nt-weight: 400;"> Yeats also used Greek myths to explain human history and civilization. In “Leda and the Swan,” he retells the story of Zeus and Leda. From their union came Helen of Troy, whose beauty caused the Trojan War. Yeats sees this event as the beginning of a new age in human history. He believed that every two thousand years, a new civilization is born. Thus, Yeats uses myth to explain the cycles of history and human destiny.

Cycles of History: In “The Second Coming,” Yeats presents his famous idea of history moving in circles. He thought that each civilization lasts for about two thousand years and then gives birth to another. The poem begins with the image of a turning gyre. The poet says, 

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer.” 

This means that order has broken down and chaos is coming. He feels that the Christian age is ending and a new age, dark and violent, is about to begin. He says,

“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, 

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

It is a symbol of that new civilization. Here, Yeats uses both myth and philosophy to explain the fall and rebirth of history.

Irish History: Yeats’s love for Ireland is clearly shown in “Easter 1916.” This poem deals with the Irish rebellion against British rule. Yeats portrays the rebels who died for Ireland as heroic symbols. He writes, 

“All changed, changed utterly: 

A terrible beauty is born.” 

Their deaths make Ireland spiritually new. The poet mixes real history with mythic meaning. 

Myth and Moral Philosophy: In “A Prayer for My Daughter,” Yeats joins myth and philosophy to show his fear for modern civilization. A wild storm rages outside while his baby daughter sleeps inside. The storm stands for the violence and disorder of the world. He remembers Helen of Troy, whose beauty brought destruction. So he prays,

“May she be granted beauty and yet not

Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught,”

Through myth, Yeats teaches a moral lesson about beauty, pride, and peace.  

In summary, W.B. Yeats handles myth and history with great art and wisdom. He uses them not only to tell stories but to explain human life and change. His Irish legends give his poetry a national spirit. His historical and philosophical ideas make it universal. Through poems like “The Second Coming” and “Easter 1916,” Yeats shows that myth and history together reveal man’s endless struggle for meaning and renewal.