. c o m Page 1 Background Yeats wrote this poem in 1916‚ when he was fifty one years of age. Coole Park‚ in Co. Galway was the home of Lady Augusta Gregory‚ Yeats’ friend and patron. In the poem‚ he reflects on how his life has changed since he was a younger man and walked ‘with a lighter tread’. In reality‚ Yeats had not been carefree in his youth‚ but for the purposes of this poem‚ we must suspend disbelief and take him at his word. In 1916‚ Yeats’ love‚ Maud Gonne was widowed. Her
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BACKGROUND: The history of Ireland is not unlike that of Britain in that it is marked by successive waves of invasion and colonization. Robert Welch writes in his book Changing States of a 12th century compilation called The Book of Invasions that details previous invasions of Ireland up to that point stretching back into antiquity (271); obviously "Ireland was a country which was being constantly invaded and resettled" (Welch‚ 272). When the Normans came to Ireland in the 12th century after having
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rhetorical question is a question in which the answer is implied and therefore doesn’t demand an answer. It is used here by Yeats as a means of coming to terms with the reality of his relationship with Maud Gonne. The opening statement of the poem "Why should I blame her that she filled my days with misery" can interpreted as a disclaimer or as absolution for Maud Gonne. Yeats recognises that Maud Gonne’s character made her act the manner in which she did‚ though this resulted in misery for him‚ there
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beauty is born“‚ this line is taken from the excellent poem “Easter 1916” by William Butler Yeats. W.B Yeats uses these words to describe the Easter Rising which resulted in the death of fifteen republican leaders along with their comrades. These events in Irish history have brought celebration but also a great deal of sorrow which Yeats describes perfectly with this clever oxymoron – A terrible beauty. A lot has changed since “Easter 1916” was written‚ yet its words have remained relevant to even
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The Grail Quest in the Play At the Hawk’s Well by William Butler Yeats A search for that which gives meaning to life has always occupied human minds. The ancient scholars‚ philosophers‚ writers and intellectuals devoted many years of their lives to find the answer. They created various theories – religious and philosophical – to explain the system of the universe and find the source of all things. On example of William Butler Yeats’ play At the Hawk’s Well and Chretien’s romance Le Conte du Graal
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Cullingford ascribes the resurrection of the medieval courtly lyric to Rossetti‚ by whom Yeats was greatly influenced. The courtly tradition ‘reverses the normal distribution of sexual power’‚ placing the male at the feet of the female. For example‚ in ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’‚ the ‘poor’ (6) poet cannot afford ‘the heavens’ embroidered
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Purgatory - William Butler Yeats The old man was born in the ruined house. His mother was an aristocratic woman who fell in love with a groom and married him despite the opposition from her family. The old man’s mother died while giving birth to him. She didn’t know that her husband wasted all her money on alcohol‚ women and playing cards. The old man’s father destroyed the spirit of the house by doing wrong things. The old man wasn’t sent to school but was taught by a priest and by the wife
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The first soliloquy of Hamlet falls in the Act 1‚ Scene II‚ after the King Claudius and the Queen Gertrude urges Hamlet in the open court to cast off the deep melancholy which‚ as they think‚ has taken possession of his mind as a consequence of his father’s death. In their opinion‚ Hamlet has sufficiently grieved for his father’s death already. Prior to the soliloquy‚ the King Claudius and Queen Gertrude makes announcement to their marriage‚ as according to them‚ the court could not afford excessive
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Who Goes With Fergus This poem is about the dichotomy of the thinker and the actor. Yeats‚ in love with Maud Gonne‚ was the thinker‚ the courtly lover -- the one who would "brood upon love’s bitter mystery." Yeats was Mr. Nice Guy. Yet Yeats wanted to be the actor - the alpha male - the Fergus. Note the sexualized subtext that permeates the poem‚ who will "pierce the deep wood’s woven shade"? Who will "drive" with Fergus. Finally‚ we get the reasons to be the alpha male - the man of action‚ in the
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What technique does Auden use to tell the story in ‘1 September 1939’? Auden’s poem‚ 1st September 1939 – influenced by W.B Yeats’ poem‚ ‘Easter 1916’ – is giving the reader an insight to how corrupted society is and how most of the public do not dig deep enough for the truth. The title itself echoes a diary date which implies that Auden is narrating the poem from his own point of view. The date of when the poem was written is a vital point in history‚ not just for one nation but for every nation
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