William Butler Yeats 1865 - 1939

His Life Yeats was born in Ireland; his parents were of both English and Irish descent This mix of ancestry would prove to be an important element in Yeats’ life and writing Yeats father was an artist and Yeats attended art school, then turned to poetry Yeats desired to be religious, but could not concentrate his beliefs in traditional Christian doctrine; he spent his life trying to find his place in religion

In striving to come to term with his desire for religion, Yeats turned to mysticism, folklore, theosophy, spiritualism, and neoplatonism, claiming have “made a new religion, almost and infallible church of poetic tradition” Yeats moved to London in the 1890s, meeting many of the major poets of the day His writing style was very Romantic during this time and founded the Irish Literary Society theosophy - n 1. any of various religious or philosophical systems claiming to be based on or to express an intuitive insight into the divine nature 2. the system of beliefs of the Theosophical Society founded in 1875, claiming to be derived from the sacred writings of Brahmanism and Buddhism, but denying the existence of any personal God mysticism In religion, the attempt by an individual to achieve a personal union with God or with some other divine being or principle. Mystics generally practice daily meditation. spiritualism — n the belief that the disembodied spirits of the dead, surviving in another world, can communicate with the living in this world, esp through mediums Neo-Platonism or Neoplatonism — n a philosophical system which was first developed in the 3rd century ad as a synthesis of Platonic, Pythagorean, and Aristotelian elements, and which, although originally opposed to Christianity, later incorporated it. It dominated European thought until the 13th century and re-emerged during the Renaissance

Returning to Dublin, Yeats became interested in rejuvenating Irish culture; he founded the National Literary Society (for Irish writers) Yeats’ diverse heritage encouraged him to “hybridize Irish and English traditions” in his work, and he felt free to add Eastern and Asian elements, as well An introduction to the work of Friedrich Nietzche inspired him to search for a more vigorous writing style In fact, Yeats’ style progressed and changed broadly during his career; he was never content with his work or its quality

He was desperately in love with her, but she refused to marry him Yeats met Maude Gonne, a beautiful Irish actress and nationalist, in 1889 He was desperately in love with her, but she refused to marry him He wrote several poems in her honor He met Lady Gregory, a a supporter of Irish literature, in 1896 Yeats was to establish the Abbey Theater in 1904 because of Lady Gregory’s encouragement Irish nationalists wanted a free Ireland, independent from England. During the reign of George V in the early 1900s, Ireland was given political freedom that allowed for a great deal of self-government. In 1922, about 4/5ths of Ireland was granted freedom from England, while the remaining 1/5th remained under British rule. Today, the two sections of the country work together in many areas, although they are still separate political entities. Yeats and Gonne, both about 1900

Yeats longed to “bring the halves together” and find peace for the Protestants and Catholics living in conflict in Ireland Unfortunately, because of several controversies, Yeats lost influence over both parties and returned to England in bitterness The Easter Rising of 1916 brought his attention back to Ireland, and he returned at the request of Gonne (her husband had been executed as a traitor to England)

In 1922, Yeats was a senator for the Irish Free State He continued supporting the Protestant minority and also his religious studies He married Georgia Hyde Lees in 1917…she was younger, but supported his emotional needs and also helped him as he struggled to find his spiritual path – although not necessarily to a Christian end

His Work Yeats was a gifted writer with a wide range of skills and interests He was a skeptic and idealist, a lover of nature and of a cosmopolitan life He was a conservative and a radical He wrote in traditional forms: sonnets, elegies, and love poems

However, he also took those traditional forms and modified them for his own use Like many of his contemporaries, Yeats dabbled in fascism, although he soon realized how dangerous that ideology was In fact, by the end of his life, Yeats felt that the best thing to happen to the world was the “Second Coming” – the more violent forces of the Apocalypse rather than a joyful return of Christ He died shortly before the beginning of WWII