Yeats

I think what I enjoy most about William Butler Yeats is his superb sense of history. He seems to have had an excellent knowledge of the history of both Ireland and the world for that matter. Many of his poems focus on references to various men and women from historical events. For instance, his "No Second Troy" makes constant references to Helen, the famed ‘face that launched a thousand ships’ and "taught to ignorant men the most violent ways" (1118; ll. 3). I am a bit of a history buff myself and I too enjoy the story of the Trojan War. His poem does not necessarily recount many facts from the tale, but it does pose many interesting questions. The whole premise of this particular piece rests in the question of "Why should I blame her that she filled my days / with misery" (1118; ll. 1-2). Yeats is pondering if Helen could really be blamed for starting the war because truly she did nothing to prompt it but follow her heart. He asks, "Why, what could she have done, being what she is?" (1118; ll.11). She did not make herself beautiful and desirable and therefore she is not to blame for the travesty that ensued. The real puzzle comes in the last line however. Yeats asks, "Was there another Tory for her to burn?" (1118; ll. 12). I cannot be sure what he means by this line. Does he really actually blame her for what happened or is he trying to say that had this not happened to Troy it would have happened to someone else because of Helen’s very nature? All very intriguing questions sparked by Yeats’ poetry.