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

Yeats Leda and the Swan and caravan Duyns Leda In Greek mythology, Leda, a Spartan queen, was so beautiful that Zeus, ruler of the gods, unconquerable he must have her. Since immortals usually did not present themselves to public in their divine forms, Zeus changed himself into a great swan and in that shape ravished the helpless girl (Carey 58-59). Both William Butler Yeats and Mona Van Duyn show their poems Leda and the Swan and Leda, respectively, on this story of a mystic marriage. Yeats focus on the sexual forge itself, along with his allusions to Ledas progeny, globeifest a grave and fantastic tone. While 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(prenominal) figures, Leda and Zeus, ordinary, she gives a surprising twist (Greiner 337) to the headmaster myth, emphasized by her witty tone. In addition, whereas Yeats suggests that Leda has gained something from her encounter with Zeus , Van Duyn asserts that she has gained nothing, portraying women in general as in the main objects of mens satisfaction. Yeats begins his poem by concentrating on the mere depiction of the infringement scene. Words such as beating, dark, helpless, and terrified provide this violent act of intrusion with negative connotations. The victim, Leda, is helpless against the power of the aggressor, Zeus, and terrified by his actions. Recalling the original Greek myth, Yeats clearly shows Ledas resistance at every step ( stupefying 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 religion of Yeats time, pious men attempt to push away ... ...f violence, and fundamental religious 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. Works Cited Barnhart, Clarence L. and Robert K. The World 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, inconsiderate N. Critical Survey of Poetry. Engelwood Cliffs Salem Press, 1982. Vol. 7 Torah The Five Books of Moses. Tanakh The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia Judaic Publication Society, 1985.