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Leda and the Swan

POEM TEXT THEMES

1 A sudden blow: the great wings beating still SEX AND VIOLENCE
2 Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed "Leda and the Swan" depicts an act of rape. The
3 By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, poem’s graphic imagery leaves no doubt that Zeus, in
4 He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. the form of a swan, violently assaults Leda. At the same time,
however, the poem seems to revel in sensuality even as it lays
5 How can those terrified vague fingers push bare the brutality of Leda’s rape and its equally brutal
6 The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? consequence—the Trojan War. This ambiguous depiction of
sexual violence is a central tension of the poem, and it is left
7 And how can body, laid in that white rush,
unresolved. The poem neither condemns nor approves of
8 But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
Leda’s rape, but seeks instead to capture the complexity of the
moment in light of its enormous mythological significance.
9 A shudder in the loins engenders there
From the opening phrase, “A sudden blow,” it’s clear that the
10 The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
god Zeus is violating the human Leda. Words such as
11 And Agamemnon dead.
“staggering girl,” “helpless,” and “terrified” clearly articulate that
12 Being so caught up, Leda is taken by force. The fact that her thighs “loosen”
13 So mastered by the brute blood of the air, indicates that, at first, they were clamped together, and she
14 Did she put on his knowledge with his power tries (but fails) to “push” Zeus away. The poem thus reflects
15 Before the indifferent beak could let her drop? Leda’s initial panic, confusion, and resistance upon being
attacked, which in turn draws attention to her fragility. A human
woman has no chance, the poem implies, against a god’s
“feathered glory” and “white rush”—all she has are “terrified
SUMMARY vague fingers” and a “helpless breast.”

The god Zeus, in the form of a swan, suddenly attacks Leda, Despite the clear violence here, the speaker also lends the
striking her with his enormous wings. She stumbles as he looms encounter a (controversial) sensuality. Words and phrases like
above her, his webbed feet grabbing hold of her thighs while his “thighs, “caressed,” “nape,” “holds her … breast” and, later,
bill latches on to her neck. She is overpowered, upright only “feathered glory” and “shudder in the loins” all lend a sensual
because Zeus is holding her up, pressing their bodies close urgency to the poem’s depiction of this union. What’s more,
together as he assaults her. Leda’s fingers pushing Zeus away are described as “vague,” her
thighs eventually “loosen,” and the speaker even suggests that
Is there any way Leda's terrified, disoriented fingers could her body (or any body) cannot help but “feel the strange heart”
prevent the god from parting her thighs and raping her? How
of Zeus.
could she, overwhelmed by this blur of white feathers, keep
from feeling the alien heartbeat of her attacker, pressed against All of these details suggest that eventually Leda may not have
her own? simply surrendered to but even enjoyed the sex. This is
troubling from a modern perspective but perhaps not
The swan Zeus ejaculates into Leda's womb, and conceives the
surprising given the era in which the poem was written (1920s)
child, Helen, who will grow up to shape mythological history by
or the era in which the poem takes place (ancient Greece).
causing the fall of Troy and the death of the Greek king
Agamemnon. Was Leda too overwhelmed, too overpowered by The poem’s description of Leda’s reaction to her rape then
her godly assailant, to realize the significance of this moment? culminates in the end of the sexual act, which results in
Or did she possibly gain access to Zeus's godly foresight before impregnation: “A shudder in the loins engenders there / The
he callously let go and let her fall? broken wall, the burning roof, and tower.” Here the poem’s
scope opens up dramatically, from Leda’s body to the wider
world, moving abruptly from the rape itself to its
consequences—that is, the eventual fall of Troy. Now, the poem
reveals its real concerns: not with the rape itself, but with what
that rape will achieve on a mythological scale. This moment also

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thus offers what is perhaps the poem’s clearest take on sex and to draw their own conclusions. This is emphasized by the fact
violence: that violence begets more violence, which is that the “body” in line 7 is assigned no pronouns:
emphasized by the callous way Zeus treats Leda at the end of
her rape, when his “indifferent beak” simply “let[s] her drop.” And how can body, laid in that white rush,
Ultimately, the ambiguous depiction of Leda’s rape suggests But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
that it cannot be understood as an act of sexual violence alone.
Rather, it is a tipping point in history, and at such a scale—the This could be Leda’s body, or Zeus’s body, or even any body. In
immense playing field of history, legacy, myth, and this moment, the poem pushes the reader to pose the
literature—only cause and effect can be traced, not right or rhetorical questions directly of themselves, and take the
wrong. The moral quandary of Leda’s body being violated is not measure their own free will against the immense forces of fate
the poem’s most pressing concern. Nevertheless, the speaker’s and history.
attention to Leda’s panic and fear are important; the speaker The suggestion in this stanza that Leda eventually consents to
does not paper over the harm Zeus has caused, but instead Zeus does not square with readers’ modern understanding of
contextualizes that harm within the larger scope of mythology sexual assault. However, it’s important to note that regardless
and history. of whether she eventually consents, the poem overall makes
clear that Leda has no control over the situation. The poem
Where this theme appears in the poem: therefore suggests that no matter how human beings react to
the forces dictating their fates, those forces are still immensely
• Lines 1-15
more powerful than human free will.
The poem's most explicit depiction of fate takes place in the
FATE AND FREE WILL final stanza, at the moment of conception. Zeus’s loins literally
To what degree do human beings have control over plant the seeds of myth and history, and Leda, described as
their destinies? In ancient times, there was no doubt “caught up” and “mastered,” is powerless against the enormous
that the gods held ultimate power over human beings. “Leda forces of divinity and fate having their way with her body.
and the Swan” depicts this reality in no uncertain terms: Leda’s That said, even as this moment serves as a reminder of Leda’s
body and fate are at Zeus’s mercy. Nevertheless, the poem also powerlessness, it also affirms her significance. Her body is
suggests that humans possess enough free will to at least literally where the conception occurs, and metaphorically
question their fates. where all the historical action comes to fruition. Zeus may be in
Furthermore, by posing such questions directly of the reader, control of her fate, but he needs Leda as the vessel.
the poem speaks to more than just this specific Greek myth. It Importantly, the last two lines of the poem then consider the
suggests that all human beings are subject to forces beyond degree to which Leda comprehends what is happening to her.
their control—and meditates on whether human beings are The speaker wonders aloud whether Leda was granted
capable of understanding their place in the grand scheme of momentary godly insight into the bigger picture of her
destiny and history. assault—or if she was left in the dark, simply a cog in the wheel
From the start, by depicting an act of rape, the poem raises of history. This is posed as another rhetorical question, again
questions related to power and agency. Importantly, however, asking the reader to draw their own conclusions about whether
Zeus holds the power in this poem not because he is Leda’s a human being can understand their fate. While the poem
rapist but because he is a god. Rape therefore takes on clearly asserts that humans are powerless to resist fate, this
metaphorical significance, in which Leda’s assault is conclusion suggests that they at least have the potential to
transformed into a symbol of the fate versus free will debate. grasp the greater meaning of their existence.
In this poem, fate wins: Zeus easily overpowers Leda. What's
more, readers familiar with the myth will know that Leda is no Where this theme appears in the poem:
ordinary human, but a queen in her own right. By referring to • Lines 1-15
her merely as a “girl,” the poem emphasizes her frailty. Between
a god and a queen, the god still holds all the power, suggesting
that all human beings are ultimately subject to the tides of HISTORY AND TRANSFORMATION
history, fate, destiny, and change. The clearest thesis of “Leda and the Swan” is that a
As Leda's rape continues, the second stanza is then composed single moment can reverberate throughout the
of two rhetorical questions
questions, both of which essentially ask to entirety of history. Yeats famously believed that history was a
what degree Leda has any free will within this situation. By series of interlocking and repeating patterns—he thought of
leaving both questions unanswered, the poem asks the reader them as “gyres,” which spiraled toward significant moments

