William Butler Yeats' Poetry

In his poem, “Crossways”, there was a sense of something sad, but it also had a dreamy, soft feel to it. This type of mood is certainly shown in the “Sad Shepard”. “ And he call loudly to the stars to bend, from their pale thrones and comfort him, but they among themselves laugh on and sing alway” (p9, 5-7). Here it seems as if the Shepard is looking for some comfort from the skies and nature. But instead of the skies and stars comforting him, the Shepard is being ignored. Therefore, no comfort is gained. “Sought once again the shore and found a shell, and though, I will my heavy story tell, till my own words, re-echoing shall send”(p9, 18-20). In this statement, he finds a shell and speaks into it. In response the shell doesn’t spit back or speak words of guile or comfort. “Among her wildering whirls, forgetting him”(p9, 27-28). A shell c

Yeats focused his attention on drama mainly because he was hoping to create a renewed interest in Irish literature and culture. In his plays, he focused on fantasy and mysticism and used it as an analogy to examine and explain the human condition. Yeats was constantly fighting for the individuality and self-worth of Ireland. He was always striving to explain and make analogous to the folklore of his native land. So, now the question is, what was his poem “Responsibilities” mainly about?

While I was analyzing “The madness of King Goll”, I noticed that the king already had everything a person could ask for. After all, a king maintains wealth and power back in those days. During the Kings battle an idea struck his mind. What was that idea? Well, this idea made him leave the battlefield, and also leave the life he knew as a king. Now where did he go? “And now I wonder in the woods, when summer gluts the golden bees” (p17, 37-38). In this statement, it’s proven that he left his life as a king and went to a naturalistic setting in the woods. This is proven when he talks about the bees and the summer in the woods. “That hides away the dying sun, and sheds faint odors through the air” (p17, 71-73). “And I must wonder wood and hill through summers heat and winters cold. They will not hush, the leaves a-flutter round me, the beech leaves old” (p18, 71-73). Here it is implied that he is going to stay in the woods through any season. He isn’t recollecting on the present life he had as a king. Instead he is looking to nature and it’s beauty and art. Therefore, I don’t think that King Goll wants to forget where he came from. After all, we all arose from nature. King Goll looked to nature to go back to where he came from. King Goll reminded me so much of Yeats. I will get to why he reminded me of Yeats later, but now the question is when people can’t escape their present state, what do they do instead?

A poet to his beloved was based on a woman named Maud Gonne. She was a nationalist in Ireland, whom Yeats fell madly in love with. “White women with numberless dreams” (p63, 7). Maud Gonne was passionate about what she was, and followed her dreams of pursuing her political goals. They both were uniting in their desire to see Ireland freed from English domination. During the 1890’2 he focused his attention on drama. Why was Yeats so focused on Drama and

Some topics in this essay:
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