Discuss Yeats As a Poet of Love with Reference to Some of His Poems.
When You Are Old 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, to various questions of When You Are Old.
Answer
Discuss Yeats as a poet of love with reference to some of his poems.
Love is an intense and deep affection for another person. W. B. Yeats (1865-1939) is considered a great love poet. His lyrical poems are based on the theme of love. As a poet of love, W B Yeats is criticized more than appreciated by several critics. Again, many renowned critics admire his poetry based on the theme of love. Yeats’s passionate love for Maud Gonne is famous all over the world.
Yeats’s Love for Maud Gonne: Yeats’s love for Maud Gonne has two phases. The first phase started after Yeats met with Maud Gonne. And the second phase is after the marriage of Maud Gonne to Major MacBride. Again, as a father, Yeats’s passionate love is also found in the poem “ A Prayer for My Daughter.”
The First Phase of Yeats’s Love: At 23, Yeats fell in love with Maud Gonne. But it was one-sided love because Maud Gonne never had any feelings for him. As an optimistic love poet, Yeats writes many poems describing the surprising beauty of Maud Gonne. In his poetry, he worships Maud Gonne as a Goddess. He also reveals that he will continue to love her for a lifetime. Yeats was overwhelmed by the beauty of Maud Gonne, but his expression of her was spiritual. It’s found in Yeats’s most celebrated poem, “When You Are Old,”
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
Yeats expresses his passionate love in many of his celebrated poems like”The Rose of the World,” “The Rose Tree,” and “When You Are Old.” In “The Sorrow of Love,” Yeats laments his sincere love for Maud Gonne.
The Second Phase of Yeats’s Love: Maud Gonne married Major MacBride in 1903. After that, Yeats’s love poetry becomes violent and aggressive. After he fails in love, Yeats ultimately becomes a critic of Maud Gonne. He writes many famous poems after he fails in love. “No Second Troy,” “A Prayer for My Daughter,” and “Among School Children” are his most renowned love poems.
Again, the poem “The Sorrow of Love” expresses Yeats’s mournful love.
Yeats’s Love for His Daughter: As a father, Yeats was not indifferent at all. He may not get Maud Gonne, but he was very careful about his daughter. He reveals his love for his daughter as a father in “A Prayer for My Daughter.” As a failure lover, he does not want his daughter to possess life elements like Maud Gonne. He says,
May she be granted beauty and yet not
Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught,
He wants a simple life so that she can be happy in her life.
Mythical Characters: Yeats often drew parallels between Maud Gonne and Helen of Troy. He emphasizes Gonne’s beauty and the chaos it caused, similar to how Helen’s beauty led to the Trojan War. In “No Second Troy,” he says about Maud Gonne,
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways,
In termination, Yeats is one of the greatest love poets in English literature. His feelings of love and his expression were really soulful. His soulful expression of love ranks him over iconic love poets like John Donne, Robert Browning, and Andrew Marvell.