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that triggered immense change. The significant moment of the
poem is of course Zeus’s rape of Leda, which, according to • Lines 9-15
myth, led to the Trojan War and the Golden Age of Greece—a
modern age of art, literature, and democracy. The poem treats
this significant moment between Leda and Zeus as a LINE-BY
LINE-BY-LINE
-LINE ANAL
ANALYSIS
YSIS
mythological and historical tipping point.
Of course, the poem makes clear that the thing that set this all LINES 1-2
in motion was an act of sexual violation, and that this violence, A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
in turn, led to more terribly violent events before that Golden Above the staggering girl,
Age emerged. The poem thus also implies that sweeping
The poem begins in medias res (in the middle of the action), at
historical transformation is often tied to moments of violation
the very moment that the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, has
and violence.
swooped down and hit Leda, a human woman and ancient
Accordingly, the poem is also often read as an allusion to the Greek queen, with his enormous wings. As a result, Leda,
dawn of Christianity, as well as a reference to the Irish War for described here as a "girl," stumbles, trying but failing to find her
Independence and Irish Civil War, which took place during the balance in the midst of this ambush.
years when Yeats was writing “Leda and the Swan.”
Immediately, these lines establish the perspective of the
Indeed, to any reader versed in the Western canon, which speaker as very close to Leda's own. The first three words place
Yeats certainly was, the poem’s close attention to Leda’s the reader squarely within Leda's shock: she did not see the
experience also calls to mind another woman’s experience with swan coming, and neither does the speaker or readers. This is
divine conception—Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Yeats further emphasized by the speaker's description of Leda as
himself wrote in his book A Vision that he saw Leda’s rape as "staggering." She has not only been caught off guard but also
analogous with the Annunciation—the moment when the angel violently struck, and is therefore reeling from this attack, barely
Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive a child by God. Likewise, able to remain on her feet.
just like Leda’s children, especially Helen, have a transformative
Meanwhile, the description of Zeus's "great wings beating ...
effect on Greek history, there’s no question that Mary’s son
above" suggests that even in the form of a swan, the god is both
Jesus and the rise of Christianity had a transformative effect on
larger and more powerful than Leda, and certainly larger and
global history, including Yeats’s own country of Ireland.
more powerful than an ordinary swan would be. Other than the
Last but not least, many readers have interpreted the poem as image of the powerful swan beating its wings overhead,
an allusion to colonial relationship between Great Britain and however, these lines reveal very little else about what's going
Ireland, and more specifically to the Irish War for on here. Again, this emphasizes how close the speaker is to
Independence. In this reading, Zeus represents not just the Leda's own perspective. She's confused and overwhelmed by
powerful forces of fate and history but the colonial power of what is happening to her, so the speaker (and readers) are also
England, which fully conquered Ireland in the 1500s, leading to disoriented.
famine, oppression, and violence—a kind of metaphorical rape,
These opening lines also introduce the poem's straightforward
in the poem’s terms.
diction
diction. The language is plainspoken, almost blunt, making clear
Between 1916 and 1922, however, pro-Irish forces staged a what is happening here—a swan violently attacking a human
rebellion that resulted in an Irish Free State (in which Yeats woman. The meter here, on the other hand, is a bit unusual. The
served two terms as a senator). Nevertheless, Ireland still poem seems at times to be in iambic pentameter (meaning
technically remained under English control. Then, between there are fie poetic feet, each with a da DUM stress pattern,
1922 and 1924, when Yeats was writing “Leda and the Swan,” per line)—the first indication that this poem is a sonnet
sonnet, a
Civil War broke out, resulting in the split between independent traditional poetic form dating back to Petrarch and
Ireland and a Northern Irish state that remained part of the Shakespeare:
United Kingdom.
This was an immense turning point in the history of Ireland and A sud
sud- | den blow
blow: | the great | wings beat
beat- | ing still
England, and the beginning of a new era for Ireland. Thus, just Abo
bovve | the stag
stag- | gering girl,
as Zeus’s rape “engenders” the rise of the Greek Golden Age,
the English domination of Ireland eventually gave rise to Irish However, the poem isn't consistent even from the start. The
independence. This could not take place without violence, fourth foot of the first line ("wings
wings beat
beat-") is a spondee
spondee, a foot
however, which the poem also vividly reflects. consisting of two stressed beats in a row; as a result, there are
three stresses when describing Zeus's wings (great great wings
Where this theme appears in the poem: beat
beat), which evokes the force and intensity of this action. The

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third foot of the second line, meanwhile, is an anapest (two how powerless Leda is in this situation—she can barely hold
unstressed beats followed by a stressed beat, "-gering herself up, let alone fight back.
girl
girl")—another break in the meter that perhaps reflects Leda's Lastly, lines 2-4 establish the poem's rhrhyme
yme scheme
scheme. "Still" from
own stumbling confusion. By breaking the rules right at the line 1 rhymes with "bill" from line 3, and likewise "caressed" and
start, Yeats makes clear that the poem's form mirrors its "breast," though an imperfect slant rh rhyme
yme, match as well. Thus,
provocative subject matter. like most sonnets
sonnets, this first stanza of "Leda and the Swan"
LINES 2-4 follows an abab end rhrhyme
yme scheme, in which the last word of
every other line rhymes with each other. Furthermore, these
her thighs caressed lines continue to mostly use the traditional iambic pentameter,
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, though it does deviate in line3:
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
Next, the speaker goes into detail about exactly how Zeus, as a By the | dark webs, | her nape | caught in | his bill
bill,
swan, is assaulting Leda. The imagery is vivid but strange: the He holds | her help
help- | less breast | upon
pon | his breast
breast.
"dark webs" of the bird's feet are directly contrasted with
Leda's human thighs, the vulnerable "nape" of Leda's neck is The spondee of "dark
dark webs
webs" and trochee of "caught
caught in" 3 draw
trapped by the swan's "bill." It's similar to the image of grabbing readers' attention to the graphic imagery of the swan's attack.
a dog by the scruff of its neck—except that in this case, the
animal is doing the grabbing, while the human is being LINES 5-6
overpowered. How can those terrified vague fingers push
It's important to note here that Yeats is relying upon readers to The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
have the same familiarity with Greek myth that he does. The next stanza opens with an important question: is it at all
Though Zeus is never named, by titling the poem "Leda and the possible for Leda, whose fingers are described as "terrified" and
Swan" Yeats alludes directly to the famous myth, and assumes "vague," to fend off Zeus and his "feathered glory" as he
his readers will know the story, as well as the fact that the attempts to rape her?
Greek god Zeus had a habit of transforming himself into all The poem offers a number of ways to interpret these lines. The
kinds of things—animals, women's husbands, a shower of gold fact that Leda's thighs are "loosening" indicates that they were
coins—in order to have sex with the humans he desired. initially clamped together, and therefore that she was
These lines also make very clear that Zeus is doing more than attempting to resist her rapist. The same could be said for the
just grabbing hold of Leda—he is sexually assaulting her. The suggestion that her fingers could potentially "push" away her
use of the word "caressed" in line 2 is both eloquent and attacker.
troubling. With this one verb, the speaker signals that Zeus-as- However, the use of the word "vague" to describe Leda's
swan has sexual intentions, and that those intentions can be fingers has long troubled some readers, who see that adjective
understood by readers as erotic or sexy. This is not how most as less than forceful, and potentially indicative of Leda's
modern readers would describe rape, and, indeed, as the poem decision to give in to the rape, or even her eventual consent.
itself acknowledges, "caressed" is also likely not the word Leda The idea that a woman might not have been raped entirely
would use to describe this experience. Therefore, this is the against her will is frankly offensive to many modern readers,
poem's first indication that the speaker does have some but it was (unfortunately) not seen that way during the 1920s
distance from both Leda and the situation. This remove tells when Yeats was writing or the ancient Greek age when "Leda
readers that, ultimately, the speaker is not concerned with the and the Swan" is set and when the myth originated.
morality of what's going on, just with capturing the precise
details and deeper meaning of Zeus and Leda's encounter. Regardless of whether readers choose to read that adjective as
a sign of Leda's capitulation or consent, it's important to
Line 4 serves a conclusion to what the speaker has witnessed contextualize her actions within the opening words of line 5:
thus far. It not only marks the end of the poem's first stanza, it's "How can ... ?" Even the speaker here appears to be grasping at
also the end of one long run-on sentence. The poem's use of straws, searching for an answer, unsure how anyone, let alone a
enjambment has rushed readers on from one line to the next, "terrified" girl, might fight off a god. Likewise, the contrast
mimicking Leda's panic and confusion. Here, in the final line, between Leda's "terrified vague fingers" and Zeus's "feathered
this rush of confusion comes to a close, as the speaker glory" sets up a clear power differential. ("Feathered glory," it
describes exactly where Zeus and Leda stand now that the should be noted, is a euphemistic way of describing the swan's
assault is fully underway: Zeus, the god in the form of a swan, is penis as it penetrates Leda.) No matter whether Leda is giving
clutching the human Leda close to his chest. This image of two in here or fighting back, she doesn't stand a chance against
bodies pressed together by force is another reminder that this Zeus.
is an act of rape. Furthermore, the word "helpless" emphasizes

