Byzantium : Literary devices
Byzantium is a notable literary work by William Butler Yeats. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Byzantium.
Literary devices
Figures of Speech:
- Imagery: The poet uses words to make us see things clearly, like the night sky and the magical world of Byzantium.
- Symbolism: The poet uses things like the bird or the Emperor’s pavement to show ideas like immortality and art.
- Metaphor: The poet compares life and death to each other, showing how they are connected in a deeper, spiritual way.
- Personification: The poet talks about a mouth without life as if it is a living thing, to show the idea of life and death blending.
Symbols:
- Byzantium – Symbol of a perfect spiritual world.
- The Emperor – Symbol of authority and timeless power.
- Golden Bird – Symbol of immortality and art.
- Flames – Symbol of purification and spiritual transformation.
- Dolphin – Symbol of the journey between life and death.
- Blood and mire – Symbol of human life’s struggles and chaos.
- Gong – Symbol of time and the call to spiritual awakening.
- Marble floor – Symbol of stability in the spiritual realm.
Moral Lesson:
- Man can transcend physical life through spirituality.