FGH, Zeus Incarnated, Leda Aporia, Zeus Maybe, Swan Elizabethan, Gods Leda, raping leda, loosening thighs, leda swan, terrified vague fingers, indifferent beak, dark webs, vague fingers, terrified vague, white rush, feathered glory, holds helpless, webs nape caught, dark webs nape, caressed dark webs, vague fingers push,
Approximate Word count = 1506
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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