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Last but not least, it's important that this question is posed as a likely to be overwhelmed (and potentially even excited) by the
rhetorical question
question. For starters, this device is a powerful way to sweeping tides of fate and history that shape their lives.
express the hopelessness of Leda's situation. By presenting Speaking of heartbeats, lines 7-8 are also written in loose
Leda's plight in the form of a question that, in truth, needs no iambic pentameter (there's another spondee in the third foot).
answer, the poem emphasizes just how futile this situation The fact that Yeats maintains this meter in a line explicitly
really is. Is it really possible that Leda has any free will in this referencing a beating heart may be a subtle poetic nod to the
situation orchestrated by an all-powerful deity? No. It is not. belief that iambic pentameter resembles the rhythm of a
On the other hand, by asking readers directly what they think human heartbeat:
about Leda's situation, these lines mark a crucial evolution in
the relationship between the speaker and readers of the poem. But feel | the str
strange
ange | heart beat
beat- | ing where | it lies
lies?
Technically, the speaker is leaving it up to readers to decide
what the answer is. This rhetorical device subtly places readers Finally, these lines rhyme with the two other lines in the stanza,
in Leda's shoes, prompting them to ask the same question of pairing "push" with "rush" (a slant rh
rhyme
yme) and "thighs" with
themselves. Do they, fellow human beings, just like Leda, have "lies." At this point in the poem, therefore, the rhyme scheme
any free will in a world full of forces beyond their control? has followed abab cdcd in the first and second stanzas, which is
Humans today (or in Yeats's era) may not be concerned about typical of a Shakespearean sonnet
sonnet.
mythological Greek gods like Zeus, but they are certainly
subject to the tides of history and time and change, as well as LINES 9-11
more ambiguous forces like destiny and fate, and, for some, A shudder in the loins engenders there
God. The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.
LINES 7-8
The third stanza opens abruptly, transitioning from Leda's
And how can body, laid in that white rush, reaction to being raped to the exact moment when she is
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? impregnated. Described as a "shudder in the loins," this image is
Lines 7-8 ask an even more peculiar rhetorical question
question: "And an explicit reference to orgasm or ejaculation, which in turn
how can body, laid in that white rush, / But feel the strange "engenders"—in other words, begets, or produces—a number of
heart beating where it lies?" The first unusual aspect to note consequences, not just for Leda but for the world as a whole.
here is the lack of pronoun associated with the word "body." First among these consequences is the conception of baby
Whose body is this, exactly? Likewise, in the next line, whose Helen, who grows up to become the infamous Helen of Troy.
"strange heart" is beating? The speaker, however, skips right over Helen and her birth, and
Because the speaker goes on to describe the body as "laid in goes straight into describing the legacy that she (and thus her
that white rush," the most straightforward reading suggests parents, Zeus and Leda) leave behind.
that this is Leda's body, pressed against a blur of white feathers This legacy is captured by the images of lines 10 and 11, "The
as the swan assaults her. By that same logic, the "strange heart" broken wall, the burning roof and tower / And Agamemnon
likely belongs to her rapist, Zeus, who is doubly strange to her, dead." For Yeats, as for any readers well-versed in the Western
both god and animal. In short, this reading suggests that it is canon, including The Illiad
Illiad, Homer's epic poem, these images
Leda who cannot help but feel the heart beating against her instantly call to mind the Trojan War. This conflict between the
own body which has been pressed against Zeus's feathers. Greeks and the Trojans was fought over Helen of Troy, who was
Nevertheless, by deliberately obscuring who the "body" married to a Greek king before being abducted by a Trojan
belongs to, the speaker of the poem elides Leda's presence and prince, and ended in the city of Troy being conquered and
once again encourages readers to put themselves in her shoes burned to the ground. Her brother-in-law, king and commander
and ask this same question of themselves. It's a difficult Agamemnon, survived the war, and returned home to Greece
question, raising complex issues of fate, free will, power, and victorious—only to be murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra,
agency. Fittingly, it is complexly crafted as well, evoking Helen's sister and Leda's other daughter.
confusion and disorientation while also using sensual imagery This is the moment in the poem where it becomes clear why the
that makes this moment seem mysterious and exciting, even speaker is paying such close attention to Leda's rape. The
arousing. All together, the speaker is implicitly asking readers: speaker's interest, in turns out, does not have much to do with
could they help but be drawn to this magnetic, alluring how Leda feels about this experience. After all, in these lines,
heartbeat? Would they be able to resist the forces that act she barely merits a mention, described only as "there," the
upon their lives? womb in which Zeus begets Helen and history.
Once again, like the question in lines 5-6, the implied answer is Instead, in this moment, the speaker calls readers' attention to
no. Human beings, like Leda, are largely powerless. They are as

