Leda and the Swan IOC Period 6 Matheny

Leda The Swan Summary of the Poem Based on a Greek mythological story of the same name Leda is approached by the Greek god Zeus who appears in the form of a swan The swan forces itself upon Leda and rapes her Leda The Swan

Important Characters Leda Important figure in Greek mythology Daughter of Aetolian king Thestius Had kids with king Tyndareus of Sparta and with Zeus Mother of Helen of Troy, Clytemenstra, Castor, and Pollux(some of which were demigods) Zeus God of the sky and thunder in ancient Greek mythology Chief of the Gods and very powerful

Important Characters cont. Agamemnon Important figure in Greek mythology Son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae Commanded Greek forces in the Trojan War He was murdered upon his return to Troy by his wife’s lover

Structure - Petrarchan Sonnet Popularized by Petrarch Italian Poet Renaissance 14 lines into two parts Octave Sestet A shift in tone after line 8 Rhyme scheme typically a-b-b-a-a-b-b-a for Octave c-d-e-c-d-e OR c-d-c-d-c-d for Sestet ABAB CDCD EFGEFG Aleksi

Dominant Effect Within “Leda and the Swan”, Yeats juxtaposes force and helpless imagery as well as allusions to the Greek mythologies to illustrate the abusive relationship that England had with Ireland, leading to the breakdown of Irish nationalism.

Force and Helpless Imagery “A sudden blow: the great wings beating still” (1) Poem opens with a description of the swan being powerful, the wings are “great” and “beating still” “Her nape caught in his bill” (3) “Holds her helpless breast” (4) - The swan takes her even though she can’t do anything to save herself, basically describing rape “Mastered by the brute blood of air” (13) Diction - “Mastered” “brute” “blood” All signify power and combing master with brute and blood imply that it was inflicted on someone, in this case Leda “Indifferent beak could let her drop?” (14)

Symbolism of the Swan In England, the swan has come to symbolize the English Crown. The crown has ownership rights to all the mute swans. During the ceremony of “swan-upping” --A ceremony where the swans are rounded up then released again for sport-- the British crown can grant royalties or permits for companies or individuals to claim a swan by marking its bill. English sailors would also use swans as figureheads for their ships believing they would bring good luck. The swan came to symbolize England, the English crown and, more importantly, English government. Yeats uses this significance of the swan to symbolize the english government forcing itself onto Ireland.

Symbolism Continued The BBC writes “The birds are one of the largest waterfowl in North America and Europe, weighing up to 13kg (28lbs) and with a wingspan of up to 2.4m (7.9ft). They are among the heaviest flying birds in the UK.” “Swans are powerful birds, they bite, and their beating wings can break a man’s arm. Swans display aggression by lowering their neck, hissing, and rushing forward. They protect their territories from strangers and other swans, although they will tolerate ducks and smaller fowl” (The Swan). Yeats uses the swan to represent England aggression towards Ireland to parallel the natural behavior or swans.

Symbolism of Leda Leda= Ireland, the Swan which symbolized the English Crown basically rapes Leda “Staggering girl” (2), “her nape caught in his bill” (4) All show signs of Leda having no power Relates to helplessness imagery Shift in the sextet and the last two lines “Put on his knowledge with his power/Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?” (13-14) Yeats basically asks if Leda let herself be caught by the Swan Did Ireland succumb to England? Leaves the reader questioning

Allusions to “Leda in the Swan” in Greek mythology Leda was seduced by the Greek god of Zeus, who approached Leda in the form of a swan Differs from Yeats’ poem as the swan forces itself upon Leda in the poem Yeats manipulates the original Greek myth to portray the forceful nature of Zeus rather than a yielding Leda Yeats does so to demonstrate that England forced itself upon Ireland rather than Ireland succumbing to England’s attempts to take control This emphasizes that Ireland was helpless and could not fight off more powerful England

Allusion to Agamemnon “And Agamemnon dead. Being so caught up” (10) Actively participated in the start of the Trojan War Blames Leda Line is split in two, showing a shift Came home and was killed by his wife’s mistress Agamemnon didn’t get a chance to enjoy is victory because he was killed by Lena’s other daughter, Clytemnestra Again placing blaming Lena

Allusion to Trojan War “The broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemnon dead.” - (10,11) War in Greek Mythology Trojan horse ----------------> End for ancient mythological era and the birth of modern history Irish revolutionary period Yeats uses the allusion to show how Irish felt the need to break through by “breaking walls” and nationalize from England Aleksi

Discussion Question #1 Are there any prominent tone shifts within the poem? If so, when do these shifts occur and what is the importance of these shifts?

Discussion Question #2 Why do you think Yeats chose to use a Petrarchan sonnet but split the octet in half? Does the break signify anything? What about the break in line 12-13?

Discussion Question #3 Why do you think Yeats compared the Irish revolutionary war to Trojan war? What value does this have?

Discussion Question #4 How does Yeats use symbolism to enrich the meaning behind his poem?

Discussion Question #5 Which do you think is the strongest connotation used by yeats in his symbolic use of the Swan? The greek allusion, their symbolism of the English crown, or their aggressive nature?

Exit Slip Write down one literary technique that’s present within this poem Find a quote from the poem where this literary technique is used and write down the quote Write two sentences describing the importance of this literary technique and why the author uses it

Works Cited -Cisco, Jamie. "Leda." Encyclopedia Mythica. Encyclopedia Mythica, 26 May 1999. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. -Dorney, John. "The Irish War of Independence – A Brief Overview." TheIrishHistory. The Irish Story, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2016. -Greek Mythology. "Agamemnon." Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016. -"Leda." Theoi Greek Mythology. Theoi Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. -"The Swan." Order of Bards and Druids. Web. 07 Nov. 2016. - News, BBC. "Who, What, Why: How Dangerous Are Swans?" BBC News. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. - "TROJAN WAR." History.com. A+E Networks, n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2016. -"Zeus." Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.