William Butler Yeats-Recognizing a movement through pain...

The modern era was filled with violence and revolution. World War I brought images of death, sorrow, tragedy and an deeper awareness of humanity. No Second Troy, by William Butler Yeats, provides a quiet distraction from the horrid images of the revolution. In this poem a picture of a despondent man over a failed love relationship is revealed. Yeats was in love with a revolutionary Irish woman named Maude. He loved her and asked her to marry him on different occasions. she denied all of his proposals. They had a relationship that later turned to lovers. She eventually breaks their relationship, leaving him feeling denied. He compares her refusal to that of the story of Troy of Helen. A woman who brings two cities/countries to war when she chooses a lover over her husband. Throughout the poem he asks the questions of her hard exterior and love; "Why should I blame her that she filled my days/With misery..."(Lines 1-2). Yeats describes his pain of his unrequited love. "Have taught ignorant men most violent ways," (Line 2). Here, Yeats is referring to her interest in her political endeavours and how she chooses her political passions over him. "With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind,/That is not natural in an age like this,"(Lines 8-9). In this stance Yeats sees her beauty, however she is rigid and tight like a bow, unable to crack. He finds it unnatural for a woman to have such mannerism. He probably wanted Maude to have some attributes of women in the Victorian period. Women were in love with the idea of love and marriage. The poem ends with Yeats asking if there is another Troy (his heart) to destroy; "Was there another Troy for her to burn?"(Line 12). His comparison of the story of Troy to his own deplorable fate with love signifies the war that he is battling; Trying obtain the love of someone who does not love him back. However pathetic the poem may seems, it brings woman to the modern forefront. Here is a woman who is calling the "shots". She basically "plays" Yeats and strings him along until she no longer needs or wants him. Looking back at the Victorian period where woman where voiceless, this poem gives Maude a name, face and purpose. She had no use for love, just companionship. She did not forsake her passions for marriage. She found it more important than love. The poem indicates a woman's position in society becoming recognized. Women making their own decisions, using men to their advantage and embarking on political careers. the poem sets the stage for the female becoming a voice in a male dominated world.