William Butler Yeats 1865 - 1939
Nobel Literature Prize in 1923
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Together with Lady Gregory he founded the Irish
Theatre, which was to become the Abbey
Theatre, and served as its chief playwright until
the movement was joined by John Synge.
His plays usually treat Irish legends; they also
reflect his fascination with mysticism and
spiritualism. The Countess Cathleen (1892), The
Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan
(1902), The King's Threshold (1904), and Deirdre
(1907) are among the best known.
Yeats poetry
Yeats's poetry can be seen as consisting of three
phases:
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Early
Middle
Late
Early poetry
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In Yeats's early poetry, up to the volume In the
Seven Woods (1904)
We can see the influences of English Romanticism,
the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Symbolism
Two further influences were the occult and the world
of the Celtic twilight poets of the 1890s
English Romanticism
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Symbolism
Yeat‘s goals
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Yeats saw himself as writing for Ireland and out of
an Irish poetic tradition
However, his Ireland is the shadowy world of Celtic
legend, rather than a contemporary reality
"The Song of Wandering Aengus" captures the
essence of Yeats's early poetry
Celtic Legend
Middle period poetry
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Yeats's middle period poetry can be read in the volumes
from The Green Helmet (1910) to Michael Robartes and the
Dancer (1921)
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Subject matter and attitude change
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Love is dealt with in a more direct, questioning manner
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Yeats still writes about Ireland, but it has become a real
Ireland parts of which irritate or puzzle him by their
complexity
Puzzling Ireland
Middle period development
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He now writes about real events, such as the death of
Robert Gregory; and real people (Lady Gregory) and real
places (Coole Park)
With these changes comes a noticeable change in style from
the meditative rhythms of the earlier verse to the more
muscular rhythms and tighter syntax of this middle period
We can hear this new distinctive voice in the two poems:
"No Second Troy" and "Easter 1916"
Final phase
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The final phase of Yeats's poetry begins with "The
Tower" (1928)
Yeats constructs himself as a very self-conscious
bard in poems like "The Tower" and "Sailing to
Byzantium"
Into old age…
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He publicly celebrates Ireland's culture which he
sees living in Coole Park and Lady Gregory and
which for him become a symbol of a nostalgically
remembered Anglo-Irish superiority
He contemplates old age and its difficulties, and
meditates on the function of art in life
Final poetic phase
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Yeats was also an Irish Senator, reflected in the
poem:
"Among School Children„
 and "Sailing to Byzantium„
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They can serve as examples of verse from the last
phase of Yeats's poetry
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Thank you for your attention
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Any questions?