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the immense impact of this sexual encounter, not just for Leda Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
but for Greek history, and indeed modern history as a whole. The last two lines of the poem conclude with one final
The era that followed the Trojan War (a mythological event, rhetorical question
question, perhaps the most probing yet, getting to
though whether a war of some kind really occurred is the the heart of the poem's concerns. Continuing the description
subject of historical debate) is often considered the Golden from lines 12-13 of an overpowered Leda assaulted in mid-air
Age of Greece, and laid the foundation for the evolution of by the swan/god Zeus, the speaker wonders in line 14, "Did she
European history as it is known today. put on his knowledge with his power ... ?"
As befits such a momentous part of the poem, these lines mark In other words, the speaker here is wondering if it's possible
the beginning of an important formal shift. Sonnets are known that, by having sex with a god, Leda may have been given access
for ending on a volta: a twist or turn in the sonnet's argument to the god's supernatural power. This includes "his knowledge"
or focus. In this sonnet, the volta can be seen not only in the of what lies ahead—including all of the epic consequences of
poem's sudden shift in focus, moving from a blow-by-blow their union.
rendition of Leda's rape to the much broader subject of the
If so, then potentially Leda is granted a glimmer of
Trojan War and the dawn of a new historical era, but also in the
understanding into her rape and her role within the larger
form itself. Line 11 undergoes a the visual interruption,
context of Greek history, and may have a sense of her own
suddenly stopping short after Agamemon's death, leaving it half
significance on the historical stage, even as an ordinary human.
the length of the other lines in the poem. Clearly, Yeats wanted
In short, she may know that the swan raping her is Zeus, and
to draw attention to this important moment in the poem; and
may realize that she has just conceived a child with him who will
tellingly, the meter of the poem also becomes very erratic at
grow up to change the world.
this stage.
Or, she may not. Line 15 abruptly reverses this possibility,
LINES 12-13 reminding readers that once Zeus has impregnated Leda, his
Being so caught up, "indifferent beak" (another synecdoche
synecdoche) then "let[s] her drop"
So mastered by the brute blood of the air, to the ground. Therefore, it's also possible that the rape
Lines 12 and 13 pick up where line 11 cut off, concluding the happened so fast and was so terrifying and confusing that
volta, or shift, in the sonnet
sonnet. Indented so that it creates a visual before Leda could begin to understand what was going on, it
connection to line 11, but nevertheless a new line, line 12 was over.
moves back to the scene that has held the speaker and readers' One thing is clear: Zeus does not care either way. As soon as he
attention throughout the rest of the poem: Leda's rape by Zeus. has completed his godly mission to sow the seeds of history, he
By opening with the word "Being," there is a confusing moment lets Leda fall to the ground. He is not even cruel, the speaker
when it is not clear whether the speaker is using the noun and suggests, simply "indifferent." As a god, his priorities are on
referring to a human being, or using the gerund of the verb "to another plane entirely.
be." (The latter turns out to be the case.) Once again, this But the poem is more interested in humanity than divinity. Yet
disorientation mimics Leda's own experience, which is then again, because the speaker has posed this question rhetorically,
described as "so caught up, / So mastered by the brute blood of the interpretation of these closing lines is left in readers' hands.
the air ..." In other words, she remains overpowered, under the Once more, the poem asks readers to widen the scope of this
control of the god Zeus and his mission to sow the seeds of question, and apply it to their own lives. Is it possible for human
myth and history. beings to understand the forces that influence their lives? Can
The poem returns to consistency in these lines. Zeus is once people gain glimmers of insight into fate and destiny; are they
again referred to using synecdoche
synecdoche, his "brute blood" standing capable of understanding their significance or purpose on the
in for the entirety of his godly force, coupled with a reminder historical stage? Or are we all just cogs in the wheel of time,
that he is "of the air" in the form of a swan. The alliter
alliteration
ation of ignorant of the sweeping tides that change and shape our lives?
"b
brute blood" draws further emphasis to the phrase. The Unlike the rhetorical questions that have come before, this one
implication here is also that the assault, though briefly is truly left open-ended, without the speaker suggesting one
punctuated by the moment of conception, is still going on, with answer over another. This openness affirms the universality of
Zeus holding Leda up in the air. This echoes the earlier imagery the question, rendering these lines and the poem as a whole a
of the first stanza, in which Leda was "caught" in the swan's bill, meditation not just on Leda and the swan, but on all people and
before being described as "helpless" and held upon Zeus's all eras.
"breast."

LINES 14-15
Did she put on his knowledge with his power

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the poem. Introduced as a mere "staggering girl," from that
SYMBOLS point on, she, like the swan, is primarily described using
synecdoche
synecdoche. Fragments of Leda's body—"her thighs," "her nape,"
THE SWAN "her helpless breast," her "terrified vague fingers" and
"loosening thighs"—become representative of the woman as a
The swan in "Leda and the Swan" is no ordinary bird.
whole. Line 9 simply reduces Leda to her womb, referring to
It is actually the Greek god Zeus, king of the
her not even as a human being but as as "there"—the spot in
Olympian gods, who has transformed himself into the form of a
which the god Zeus has planted the seeds of history.
swan in order to impregnate Leda. As befits his godly position,
Zeus is the power player in the poem, his attack setting into Leda as woman, Leda as queen, Leda as mother, all fade into the
motion Leda's pregnancy, the birth of Helen, and the war that background in contrast with all the things her body is being
leads to the fall of Troy and rise of modern Greek history. But used to accomplish—"the broken wall, the burning roof and
rather than referring explicitly to Zeus the god, Yeats tower / And Agamemnon dead." As a result, despite giving
consistently depicts him in his symbolic swan form, which readers insight into Leda's terror, the poem makes it easy to
highlights his animalistic nature as he relies on violence and read her as symbolic of other things.
violation in order to achieve his ends. For starters, Yeats himself drew comparisons between Leda
Relatedly, because the speaker of the poem hews so closely to and the Virgin Mary, both of whom were human women who
Leda's human perspective, the glimpses readers get of the swan conceived babies by divine power, and bore children who grew
are fragmented and disorienting. These include the swan's up to alter history and usher in new eras of transformation. But
"great wings," "dark webs," "bill," "feathered glory," "white rush," Leda has also been read as symbolic of the country of Ireland,
"loins," "brute blood," and "indifferent beak." This use of colonized by its more-powerful neighbor, England. These
synecdoche
synecdoche—in which a part of the swan represents the bird as readings are rendered more complex when considering that
a whole—adds to the sense that the swan represents some have read Leda's actions in the second stanza as
something so immense, so all-powerful, that no one description indicative of her eventual consent, prompting questions about
can capture its entirety. how Yeats viewed Ireland's own role in its subjugation and
colonization.
Accordingly, the swan has been interpreted as a symbol for
many things besides the god Zeus himself. Drawing parallels
between Zeus's rape of Leda and the Christian Annunciation, Where this symbol appears in the poem:
some have read the swan as symbolic of God or the Holy Spirit, • Line 2: “the staggering girl,” “her thighs caressed”
whose child conceived upon the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, • Line 3: “her nape caught”
changes the path of history. Still others have interpreted the • Line 4: “her helpless breast”
swan as a symbol for England, the colonial power that • Line 5: “terrified vague fingers”
dominated Yeats's native country of Ireland for centuries. • Line 6: “loosening thighs”
Regardless, in its broadest meaning, the swan can be • Line 7: “body”
understood as symbolic of fate, destiny, history or change—any • Line 9: “there”
of the powerful forces that impact human lives. • Lines 14-15: “Did she put on his knowledge with his
power / Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?”
Where this symbol appears in the poem:
• Line 1: “the great wings beating” THE TROJAN WAR
• Lines 2-3: “her thighs caressed / , her nape / ,” Synecdoche is again the primary poetic device used
• Line 3: “By the dark webs,” “caught in his bill” in this symbol. Though the poem contains no explicit
• Line 6: “The feathered glory” mention of Troy or the Trojan War, the individual images of the
• Line 7: “laid in that white rush,”
"broken wall, the burning roof and tower / and Agamemnon
• Line 8: “the strange heart beating”
dead" in lines 10 and 11 are obvious references to this
• Line 9: “A shudder in the loins engenders”
cataclysmic event in Greek mythology, which some believe may
• Line 13: “brute blood”
have been partially based in historical fact.
• Line 14: “his knowledge with his power”
• Line 15: “the indifferent beak” Together, Yeats uses these three striking images as symbols of
the Trojan War, and in turn, uses the Trojan War as a whole as a
symbol for a pivotal moment in ancient Greek history. This
LEDA moment, as he saw it, set the stage for the dawn of the Greek
Apart from the title, Leda goes unnamed throughout Golden Age, and the era of modern European history that
followed.

