The Shield of Achilles : Key info
The Shield of Achilles is a notable literary work by W. H. Auden. 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 The Shield of Achilles.
Key info
Key Facts
- Writer: W. H. Auden (1907–1973)
- Original Title: The Shield of Achilles
- Source: Published in Auden’s collection The Shield of Achilles (1955)
- Written Time: Early 1950s
- Published Date: 1952 (first in Poetry magazine, later in the 1955 collection)
- Form: Narrative and descriptive poem (mixing classical and modern imagery)
- Genre: Modernist Poetry / Mythological Allegory
- Tone: Ironic, tragic, reflective
- Point of View: Third-person omniscient narrator
- Total Lines: 67 lines
- Total Parts: Three sections (alternating between Thetis’s vision and reality)
- Setting:
- Time Setting: Modern post–World War II era (reflecting moral and social decay)
- Place Setting: Mythical Greek setting merged with a modern, war-torn world