How does Yeats create a mixture of history, myth.

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How does Yeats create a mixture of history myth and vision in the poem Leda and the Swan W B Yeats s - Leda and the Swan is a famous poem that powerfully combines history myth and vision The poem retells the Greek myth of Zeus and Leda But beyond the myth Yeats also connects it to history and his own vision of human destiny Use of Greek Myth Yeats takes the ancient Greek myth of Zeus and Leda as his subject Zeus the king of the gods takes the form of a swan He forces himself upon Leda the queen of Sparta This violent act gives birth to Helen Clytemnestra and the twins Castor and Pollux Connection with Historical Events Yeats links this mythical event with real history Helen s birth leads to the Trojan War which destroys Troy and starts a new era in Greek civilization The poet

says A shudder in the loins engenders there The broken wall the burning roof and tower Thus myth and history blend together to show how fate shapes the world Yeats s Philosophical Vision Through this myth Yeats expresses his vision of life and history He believes that history moves in cycles of creation and destruction The act of Zeus and Leda symbolizes the end of one era and the birth of another The poet wonders Did she put on his knowledge with his power Before the indifferent beak could let her drop This question shows Yeats s deep vision of divine power human weakness and the mystery of fate In Leda and the Swan Yeats skillfully blends Greek myth historical truth and spiritual vision The poem becomes not just a story of passion but a symbolic vision of how divine force shapes human history

Leda and the Swan

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How does Yeats create a mixture of history, myth.

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William Butler Yeats

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