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Therefore, this reference to the Trojan War can also be
understood as a larger symbol of history and transformation. • Line 10: “broken,” “burning”
Yeats believed that history was composed of a series of cycles, • Line 12: “Being”
and that it was possible to identify the turning points that • Line 13: “brute blood”
triggered each new and transformative era. Every era, in other • Line 15: “Before,” “beak”
words, has its own Trojan War; and "Leda and the Swan" has
often been read as symbolic of the dawn of Christianity and the ALLUSION
Irish Civil War, with "the broken wall, the burning roof and The entire poem, as made clear by the title "Leda and the Swan,"
tower / and Agamemnon dead" coming to represent the is an allusion to Greek myth, and the many other works of art
cataclysmic violence necessary for each era to achieve that reference the story.
transformation.
In brief, the story goes that the king of the gods, Zeus,
transformed himself into a swan in order to impregnate Leda.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:
(Some versions describe this union as seduction; others, like
• Lines 10-11: “The broken wall, the burning roof and Yeats, as rape.) In some versions, Leda then gave birth to two
tower / And Agamemnon dead.” eggs, out of which hatched four children, the warrior twins
Castor and Pollux, and the sisters Helen and Clytemnestra.
Pollux and Helen were said to be the children of Zeus, while
POETIC DEVICES Castor and Clytemnestra were the children of Leda's human
husband.
ALLITERATION There are many myths told about each of these four children,
Alliter
Alliteration
ation is most evident in the first stanza of the poem, but the important one for the purposes of this poem is about
where the successive uses of the same sounds helps to convey Helen. She was married to a Greek king when a Trojan prince
the frenzy and panic of Zeus's attack on Leda. In particular, the fell wildly in love with her. He stole her away to Troy (some say
repetitive /h/ and /b/ sounds in the final line, "H
He holds her she went willingly), leading to a decade-long war between the
helpless breast upon his breast," helps to emphasize the firm Greeks and the Trojans, best known to literature through
grasp that Zeus has on Leda. Just like he has dominated her, the Homer's epic poem The IliadIliad. By the war's conclusion, Troy had
alliteration dominates the line. been conquered by the Greeks, its walls breached by the
infamous Trojan Horse before being burned to the ground.
The second stanza also uses alliteration to significant effect,
linking together two body parts in conflict, Leda's "fingers" and As it turns out, Leda's other daughter and Helen's sister,
Zeus's "feathered glory," through the use of the /f/ sound. Clytemnestra, had also married a Greek king—the powerful
Followed-up by "feel" in line 8, each of these words tracks military commander Agamemnon, who happened to be the
Leda's capitulation, which is then echoed by the alliterative link brother of Helen's first husband. (In other words, he was
between "b body" and "b
beating." The suggestion that Leda cannot Helen's brother-in-law twice over.) Though he was among the
help but feel Zeus's heartbeat is brought vividly to life by the victorious Greeks who got revenge against Helen and the
alliterative /b/ sounds that themselves suggest a heartbeat. Trojans, Agamemnon did not have much time to gloat over his
victory. As soon as he returned home from the war, he was
Last but not least, the third stanza comes back to /b/ sounds in
murdered by his wife Clytemnestra.
"b
broken" and "bburning"—tying together the separate images
that make up the fall of Troy, and linking them to the "b
brute All of this mythology is implicitly referenced through Yeats's
blood" that courses through Zeus's veins and plays a vital role poem, especially the instigating event of this mythological
in bringing that event to life. epic—the sexual encounter between Leda and Zeus. Apart from
the title, the most explicit allusions to the myth are the many
descriptions of the swan, and the references in lines 10-11 to
Where Alliter
Alliteration
ation appears in the poem:
the conquered city of Troy and the death of Agamemnon.
• Line 1: “sudden blow,” “beating still”
• Line 2: “staggering” Where Allusion appears in the poem:
• Line 3: “By,” “bill”
• Line 4: “He holds her helpless breast,” “his breast” • Lines 10-11: “The broken wall, the burning roof and
• Line 5: “fingers” tower / And Agamemnon dead.”
• Line 6: “feathered,” “from”
• Line 7: “body” ANTHROPOMORPHISM
• Line 8: “But,” “feel,” “beating” Anthropomorphism is evident throughout the poem, which

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presents the god Zeus in the form of a swan. Though he is between again builds up the pace of the poem and intensifies
engaging in human activities—for example, sex with a human the emotions being described.
woman—he is only ever described as a swan, including direct
references to his wings, webbed feet, feathers, and beak. The Where Asyndeton appears in the poem:
contrast between the swan's body and Leda's human body
renders these details especially unusual and vivid. • Lines 1-4: “the great wings beating still / Above the
staggering girl, her thighs caressed / By the dark webs,
The poem's use of anthropomorphism is particularly strong in her nape caught in his bill, / He holds her helpless breast
lines 7-8, when the description of the swan's "strange heart upon his breast.”
beating" next to Leda's implies that there is a connection being • Line 10: “The broken wall, the burning roof and tower”
made between her body and his. The adjective "strange" helps • Lines 12-13: “Being so caught up, / So mastered ”
emphasize how unusual it is for an animal to possess human
characteristics, reminding readers that this is no ordinary swan, CAESURA
or even an ordinary human, but in fact a god.
The poem contains caesur
caesuraa throughout. Sometimes this ties in
Interestingly, though the title makes clear that the swan is in with the poem's use of asyndeton
asyndeton, as commas merely serve to
fact the god Zeus, carrying out his plans to shape Greek history, break up the poem's descriptive lists.
it is not until the final lines of the poem that the speaker gives
the swan any internal thoughts. Though the swan's behavior is That said, there are two instances of caesura that are
anthropomorphized, in other ways, because readers don't have particularly remarkable. The first occurs in the very first line of
direct access to the swan's motives, its behavior reads as brutal the poem, when the colon separates "A sudden blow" from the
and animalistic due to the violence it inflicts on Leda. This rest of the description of Leda's assault. This abrupt
changes in line 14, when the speaker describes the swan's interruption sets the scene by telling readers what has caused
"knowledge" and "power," and directly links those attributes not the rest of the attack, and also mirrors the attack itself by
just to humanity but to divinity. stopping and shocking readers in the same way that that the
sudden blow stopped and shocked Leda.
Where Anthropomorphism appears in the poem: Later, lines 11 and 12 are separated not only by a line break but
also by an emphatic instance of caesura:
• Lines 1-4
• Line 6 And Agamemnon dead.
• Line 7
Being so caught up,
• Line 8
• Line 9
Recall that the poem is written in iambic pentameter for the
• Lines 13-15
most part, meaning there should be 10 syllables per line. Both
of these lines are clearly too short, then; line 11 has 6 syllables,
ASYNDETON whereas line 12 has either 4 or 5 depending on how readers
The first stanza is an excellent example of asyndeton
asyndeton, in which scan "Being." Thus, despite their being separated by a line
several clauses are listed one after another without break, it's perhaps easiest to think of them as a single line that
conjunctions. Overall, this ramps up the pace of the poem. It has been violently rendered into two parts, with both a full stop
creates a sense of haste and frenzy as Leda panics in response caesura and white space in the middle.
to Zeus's assault. Fittingly, this marks a pivotal transition in the poem, shifting
Likewise, the fall of Troy in line 10 in neatly captured using from the moment of Leda's conception of Helen (and the fall of
asyndeton to link together the two images that make up the Troy), to the aftermath, in which the speaker meditates on
conquest of the city: whether Leda is capable of understanding her fate, which has
just been sealed. Because this poem is a sonnet, this shift is
The broken wall, the burning roof and tower called a volta--the moment at the end of a sonnet when the
poem undergoes a "turn" or rhetorical shift—and, in this case, is
In the next line, however, the death of Agamemnon breaks from marked by the caesura following Agamenon's death.
the asyndeton with the conjunction "and," adding a sense of
finality to the image. Where Caesur
Caesuraa appears in the poem:
Last but not least, the asyndeton in lines 12 and 13 helps to
• Line 1: “blow: the”
emphasize the extent to which Leda has been overpowered by • Line 2: “girl, her”
Zeus. Listing one descriptor ("so mastered") directly after the • Line 3: “webs, her”
previous one ("so caught up") without any conjunctions in

