Leda and the Swan
Leda and the Swan
by William Butler Yeats
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Leda and the Swan Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay

There’s more to a poem than meets the eye.

The Swan

The swan in this poem isn't the kind of swan you can throw crackers to at your local pond. This swan came down to earth from Mount Olympus with a mission. That's right, the swan is really the Greek...

Sex

"Leda and the Swan" is essentially a depiction of a violent sexual encounter between a woman and a bird. If you find yourself sympathetic to the Ancient Greek perspective, you might think that the...

Ancient Greece

Yeats believed that history moved between different and contrary cycles. "Leda and the Swan" seems to be set at the exact turning point between two such cycles. Leda's world is populated by myths a...