Yeats’ Leda and the Swan and Van Duyns Leda Essay -- Leda Swan Essays

Yeats Leda and the weave and Van Duyns Leda In Grecian mythology, Leda, a Spartan queen, was so beautiful that Zeus, ruler of the gods, decided he must have her. Since immortals usually did not present themselves to humankind in their divine forms, Zeus changed himself into a great swan and in that sour ravished the missed girl (C bey 58-59). Both William Butler Yeats and Mona Van Duyn base their poems Leda and the Swan and Leda, respectively, on this story of a mystic marriage. Yeats focus on the knowledgeable act itself, along with his allusions to Ledas progeny, manifest a grave and terrifying tone. opus he raises Leda to a status similar to that of Mary, mother of Jesus, Van Duyn portrays Leda as a universal mother. By making both figures, Leda and Zeus, ordinary, she gives a impress twist (Greiner 337) to the original myth, emphasized by her witty tone. In addition, whereas Yeats suggests that Leda has gained something from her light upon with Zeus, Van Duyn asserts th at she has gained nothing, portraying women in general as primarily objects of mens satisfaction. Yeats begins his poem by concentrating on the mere depiction of the rape scene. dustup such as beating, dark, helpless, and terrified provide this violent act of rape with negative connotations. The victim, Leda, is helpless against the power of the aggressor, Zeus, and terrified by his actions. Recalling the original Grecian myth, Yeats clearly shows Ledas resistance at every step (staggering girl, helpless breast, terrified vague fingers push). Zeus relationship with Leda parallels human interaction in general with either Satan or God. In Christianity, the prevailing piety of Yeats time, pious men attempt to push away ... ...f violence, and underlying sacred motif. Overall, Yeats instills fear into the reader, while Van Duyn elicits an occasional laugh however, both poems are equally effective, one for its religious message and the other for its man bashing. whole kit and caboodle Cited Barnhart, Clarence L. and Robert K. The instauration Book Dictionary. ChicagoDoubleday, 1985. Carey, Gary. Cliffs Notes on Mythology. Lincoln C.K. Hillegass, 1973. Greiner, Donald J. American Poets since World War II. Dictionary of LiteraryBiographies. DetroitDoubleday, 1980. Heaney, Seamus. The Redress of Poetry . New York Noonday, 1995. Magill, Frank N. life-sustaining Survey of Poetry. Engelwood Cliffs Salem Press, 1982. Vol. 7 Torah The Five Books of Moses. Tanakh The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia Jewish way out Society, 1985.