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[being] caressed."
• Line 7: “body, laid” This back-and-forth between violent and sensual imagery
• Line 10: “wall, the” continues throughout the poem, as does the attention to small
• Line 11: “dead.” details, from Leda's "terrified vague fingers" to the swan's
• Line 12: “Being” "feathered glory." The fall of Troy is also rendered in a series of
specific images—"The broken wall, the burning roof and
ENJAMBMENT tower"—rather than any explicit reference to war or conquest.
Enjambment is used throughout the poem, perhaps most Rather than simply state that this rape will lead to war, the
vividly in the first stanza, which consists of a single run-on speaker pushes the reader to envision what that war will
sentence. The overall effect is that of haste and urgency, actually look like, to see a vision of the future in this moment.
pushing readers from line to line, one image after the next, Because of the controversial nature of the subject matter, the
helping to convey the chaotic nature of Zeus's assault on Leda. vividness of the poem's imagery can be uncomfortable. Yeats
Likewise, in the first lines of the final stanza, enjambment once spares no detail in capturing what it would look like for a swan-
again speeds readers along by describing the moment of god to rape a girl. In many ways, however, it's the power of the
conception and the fall of Troy in one continuous sentence poem's imagery that also helps elevate the specific details of
broken across three lines. Leda and Zeus's story into something more metaphoric and
Throughout the second stanza, enjambment helps to link the symbolic
symbolic. That is, the poem is not really about this specific
images and ideas of each rhetorical question
question. In lines 5-6, it moment, but rather what that moment suggests about
mimics Leda's own circumstances—she cannot push Zeus away, humanity, fate, and progress.
and neither can readers separate themselves from the image
that carries on into the next line: Where Imagery appears in the poem:
• Lines 1-4
How can those terrified vague fingers push
• Lines 5-6
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
• Lines 7-8
• Lines 9-13
Lastly, the poem's final lines and final rhetorical question • Line 15
contains a pivotal use of enjambment. The continuous sentence
helps tie together what are otherwise two lines representing
RHETORICAL QUESTION
contrasting interpretations of the moment—the possibility that
Leda does "put on [Zeus's] knowledge with his power," and the "Leda and the Swan" contains three different rhetorical
possibility that she doesn't "Before the indifferent beak could questions
questions. An unusual poetic move, these questions serve
let her drop" and Zeus moves on. several purposes in the poem. The first is to suggest futility,
especially in the second stanza, which includes two of the three
instances of this device:
Where Enjambment appears in the poem:
• Lines 1-2: “still / Above” How can those terrified vague fingers push
• Lines 2-3: “caressed / By” The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
• Lines 5-6: “push / The” And how can body, laid in that white rush,
• Lines 9-10: “there / The” But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
• Lines 10-11: “tower / And”
• Lines 14-15: “power / Before” In both cases, the form of the rhetorical question helps make
clear that Leda was powerless to resist Zeus's assault. It frames
IMAGERY the possibility of her resistance as a question whose answer is
"Leda and the Swan" is filled with imagery
imagery, much of it strange so obvious that it needs no answer at all.
and graphic. The first stanza uses descriptions of both the swan The second impact of rhetorical questions in the poem is to
and "the staggering girl" to vividly render the attack on Leda, directly invoke readers, and implicitly to ask them to come up
zeroing in on details like "her nape caught in his bill" to help with the answers to these conundrums. This is particularly true
bring the assault to life and to underscore Leda's confusion and of the final instance, in the last two lines of the poem, when the
helplessness against a god. All of readers' senses are alert as answer is less obvious than before. Did Leda understand the
the speaker shifts between violent and sensual language, in one significance of this moment, or no? Rather than tell readers
moment calling forth the terrifying image of "the great wings outright, Yeats and the speaker empower readers to do their
beating" before suddenly conjuring the erotic image of "thighs own interpretation and make their own choice.

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Lastly, all of these questions are fundamentally universal: can
human beings resist the powerful forces that shape their lives? • Line 8: “the strange heart”
In fact, for that matter, are they even capable of understanding • Line 9: “shudder in the loins,” “there”
them? The use of rhetorical questions therefore not only • Lines 10-11: “The broken wall, the burning roof and
triggers readers to interpret the poem on their own, but also to tower / And Agamemnon dead.”
consider their own lives on these terms as well. • Line 13: “brute blood of the air”
• Line 15: “the indifferent beak ”
Where Rhetorical Question appears in the poem:
• Lines 5-8: “How can those terrified vague fingers push /
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? / And VOCABULARY
how can body, laid in that white rush, / But feel the
Blow (Line 1) - A "blow" is a forcible stroke delivered with a
strange heart beating where it lies?”
part of the body, such as a fist, or, in this case, Zeus's wings.
• Lines 14-15: “Did she put on his knowledge with his
power / Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?” Staggering (Line 2) - "To stagger" is to reel from side to side or
to stumble unsteadily, just as Leda is doing in response to being
SYNECDOCHE struck by Zeus. "Staggering" also can mean astonishing or
overwhelming, meaning that this word is doing double-duty by
"Leda and the Swan" is littered with synecdoche
synecdoche. Both the swan literally describing Leda's actions but also implicitly conveying
and Leda are represented throughout the poem by their her shock as well.
various parts. Wings, thighs, webbed feet, the nape of a neck,
and each of their breasts are the examples from the first stanza Caressed (Line 2) - "To caress" something is to touch or stroke
alone! This continues through the second and third stanza, it lightly in a loving or endearing manner. It is a sensual verb
where the city of Troy and the Trojan War join the two main that contrasts vividly and controversially with the reality of
characters in being primarily described through synecdoche what Zeus is doing: raping Leda.
("The broken wall, the burning roof and tower / And Dark webs (Line 3) - The "dark webs" in the poem refer to the
Agamemnon dead."). swan's dark-colored, webbed feet.
The effect is to disorient readers, or rather to orient them to Nape (Line 3) - The "nape" refers to the back of a person's neck,
Leda's terrified perspective, helping to convey the frenzy and in this case Leda's, and has a connotation of vulnerability.
fear she feels during the assault. Everything is happening so Bill (Line 3) - The "bill" in this poem is the swan's bill, a common
fast and so violently that she can only absorb it piecemeal. bird body part used for eating, preening, killing prey, fighting,
Likewise, the synecdoche helps emphasize the utter courtship, and feeding young.
strangeness of her situation: an assault by a god in the form of
White rush (Line 7) - The "white rush" refers to the blur of
an animal. For instance, "the strange heart" in line 8 represents
white feathers that Leda sees as the swan presses its body
the strange being, period, who has forced himself upon her.
against hers. The use of the word "rush" helps to convey the
This device also makes it easier for readers to interpret the speed and frenzy of Zeus's assault.
poem as having symbolic meaning beyond the surface-level
Loins (Line 9) - "Loins" is an old-fashioned word for genitalia;
story of Leda and Zeus. Because Leda and the swan are never
the "shudder in the loins" in this poem refers to orgasm and
fully fleshed out, but instead presented to readers as various
ejaculation. The word is also commonly used to refer to cuts of
parts that represent a whole, it's easy to then interpret those
meat, emphasizing the animalistic nature of the swan.
wholes as metaphors for larger ideas or concepts. For example,
Leda and her body have often been read as a metaphor for the Engenders (Line 9) - To "engender" something is to beget,
nation of Ireland. create, or produce it. In this case, Zeus is literally creating a
baby, but he is also producing the fall of Troy.
Where Synecdoche appears in the poem: The broken wall, the burning roof and tower (Line 10) -
These images are subtle allusions to the fall of Troy, a city that
• Line 1: “the great wings”
went to war with the ancient Greeks over Helen, Zeus and
• Line 2: “her thighs”
• Line 3: “the dark webs,” “her nape,” “his bill” Leda's daughter, who was said to be the most beautiful woman
• Line 4: “her helpless breast,” “his breast” in the world. After 10 years of war, the Greeks successfully
• Line 5: “ terrified vague fingers” infiltrated the city by hiding inside the Trojan Horse, and then
• Line 6: “The feathered glory,” “loosening thighs” burnt the city to the ground, killing many Trojans and taking
• Line 7: “white rush” others as prisoners.
Agamemnon (Line 11) - In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was

