Analysis of Leda and the Swan

Analysis of Leda and the Swan. Greek mythology.

Analysis of Leda and the Swan.

Greek mythology has, throughout history, been the subject of much

debate and interpretation. Conjuring up images of bloody battles and

crumbling cities, its descriptions of the epic battle between good and

evil still have remarkable relevance and continue to resonate with

poignancy in our bleak, war-torn society. The poem Leda and the Swan,

written by William Butler Yeats, attempts to shed new light on what is

arguably one of Ancient Greece's most controversial myths. In this

essay I aim to study the poem in more depth, analysing what Yeats says

and how he says it.

Leda and the Swan is an interpretation of the Greek myth wherein Zeus,

in the form of a swan, violated a young woman, who gave birth to Helen

and Clytemnestra. Helen's flight with Paris to Troy, leaving her

husband Menelaus (Agamemnon's brother) caused the war between the

Greeks and the Trojans. Clytemnestra then murdered her husband

Agamemnon on his return from victory at Troy.

The poem begins with Yeats emphasising the brutality of Zeus' actions,

describing the initial impact as a "sudden blow". The two words carry

the connotation of brutality, urgency and forcefulness; the harshness

of the word "sudden" consolidating the phrase's power. There is an

implication that the action is unnaturally rapid, thus godlike and

powerful. The power and forcefulness of Zeus' actions is reinforced as

the line continues, with the word "great" used to describe the wings

of the swan which represents him, while the harshness of harshness of

the word "beating" re-emphasising the brutality of Zeus' actions.

Furthermore, Yeat's use of the word "great" implies glory and majesty,

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...self as a swan. It is also clear from the poem that Leda

felt ambivalent while being raped - she was unsure of whether to

submit or resist. The implication near the end of the poem is that she

did attempt to resist (although the "shudder in the loins" and the

"white rush" convey the fact that she was raped), yet the question is

why this was so. Yeats causes the reader to ponder on whether Leda's

fingers were "terrified" because of the act or because of her

potential knowledge of the consequences, and he himself near the end

of the poem ponders on whether she knew the consequences of the rape

before it happened ("Did she put on his knowledge with his power?").

Yeats speaks, on a literal level, about the rape of a young woman, yet

he also relates the events of Greek mythology to themes of fate,

giving the poem meaning and resonance on a more universal level.