Bust of William Butler Yeats. William Murphy from Dublin, Ireland,
CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
William Butler Yeats, also known as WB Yeats, is one of the
most famous Irish poets in history. He dabbled in politics and playwriting as
well, but is most known for his poetic works. His upbringing helped shape his
fascination with themes that would arise in his later works.
Background
Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, Co. Dublin,
Ireland. He was the oldest of four children and was the son of a famous Irishpainter and lawyer. He was fascinated by the occult and mysticism.
Education
Yeats was homeschooled until he turned 10. He was then
educated in Dublin and London, spending his summers at the family’s house in
Connaught. He attended Erasmus Smith High School in Dublin and spent a lot of
time at his father’s art studio. He spent two years at the Metropolitan School
of Art in Dublin, during which time his first two poems were printed in the “Dublin University Review.”
Politics
Throughout his life, Yeats was deeply involved with politics.
He was a nationalist and anti-English. Despite this, he despised the hatred
that was spewed by the Irish Nationalist movement. In 1922, Yeats was appointed
senator of the Irish Free State.
Poetry
Although he was involved in politics, Yeats is most known
for his poetry. He was considered a modernist, although he also mastered
traditional forms. His work draws heavily from Irish mythology and history. Yeats
was influenced by the likes of Shakespeare and Standish James O’Grady.
Like with any poet, there are certain themes that appear
again and again throughout Yeats’ work. These include contrast of art and life,
masks, cyclical, and beauty in mundane theories of life.
“Lake Isle of Innisfree” is one of Yeats’s earlier lyric
poems. The poem is about living a simple life in nature that will bring peace
to the troubled speaker. Its feeling is an overall sense of longing for peace.
The trip to Innisfree is not a literal trip but an emotional and spiritual
escape. In the poem, Innisfree, represents a youth to which the speaker is
unable to go back to.
“The Second Coming” is a poem filled with allusions,
metaphors, and symbolism. Its overall allusion is the prophecy of Christ’s
second coming. There is also an allusion to John’s vision of the Beast of the Apocalypse.
The gyre in the poem is a metaphor for the destruction of the current era. The
circling falcon is a symbol for circling around a certain point, and the
widening of the gyre represents the destructive motion of society.
He is known for being
involved with the Celtic Revival. From there, he went on to be a founder of
branches of the National Literary Society. He was also one of the founders of
the Irish Literary Revival. In 1923,
Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Theatre and Plays
Aside from his poetry, he also helped found the Irish
Theatre, which became the Abbey Theatre, where he was a chief playwright. His
plays were often about Irish mythology and reflected his fascination with mysticism
and spiritualism. His later plays were intended for smaller audiences. These
often experimented with masks, dance, and music, and were influenced by Japanese
Noh plays.
His best-known plays include “The Countess Cathleen” (1892),
“The Land of Heart’s Desire” (1894), “Cathleen ni Houlihan” (1902), “The King’s
Threshold” (1904), and “Deirdre” (1907).
Death and Legacy
Yeats died on January 28, 1939, in France. Today, Yeats is
still considered one of the greatest Irish poets and has influenced many other
poets throughout history. He has commanded a high place in Irish letters and is
an internationally renowned poet.
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