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a king of Mycenae, one of many ancient Greek kingdoms. His draws further attention to the controversial subject matter and
brother was married to Leda's daughter, Helen, conceived in Yeats's atypical take on the Greek myth, in which Leda and
this moment in the poem. According to myth, when Helen was Zeus's union is often portrayed as seduction rather than sexual
abducted by the Trojan prince Paris and taken to Troy, assault. This in turn reinforces his depiction of this moment as
Agamemnon commanded the united Greek army in the ensuing revolutionary, leaving behind an outsize impact on the world.
Trojan War, fighting for the return of his brother's wife.Later,
upon his return from the war, Agamemnon was murdered by METER
his own wife Clytemnestra, who also happened to be Helen's The meter of "Leda and the Swan" is unusual. In keeping with
sister and Leda's other daughter. Some versions of the myth say the sonnet form, the poem roughly follows iambic pentameter.
her actions were in retaliation for Agamemnon's adultery, since This means that most lines of the poem consist of five metrical
he brought a Trojan princess home with him as a concubine. feet with an unstressed-stressed
stressed beat pattern, making for ten
Other versions say Clytemnestra sought revenge on her syllables total per line. This da DUM pattern can be seen in line
husband for using their daughter as a human sacrifice to the 4:
gods before going to war.
Brute (Line 13) - An adjective that means animalistic, savage, He holds | her help
help- | less breast | upon
pon | his breast
breast.
harsh, and violent.
Iambic pentameter is often said to resemble a human
Indifferent (Line 15) - An adjective that indicates a lack of heartbeat, and when that meter is in use, Yeats employs that
interest, enthusiasm, or concern—in this case, Zeus's lack of association to great effect. For example, in the first stanza, the
concern for Leda. hurried bursts of iambic pentameter convey a rapidly-
thumping, panicky heartbeat as Leda reacts to being assaulted.
FORM, METER, & RHYME However, the poem does not stick consistently to iambic
pentameter. For example, the first line might best be scanned
FORM as:
"Leda and the Swan" is divided into three stanzas and follows
the form of the Petrarchan sonnet
sonnet. As is typical of this type of A sud
sud- | den blow
blow: | the great | wings beat
beat- | ing still
sonnet, the first two stanzas of the poem each contain four
lines (making them quatr
quatrains
ains). There wouldn't usually be a The double stress of "wings
wings beat
beat-" is a spondee
spondee. Combined with
stanza break between these two quatrains (which together can the "great" from the prior foot, this might also be considered an
be considered an octave) in a sonnet. Overall, though, Yeats instance of something called molossus, a metrical foot used in
does follow the form relatively closely, with one major ancient Greek and Latin poetry that consists of three long
exception: the final stanza (beginning with "A shudder ..." in line syllables (great
great wings beat
beat). Either way, the strength of Zeus's
9) consists of seven lines. mighty wings disturb the meter of the poem here, reflecting the
god's power.
Typically, this section would be a sestet
sestet, or a stanza with six
lines. That said, lines 11 and 12 are much shorter than all the Perhaps the best way to characterize the poem's meter, then, is
other lines in the poem, and can be considered one line that's to say that it frequently uses iambic pentameter, but often
been abruptly severed in two. This break occurs between the discards that meter in favor of rhythmic interruptions and
vision of the future, with the fall of Troy, and the present, alterations that help to draw attention to the poem's violent
wherein the speaker wonders if Leda has any knowledge of the and shocking subject matter, as well as its vivid diction
diction.
events that her rape will set in motion. By breaking lines 11 and For example, line 3 might be scanned as follows:
12 in half visually and linking them through indentation, Yeats
does superficially maintain the sestet and the sonnet form By the dark webs
webs, her nape caught in his bill
while also drawing attention to Leda's actual distance from
these future events. This could be broken into feet in a few different ways, but
Yeats also keeps the volta, or turning point, of the sonnet in the what's most important is how the clusters of stressed beats
traditional spot, between the octave and the sestet: line 9 help to emphasize the grotesque and violent imagery of the
marks the precise, cataclysmic moment of ejaculation and swan's assault.
conception, which changes the course of history. These variations from the sonnet's traditional meter are
Another important aspect of the poem's form is that while the particularly evident in the final stanza of the poem, in which
Petrarchan sonnet is usually associated with love poems, here Yeats not only freely abandons iambic pentameter when the
Yeats subverts the form and uses it to depict rape. This choice word choice or subject matter calls for it, but evens adds an
extra syllable into the final line, for a total of 11 beats instead of

