William Butler Yeats Research Paper

William Butler Yeats, like many, followed the path that was already predetermined for him. But Yeats, like few, sought to change this predisposition. Born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 13, 1865, William Butler Yeats was the son of a well-known Irish painter, John Butler Yeats (“William Butler Yeats 4”). Two years later, his family moved to London, for his father’s profession. Though Yeats did not want to leave his homeland, he frequently visited his grandparents who still lived in Ireland. In London, he was greatly enticed by the beliefs and customs of the people that lived there. Not only was his father interested in the arts, but so was his siblings. His brother, John Butler, grew up to become a well-known painter, and his two sisters, Susan

In 1885, an important year in Yeats's early adult life, he saw his first publication, in the Dublin University Review, of his poetry and the beginning of his important interest in occultism (“William Butler Yeats ”). Yeats was very disciplined and determined to spend time writing every day. By 1886, he began to publish regularly with the central theme of Yeats poems is Ireland, its history, contemporary public life, and folklore, as well as, Celtic folklore (“William Butler Yeats ”). He came to write affectionate poetry from the heart. Yeats studied many Irish legends and worked on constituting his own. The most important event in Yeats's life during these London years, however, was his acquaintance with Maud Gonne, a tall, beautiful, prominent young woman passionately devoted to Irish nationalism (“William Butler Yeats ”). He fell head over heels for her and she became a considerable breakthrough in his writing, but the feelings were not reciprocated. Though she married another man in 1903 and grew apart from Yeats, she remained a powerful figure in his poetry (“William Butler Yeats ”). Maud provoked Yeats’ poem 'No Second Troy' where he depicts Maud as Helen of Troy who is to blame for the destruction and cause of the Trojan War. Yeats uses his grief stricken heart as a tool to write enlivening