Wiliam Butler Yeats 1865-1939
life
works
involved in the nationalist cause.
1922 became senator in Irish free State
born in dublin, by protestant parents.
middle period: more modern and flexible, more symbolism; "In the seven woods" and "The green helmet and other poems"
later period: maturity and intensity
early period: romantic and decadent atmosphere
themes
tradition and Irish nationalism
beliefs
occultism: he joined a mistical society studying:
symbolism: "great memory"
the role of artist
Easter 1916
initial distance
written after the Easter rising in Dublin
passionate about Celtic tradition, especially the themes of mystical and occult.
1899: founded the Abby theatre in Dublin
1923 won the nobel price
"The Wind among the reeds"
"The Rose"
death
beauty and eternity of art
heroic individual, that enters a mythical world
he must create new culture, based on national loyalty and history
magic
esoteric symbols (the gyre)
buddism
a collective unconscious where symbols have a visionary dimension.
conflict captured by a political reluctant poet
turns into involvement after British reaction
style
rhyming scheme ABAB
thecniques: metaphors, oximorons, irony