Poetry of W.B. Yeats

Question 1

Leda and The Swan Analysis

Answer 1

Language:

• “beating” present continuous=emersion within the moment=voyueristic element
• “caressed” controversial lexical choice= suggests seduction= “loosening thighs”= adjective= lack of resistance=indulgence=archaic prejudice of rape victims accusation of compliance and sexual pleasure
• “breast upon his breast” repetition=miroring of leda and swan to become the same thing=the fusion of separate entities like conception- conceiving art
• “and how can body” lack of definite article and pronoun=abstractness and anonymity=detachment of self from body to imply lack of control and emphasise pure physicality of experience

Imagery

• “caressed by the dark webs” paradox=incongruous= synthesis of juxtaposing notions in an under statement irony to express opposite meaning that actually means the action was not done lovingly
• “nape caught in his bill” nape erogunous so same effect as above
• ” a shudder in the loins engenders there/ the broken wall” metaphor=graphic/explicit pornographic description with destructive quality demolition of wall the force of penetration conoting invasion and brutality= violent rape// not romantic sensual scene
• “brute blood of the air” metaphor alliterative= intoxication infactuation=poet’s rapture in artisitc impulse amongst violent revolutionary atmosphere
• “put on his knowledge” biblical archaic expression=to have sex= enlightenment
• “indifferent beak could let her drop” physical rejection with definite article sense of importance universalness= divinity= irish faiths catholicism and protestantism have ‘dropped’ its followers by landing them in civil war= poets atheism critcism of impact of religion and faith in god
• “terrified vague fingers push the feathered glory from her loosening thighs” metaphor= ambiguity of notions of resistance and compliance=catholics and protestants
• “did she put on his knowledge with his power” (yeats system of belief) interraction of human and the divine to reveal fate= historically determined inevitability such as the cycle of life (conception of life) entails cyclical passage of violence and conquerence in history=alluding to violence loosely!​

Structure/Verse form

• sonnet=romantic= yeats revery of arts ability to portray randomness and violence of history
• “a sudden blow;” caesura=halt metre=impact of blow
• “push/ the feathered” enjambement= emergence in moment voyuerism
• “and agemendon dead.” gap in rhythmical lineation=emphasis impact of death

Rhyme

• “beating still”= sibilance and plosives=elegance contrasted with brutality=the spiritual ethereal qualities of the swan body contrasted with the aggressive intentions of the man Zeus within
• “he holds her helpless” alliteration=onamatopaeic of breathing panting sounds= passionate sexual

Context