Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
By William Butler Yeats
“The Second Coming” By William Butler Yeats
2
Born in Dublin, Ireland Grew up in London Returned to Dublin at 15 to study painting Started writing: playwright, essayist, admired Percy Bysshee Shelley from Romantic Era Early poetry similar to Romantic Era-idealistic, strict rhyme scheme, rhythm, meter. “i{Red Rose, proud Rose, sad Rose of all my days!}/i{Come near me, while I sing the ancient ways:}”
3
THE SECOND COMING Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand; A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
4
Historical Context of “Second Coming”
Written 1919, published 1920 WWI Irish War for Independence
5
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand; A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds The darkness drops again but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, 9 Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? 9
6
/ / / Turning and turning in the wi de ning gyre / / / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / / / Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / / / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, / / / The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / / / The ceremony of innocence is drowned; / / / The best lack all conviction, while the worst / / / Are full of passionate intensity. / / / Surely some revelation is at hand; / / / Surely the Second Coming is at hand. Structure: 3 strong stresses per line, Rhythmic. Sounds like something shouted from a pulpit or street corner.
7
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand; A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? No pattern of stresses. Tone shifts. More uncertain.
8
THE SECOND COMING Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand; A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? Imagery Repetition
10
Trying Revelations to current events
Trying Revelations to current events? -WW1, Irish War of Independence, Russian Revolution: end of stable society. -people question who/what was good or evil -Society falls apart as people drift from founding principles. Implication
11
Makes parallels to Revelations
The Second Coming (Yeates) The Second Coming (Bible) Makes parallels to Revelations “The darkness Drops again” (18) “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed…” (5) “The shape with lion body and the head of a man” (14) The sun turned black” Rev. 6.12 “The third part of the sea became blood” Rev. 8 “And the first beast was like a lion” Rev. 4
12
What is Spritius Mundi? Spiritus Mundi Yeat’s spiritual background
The sprit of the universe. Universal storehouse of symbolic images from the past. Individuals drawing on it for images, are put in touch with the soul of the universe. Raised protestant Interested in Irish paganism Interested in the occult Participated in séances
13
( BC) Fully evacuated 1936 Revelations written: 68 A.D Hindu: BC. Vishnu in form of Narasimha
14
Grye RulerDemocracyRuler Sciencemysticism--> Science WarPeaceWar
15
Works Cited Carberg, Joan. “A Vision by William Butler Yeats.” Daedalus, vol. 103, No. 1, 1974, Schakel, Peter and Jack Ridl. 250 Poems. Bedford/ St. Martin’s Weeks, Donald. “Image and Idea in Yeats’ the Second Coming.” PMLA, vol. 63, no. 1, 1948,
Similar presentations
