Zeus And Leda Essay

In ancient Greek society, Gods were seen as untouchable. They could do what ever they wanted, face no consequences, and were never looked down upon. Zeus took advantage of that power and left Leda to experience the consequences of his actions. The unfortunate event that takes place between Zeus and Leda results in Leda receiving the knowledge and power of Zeus. Leda potentially has the power to see in the future which could be looked at in both negative and positive ways, and she also gained more power than she had before.
In the poem, there is one line that suggests Leda acquired the knowledge that Zeus holds, “Did she put on his knowledge with his power” (Yeats, 92). The knowledge that Leda now holds could be seen as a gift. Some think that
Leda can see all the good things that will happen to her children and the good that they will do, but with that she is also able to see the bad. One of her two daughters, Clytemnestras, was known for some unlikeable traits. She killed her husband after he returned from the 10 year Trojan war. Clytemnestras’ kids decided to get revenge for their father’s death and killed their mother. Another example of forseeing the future in a negative way would be the events that Helen caused. She cheated on her husband, Menelaus, with Paris which caused a war outbreak. In a sense the knowledge of the negative events that will happen could be a gift in disguise. As a mother, Leda, has the knowledge to help prevent the bad from happening or at least try. The poem does not only suggest that Leda could have gained knowledge and also power. Although the relationship between Zeus and Leda begins and ends with the rape, Leda gained power from the attack. Some critics look at her as a goddess because she conceived children with a God, Zeus. Leda became a known person in and is remembered today in Greek mythology. There are now poems and stories about her. Leda is put in a situation where she is completely defenceless and comes out of it with the power and knowledge of