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the expected 10: closely to Leda's experience of the event, primarily conveying
her panic and fear in response to being raped. In contrast, the
Before
fore | the in- | dif
differ- | ent beak | could let | her speaker does not give readers any insight into Zeus's
drop
drop? motivations or reactions. This indicates, most likely, that the
speaker is meant to be a fellow human being, not a god. The fact
Why do this? The word "indifferent" is hugely important here, that the speaker often addresses readers—presumably, also
conveying volumes about Zeus's relationship to Leda and to humans—through rhetorical questions also supports this
humanity as a whole. It's a deviation from the metrical norm interpretation.
made with care, helping accomplish the poem's overall goal of However, the speaker is not just a bystander who happens to
pushing readers to confront some difficult and provocative be present when this assault takes place. As revealed in the
subjects and questions. third stanza, the speaker already knows the consequences of
Leda and Zeus's sexual encounter. The speaker has connected
RHYME SCHEME
the dots between this significant moment and the legacy it
In terms of rh
rhyme
yme scheme
scheme, "Leda and the Swan" follows the leaves behind, which enables the speaker to not only render the
traditional sonnet form. Interestingly, however, though the moment of conception in line 9, but also to flash-forward and
poem overall is more typical of a Petrarchan sonnet (in that it begin to reflect on its greater historical impact.
essentially consists of an octave followed by a sestet—more on
Interestingly, though, the speaker is not all-knowing. As lines
that in the Form section of this guide), the rhyme scheme of the
14-15 indicate, the speaker remains unsure of the degree to
first two stanzas actually resembles a Shakespearean sonnet.
which Leda herself understands what is happening to her.
This is because, instead of following an ABAB ABAB pattern,
Though the speaker has put themselves in Leda's shoes
the stanzas go:
throughout the poem, conveying her terror with great
ABAB CDCD precision, they still do not have complete insight into her
...with new end rh
rhymes
ymes being introduced in the second stanza. internal experience.
The closing sestet also breaks from tradition. Though the In this way, the speaker very much reflects the readers, and
rhyme schemes of the sestets in Petrarchan sonnets tend to be even Leda herself—all of whom are human beings who vividly
very flexible, they typically rotate between two or three experience the forces of fate and history, even if they don't
different end rhyme sounds. In this poem, however, there are necessarily fully understand the implications or significance of
technically four distinct sounds (because line 11 has basically those powerful forces.
been cut in half). As such, the pattern goes:
EFGHEFH
SETTING
It should also be noted that many of these rhymes are not
perfect rhymes, but instead slant rh rhymes
ymes (take "rush"/"push" Given the myth that shapes the poem's narrative, the poem can
and "up"/"drop" for example). Similarly, the word "dead" in line be thought of as taking place in ancient Greece. That said, there
11 rhymes with nothing else—an unusual choice in a sonnet. In is very little indication of any more specific setting of "Leda and
this case, however, that choice not only makes this important the Swan." The speaker is so focused on the action and
moment in the poem—the description of the fall of Troy—stand relationship between these two characters that no time is
out from the rest, it also is followed by a full stop, a clear pause spent describing exactly where this assault takes place. The
that helps transition readers back into the scene with Zeus and only place described by the poem is the city of Troy, in line 10,
Leda. and even then, the city is used mostly as a symbol
symbol.
Nevertheless, the regular rhyme scheme is the aspect of the The poem does move around in time, however, from this
poem where Yeats sticks closely to the traditional sonnet form. moment between Leda and Zeus to the future where the city of
In a poem that otherwise breaks many conventional rules, this Troy is being conquered and Agamemnon is murdered. The
consistency helps the poem hang together as a unified whole. It fluidity of the poem's time period reflects its thematic concerns
also adds to its readability, as the rhyme propels readers with the way that a single event can ripple throughout history.
forward despite the difficult subject matter.

CONTEXT
SPEAKER
LITERARY CONTEXT
The speaker in "Leda and the Swan" is an anonymous figure.
"Leda and the Swan" was published toward the end of Yeats's
They are a witness to Zeus's assault on Leda, and describe the
career, in his 1928 collection The Tower, just five years after he
event in real time, blow by blow. For the most part, they stick

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was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This collection during Yeats's lifetime. What's more, from his notes and papers,
includes many other celebrated poems of his, including "Sailing
Sailing scholars know that Yeats was working on the poem during
to Byzantium
Byzantium." Not only are they regarded as masterpieces of 1923 and 1924, the precise years of the Irish Civil War, while
Irish literature, both "Leda and the Swan" and The Tower as a he was also serving as a senator for the Irish Free State.
whole are widely recognized as among the greatest literary Though Yeats generally eschewed violence as a means of
works of the 20th century. resistance, he had conflicting feelings about those involved in
"Leda and the Swan" is also, of course, one of many artistic the armed insurrection, and certainly about the impact of
renditions of a classic Greek myth that has been told and retold violence when it aligned with his own political goals and beliefs.
many, many times. Indeed, even as far as back as ancient This can be seen throughout "Leda and the Swan," especially its
Greece itself, the story can be found in illustrations on vases ambiguity concerning Leda's rape.
and urns. In brief, the most common version of the myth is that
the king of the gods, Zeus, transformed himself into a swan in
order to impregnate Leda. (Some versions describe this union
MORE RESOUR
RESOURCES
CES
as seduction; others, like Yeats, as rape.) From this union, Leda
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
gave birth to at least one child, Helen, considered the most
beautiful woman in the world. Helen married a Greek king, only • Yeats's Geometry and Gyres — An excerpt from a
to be abducted by a Trojan prince, leading to the decade-long scholarly article that investigates W.B. Yeats's theories
Trojan War described in The Iliad
Iliad. about "gyres" and historical change.
(https:/
(https://www
/www..yeatsvision.com/Geometry
eatsvision.com/Geometry.html)
.html)
The Iliad is generally believed to be among the first literary
works of Greek antiquity. Together with The Odyssey
Odyssey, it • The Life and WWorks
orks of William Butler Y
Yeats
eats — An online
represents the heart of the Western literary canon, and has exhibition presented by the National Library of Ireland on
influenced writers and their work for thousands of years. "Leda W.B. Yeats and his impact on his native country.
and the Swan" is very much a part of this literary family. (http:/
(http://www
/www.nli.ie/y
.nli.ie/yeats/)
eats/)
Beyond its mythic and ancient literary context, "Leda and the • Yeats's Biogr
Biograph
aphyy — An account of W.B. Yeats's life, with a
Swan" should also be understood as part of Ireland's history, focus on his development as a poet.
both literary and otherwise. William Butler Yeats was an (https:/
(https://www
/www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-butler-
.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-butler-
enormously prolific and influential Irish writer. Born in 1865, yeats)
his influences were wide and diverse, including the English • Leda and the Swan in Art — A round-up of just some of the
Romantics—figures such as Wordsworth ("II W Wandered
andered LLonely
onely many interpretations of the story of Leda and the Swan in
as a Cloud
Cloud"), Blake ("LLondon
ondon"), and Keats ("T
To Autumn
Autumn")—and visual art. (https:/
(https:///painting-m
painting-mythology
ythology.blogspot.com/
.blogspot.com/
the French Symbolists, such as Stephen Mallarmé and Arthur 2015/11/44-works-leda-and-swan-art-from-greek.html)
Rimbaud.
• Ency
Encyclopedia
clopedia Mythica — A helpful resource for more
Yeats was also fascinated by Irish mythology and folklore. He
information on mythical figures referenced by the poem,
played a vital role in the Irish Literary Revival, which included a including Leda, Zeus, and Agamemnon.
renewed interest in Irish and Gaelic literature, language, (https:/
(https:///pantheon.org/)
history, and culture, all of which had been suppressed by
English colonization. This revival was a key part of the Irish LITCHARTS ON OTHER WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
push for self-autonomy, leading to its eventual rebellion and the POEMS
achievement in 1924 of an independent Irish state. • An Irish Airman F Foresees
oresees his Death
HISTORICAL CONTEXT • Easter
Easter,, 1916
• Sailing to Byzantium
Though "Leda and the Swan" makes no explicit mention of Irish • The Lak
Lakee Isle of Innisfree
nationalism, nor does it touch on Irish folklore or mythology (as • The Second Coming
many of Yeats's poems do), it has nevertheless been widely • The Wild Swans at Coole
interpreted as an allegory for the Irish War for Independence • When Y You
ou Are Old
and Irish Civil War. These two back-to-back conflicts were
cataclysmic, marking the biggest political upheaval in Yeats's
lifetime (barring perhaps World War I). They certainly hit closer
to home, and led to political changes that Yeats had been
advocating for most of his life.
"Leda and the Swan's" depiction of historical change vividly
reflects the intense violence and upheaval that Ireland endured

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HOW T
TO
O CITE
MLA
Malordy, Jessica. "Leda and the Swan." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 2
Oct 2019. Web. 22 Apr 2020.

CHICAGO MANUAL
Malordy, Jessica. "Leda and the Swan." LitCharts LLC, October 2,
2019. Retrieved April 22, 2020. https://www.litcharts.com/
poetry/william-butler-yeats/leda-and-the-swan.

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