An Explication of W.H. Auden "Musee Des Beaux Arts"

In poetry, the use of allusions is very common. There are briefs, usually indirect references to another work or to real or historical events or persons, traditionally as a way of connecting those elements as well as enriching the meaning of the current work through associations with the other. In his poem "Musee des Beaux Arts", W.H. Auden uses allusions as a way of drawing connections between his poem, Peter Brueghel's painting " The Fall of Icarus", the myth, and the humanity indifference toward one's suffering.

Icarus, the subject of this poem, was a figure from Greek mythology. He was the son of Dedalus, who, in order to escape from prison in Crete, made two pairs of wings, one for him and one for his son, Icarus. As Icarus and Dedalus flied away, Icarus forgot his father's warning and flied too close to the sun. The wax on his wings melted and Icarus felt into the sea and drowned. The references in the poem are details from the painting. Icarus is a tiny figure; only his white legs can be seen standing out of the green water.

His fall is unnoticed by the ploughman in the foreground. The sailing ship is very near the place where Icarus fell into the water.

The myth of Icarus has inspired many artists, including painter Peter Brueghel and poet W.H. Auden. In fact, the title of Auden's poem, "Musee des Beaux Arts", is a direct allusion to Brueghel's painting "The Fall of Icarus." Musee des Beaux Arts refers to the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. Auden visited the museum in 1938 and viewed the painting by Brueghel, which the poem is about. The reader of the poem is placed in front of the Brueghel painting in the museum and is expected to project those images and truths to the world outside. By using a f...

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...hile Icarus falls into the water, the ploughman and the crew in the ship are unconcerned. People understood that death causes much suffering to those who lives it touched. However, they are indifferent to this reality.

In sum, like Peter Brueghel's painting "The Fall of the Icarus", the poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" by W.H. Auden is inspired by the legend of Icarus. The visual communication of the painting landscape with the Fall of Icarus is closely related to the verbal communication of the poem.

In fact, the poem is almost a literal retelling of the event depicts in the painting. As you read the Auden's poem, the allusions to the old masters, and to the legend of Icarus and Daedalus guide you to expand the understanding of the poem's theme. "Musee des Beaux Arts" is an especially rich poem for illustrating Auden's way of showing suffering and human unconcern.