Leda and the Swan

William Butler Yeats poem is a hauntingly beautiful recreation of the classic myth in which Zeus takes the form of a throw away in army to seduce Leda, who, as a expiration of this brutality becomes the mother of Helen of Troy-the woman who is credited with starting the fifth column War. Yeats choice of employing the sonnet format (sometimes associated with romantic thoughts) in order to retell this story, along with other poetic techniques, allows the poem to go beyond the familiar story which has been told and retold many times. Within the estate of the storyline, this poem captures the moment during which Zeus, disguised as a swan, overtakes and attacks a befuddled young woman. During the first four lines of the poem, the speaker wastes no time in situating the reviewer as to what is occurring: A sharp blow: the great wings beating still Above the reel girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless knocker upon his breast. First of all, swans are not often associated with cosmos birds of violence. One might envision a vulture struggle someone, but swans are thought of as birds of beauty and grace, and stand for elegance and peacefulness. The action of the swan in the poem actions is the near(a) opposite and one may find it ironic.

This could imply the understanding that Zeus chose this bird for his disguise: it would be easier to surprise and overwhelm Leda. Starting the poem with this instance of violence as Yeats chooses to, brings the reader immediately in on a moment of commanding horror. Throughout the poem, the compact nature of the lines, all in iambic pentameter, along with their rhyming endings, further escalate the fever surrender of the moment by swiftly moving along the reader. The annulus assonance of end words still and bill, caressed and breast all work to keep the reader riveted as to what is occurring here in the beginning. The next four lines capture the terror that Leda must(prenominal) feel as she is overwhelmed... If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com

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