In Depth Analysis of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and A Summary of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"
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Course
English
Institution
Sixth Year / 12th Grade
These Documents provide an in-depth analysis of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" which is easy to understand and to aid your revision and essay writing. There is also a synopsis of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" which goes through the plot and characters of the story in an accessible way. With these ...
William Butler Yeats (1868-1939)
W.B Yeats was born in Dublin but during his childhood he spent a lot of time
visiting his cousins in County Sligo. It was here he developed a great love for
the West of Ireland. He became very friendly with the Gore Booth family and in
particular with Constance and Eva Gore Booth. As a child he would visit the
tenant farmers who lived on their land, and he delighted in the stories they
told about Irish folklore and mythology. As he grew into adulthood, Yeats
developed a great admiration and respect for the ordinary people of Ireland.
His earlier poetry is romantic in nature. He writes about Irish legends and
beautiful places. As his poetry developed, it lost some of that innocence. Yeats
was very affected by his love for a woman called Maud Gonne and her
rejection. Some of his poems ended up being quite bitter and in many of them
you can see his frustration of life all around.
Yeats’ later poems deal with political issues and also his own mortality. The
passing of time is a subject that appears in many of his poems. Yeats died in
1939 and he is buried in Drumcliff, Co. Sligo.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
This poem was written in the late 1880s when Yeats was in his mid-twenties.
When Yeats wrote this poem, he was in London. He was lonely and missing
Ireland. What comes across strongly in this poem is his love for the island of
Innisfree in County Sligo. Some people say that is portrayal of Innisfree is
unrealistic because he describes it as an idyllic, perfect place. However, there is
something very realistic about this. Somebody who is lonely for home will
always paint it in the most idyllic way possible. What stands out in the poem is
Yeats’ heart longing for this place that brings him joy.
Yeats presents us with a very idyllic picture od Innisfree. He describes its
beauty at different points of the day; morning, noon, evening and midnight.
Morning is peaceful, at noon there is a purple glow, in the evening beautiful
linnets can be seen flying. Even at midnight, there isn’t total darkness, “There
midnight’s all a glimmer”. This could be the reflection of the moonlight on the
lake surrounding the island. The “purple glow” of moon could refer to the
heather of Innisfree that the island is named after. Describing it as purple gives
, it a kind of dreamy quality as if there is some sort of glow coming from the
island. The reference to “linnets” is important too because they are beautiful
birds and their coulour is very striking. They too add to the rich colours of
Innisfree with its red markings.
In the last stanza, Yeats tells us that the sounds of Innisfree are always with
him, “for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by
the shore”. This is an amazing line because of its sound effects. The “l” sounds
create a water-like affect as you pronounce them. The “s” sounds just add to
the overall peace and tranquility of the island. The “n” sounds help create a
musical effect. The onomatopoeia here allows us to hear the lake water as it
gently breaks on the shore of Innisfree. Yeats said that this inspiration for this
poem came from hearing a fountain trickle at a location in London and that
this water immediately transported him to Innisfree.
This poem is about an idyllic place, a perfect place, a place that Yeats’ heart
longs for. This is very obvious in the last line of the poem, “I hear it in the deep
heart’s core”. With all this talk of beauty, there is a stark reminder in the last
stanxa that Yeats is very far away from that now, “While I stand on the
roadway, or on the pavements grey”. Even as he thinks of Innisfree he is in a
concrete jungle, a city. The word “roadway” is a reminder of that. The place
where he is, is the furthest thing possible from where he wants to be. We
notice he uses the word “pavements” rather than “footpaths”. This use of
language here is important. A pavement is a very obvious concrete
construction. There is nothing natural about a pavement. He is using contrast
here to show the difference between London and Innisfree. Even reminding us
that the pavements are “grey” is part of this. Grey is the colour of concrete. It
is sull, lifeless and cold. This is a direct contrast to the colour purple which he
used to describe Innisfree, Purple is rich, vibrant and warm.
When Yeats wrote this poem, he was in the romantic period of his writing.
Romantic poetry comes from the heart. It is soft. Romantic poems can often
long for something which is far away. In a romantic poem, the poet is often
unhappy where he is and he is only thinking of somewhere else that makes
him happy. Romantic poetry often focuses on the beauty of the natural world.
September 1913
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