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Leda and the Swan IOC
Period 6 Matheny
Summary of the Poem
Based on a Greek mythological story of the same name
Leda is approached by the Greek god Zeus who appears in the form of a swan
The swan forces itself upon Leda and rapes her
Leda
The Swan
Important Characters
Leda
Important figure in Greek mythology
Daughter of Aetolian king Thestius
Had kids with king Tyndareus of Sparta and with Zeus
Mother of Helen of Troy, Clytemenstra, Castor, and Pollux(some of which were
demigods)
Zeus
God of the sky and thunder in ancient Greek mythology
Important Characters cont.
Agamemnon
Important figure in Greek mythology
Son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae
Commanded Greek forces in the Trojan War
He was murdered upon his return to Troy by his wife’s lover
Structure - Petrarchan Sonnet
- Popularized by Petrarch
- Italian Poet
- Renaissance
- 14 lines into two parts
- Octave
- Sestet
- A shift in tone after line 8
- Rhyme scheme typically a-b-b-a-a-b-b-a for Octave
Dominant Effect
Within “Leda and the Swan”, Yeats juxtaposes force and helpless imagery as well
as allusions to the Greek mythologies to illustrate the abusive relationship that
England had with Ireland, leading to the breakdown of Irish nationalism.
Force and Helpless Imagery
“A sudden blow: the great wings beating still” (1)
Poem opens with a description of the swan being powerful, the wings are
“great” and “beating still”
“Her nape caught in his bill” (3)
“Holds her helpless breast” (4) - The swan takes her even though she can’t do
anything to save herself, basically describing rape
“Mastered by the brute blood of air” (13)
Diction - “Mastered” “brute” “blood”
Symbolism of the Swan
In England, the swan has come to symbolize the English Crown.
The crown has ownership rights to all the mute swans.
During the ceremony of “swan-upping” --A ceremony where the swans are
rounded up then released again for sport-- the British crown can grant
royalties or permits for companies or individuals to claim a swan by
marking its bill.
English sailors would also use swans as figureheads for their ships believing
they would bring good luck.
The swan came to symbolize England, the English crown and, more importantly,
Symbolism Continued
The BBC writes “The birds are one of the largest
waterfowl in North America and Europe, weighing up
to 13kg (28lbs) and with a wingspan of up to 2.4m
(7.9ft). They are among the heaviest flying birds
in the UK.”
“Swans are powerful birds, they bite, and their beating wings can break a man’s
arm. Swans display aggression by lowering their neck, hissing, and rushing
forward. They protect their territories from strangers and other swans,
although they will tolerate ducks and smaller fowl” (The Swan).
Yeats uses the swan to represent England aggression towards Ireland to parallel
the natural behavior or swans.
Symbolism of Leda
Leda= Ireland, the Swan which symbolized the English Crown basically rapes
Leda
“Staggering girl” (2), “her nape caught in his bill” (4)
All show signs of Leda having no power
Relates to helplessness imagery
Shift in the sextet and the last two lines
“Put on his knowledge with his power/Before the indifferent beak could let
her drop?” (13-14)
Allusions to “Leda in the Swan” in Greek
mythology
Leda was seduced by the Greek god of Zeus, who
approached Leda in the form of a swan
Differs from Yeats’ poem as the swan forces itself upon
Leda in the poem
Yeats manipulates the original Greek myth to portray
the forceful nature of Zeus rather than a yielding
Leda
Yeats does so to demonstrate that England forced itself
upon Ireland rather than Ireland succumbing to
England’s attempts to take control
Allusion to Agamemnon
“And Agamemnon dead.
Being so caught up” (10)
Actively participated in the start of the Trojan War
Blames Leda
Line is split in two, showing a shift
Came home and was killed by his wife’s mistress
Agamemnon didn’t get a chance to enjoy is victory because he was
killed by Lena’s other daughter, Clytemnestra
Allusion to Trojan War
“The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.” - (10,11)
- War in Greek Mythology
- Trojan horse ---------------->
- End for ancient mythological era and the birth of modern history
- Irish revolutionary period
- Yeats uses the allusion to show how Irish felt the need to break through by
“breaking walls” and nationalize from England
Discussion Question #1
Are there any prominent tone shifts within the poem? If so, when do these shifts
occur and what is the importance of these shifts?
Discussion Question #2
Why do you think Yeats chose to use a Petrarchan sonnet but split the octet in half?
Does the break signify anything? What about the break in line 12-13?
Discussion Question #3
Why do you think Yeats compared the Irish revolutionary war to Trojan war? What
value does this have?
Discussion Question #4
How does Yeats use symbolism to enrich the meaning behind his poem?
Discussion Question #5
Which do you think is the strongest connotation used by yeats in his symbolic use of
the Swan? The greek allusion, their symbolism of the English crown, or their
aggressive nature?
Exit Slip
Write down one literary technique that’s present within this
poem
Find a quote from the poem where this literary technique is
used and write down the quote
Write two sentences describing the importance of this literary
technique and why the author uses it
Works Cited
-Cisco, Jamie. "Leda." Encyclopedia Mythica. Encyclopedia Mythica, 26 May 1999.
Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
-Dorney, John. "The Irish War of Independence – A Brief Overview."
TheIrishHistory. The Irish Story, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
-Greek Mythology. "Agamemnon." Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, n.d. Web.
07 Nov. 2016.
-"Leda." Theoi Greek Mythology. Theoi Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
-"The Swan." Order of Bards and Druids. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
- News, BBC. "Who, What, Why: How Dangerous Are Swans?" BBC News. Web.
08 Nov. 2016.
- "TROJAN WAR." History.com. A+E Networks, n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
-"Zeus." Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.