Who was William Butler Yeats?
William Butler Yeats is still considered as one of the influential and greatest poets of the 20th Century. He was a part of an Anglo-Irish minority called Protestant who controlled the entire political, cultural, social and economical structure of Ireland for a long period of time till the end of 17th century. The people belonging to the influential minority considered themselves as the accenders of English people who are born in Ireland but the poet has always identified himself as an Irish. Though for 14 years he lived in London and spent most of his childhood there and thus able to always keep his root and Irish culture intact as it is clearly reflected in any of his poems that features Irish heroes and legends. As an artist he always has stuck to his self-image.
His first work was published in the mid 1880s when he was pursuing his collage and was a student at metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. Some of the early accomplishments of WB Yeats are The Wandering of Oisin and other poems that was published in 1889 and memorable plays such as The Countess Cathleen in 1982 and Deirde in 1907. He was honoured with the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1923. Even after receiving the Nobel Prize he continued to work upon some of his brilliant works that includes The Tower that was published 1928and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems released in the year 1932. He died in the year 1939 but he is still remembered as a baton holder who led the Western poets of the 20th century.
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Early Life of William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats is the oldest son of his parents John Butler Yeats, his father and Susan Mary Pollexefen, his mother. He was born in Dublin, Ireland on 13th June, 1865. John was pursuing law but after the birth of his first son WB Yeats, he relocated to London to pursue his passion of studying arts and moved with his family to London where Yeats spent most of his childhood but they often used to visit Ireland. Initially he was homeschooling where his mother used to tell stories and folktales of Ireland and his father used to teach him mathematics, chemistry, geography and other such subjects. Later he joined Godolphin school and except in language he did not do exceedingly well as was always an average student. But like his father Yeats was also inspired to study art and joined Metropolitan School of arts in Dublin in the mid-1880s. After his poems were published in the Dublin University review he left University to pursue other interests.
He started writing at a very young age of 17 and among all other works one of the WB Yeats poems that had a great influence of another great romantic English poet named Percy Bysshe Shelley where he describes a magician as he establishes his throne in Central Asia in his poem. During the same period he also penned a play that tells a story about a bishop, a monk and a woman who was accused by local shepherds of paganism. Few of the other memorable WB yeats’ poems include poems of love and narration of German knights. The critic considered his early work as Unirish in nature and very conventional which reflects a great influence of Shelley’s work. But he soon turns into Irish folktales and mythologies influenced by the work of a great poet named Edmund Spenser, by the narratives and colouring of pre-Raphaelite brotherhood and mostly by the works of William Blake. Many of his stage play writings were highly influenced by famous Irish poet, Oscar Wilde and it ran like a theme in his works and writing aesthetics.
W.B yeats Work and Life
Beginning Of Career
When the writer returned to London in the late 1880s, he met with three writers Oscar Wilde, George Bernars Shaw and Lionel Johnson. He also met a 23 years old Irish citizen named Maud Gonne who was a strong supporter of the Independence struggle of Ireland for its freedom. The writer began to admire what was soon certed to strong infatuation and she played an inspiration for many of the writer’s great work. There is an everlasting effect of Maud on his life and the works thereafter. He even went to the extent of proposing to her three times and she turned him down and finally married Major John Mcbridge who was also Irish. His only other relationship involved another woman named Olivia Shakespear with whom he shared a love relationship from 1894, the year they first met to 1897. In 1892 he wrote a play named The Countess Cathleen dedicated to Maud.
Young Poet
In 1887 his family again returned to London and by 1890 he joined the club of all the poets of London that was founded by Ernest Ryhs and it was famously known as Rhymers’ Club. The poets of this club used to meet with each other regularly to share and recite their poetrys. He then associated himself with another group that sought and explored mystical and occult topics and the group was famously called The Order of Golden Dawn. His combined interest in the outworldly elements as well as exploring the Irish folktales and his strong association with Irish culture have been seen in many of his brilliant works. Influence of the story of a mythic Irish hero is clearly reflected in WB Yeats poems like The Wanderings of Oisin and other poems that was published in the year 1889.
Politics
He was deeply rooted to his ethnicity and strongly related himself as Irish nationalist who was always inclined to the traditional lifestyle of Irish people that was relevant in many of WB Yeats poems such as “ The Fisherman”. But as he aged he withdrew most of his revolutionary spirit and consciously kept himself away from politics till 1922. Later he was offered the position of a Senator for the Irish Free State that he accepted as an honour. In his early life he was actively associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood but with the increasing political heat, he distanced himself from political activities to an extent that he refrained from publishing his poems that were inspired from the political activism until 1920.
During the 1930s he was moved by the European anti-democratic, authoritarian nationalist movements and wrote many of the march songs like “Blue Shirts” but they were not used during the movement. He was in strong opposition to political liberalism and individualism and felt that national collective movements were the only way of political advancement and thus supported the fascists movement as the only way to incorporate public order in the system. But on the other hand he was also the believer of those who claimed mob-rule and democracy is a biggest challenge for the good governance of a country or a state.
Acclaimed Playwright And Poet
He just did not confine himself to writing poems but also penned down many plays. For the production of the play scripted by the writer titled “Cathleen Ni Houlihan” in 1902 he collaborated with Lady George to evolve and flourish the play scripts for the Irish stage. He along with Lady George established the Irish National Theatre Society that he served as a president and co-founder of the theater society. Many of his other brilliant plays that followed post the introduction of theater society include Baile’s Strand, Deirdre and At Hawk’s Well.
Post his wedding with Georgie Hyde-Lees in 1917, he started writing experimental verses as automatic writing and that is considered as his best creative period. Both the partners jointly worked for writing sessions through which he established complex conjecture on human nature and its evolving history. They both thought it as a force of nature that guided them in this direction.
WB Yeats Nobel Prize
His works were recognized and critically acclaimed among which “The Tower '' published 1928and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems released in the year 1932 which are few among the famous works of William Butler Yeats. Thus he was honoured with the Nobel-Prize for Literature in December 1923 for his inspirational work in poems and plays in the highest artistic manner that became a spirit of the whole Nation. He was then invited as a guest lecturer in the Royal Academy of Sweden which he accepted as an opportunity to represent himself as a citizen and nationalist of Ireland and the flag-bearer of Cultural Independence of Ireland.
Demise of William Butler Yeats
He kept writing and producing some of the marvelous work in the end like The Tower (1928), A Vision (1925) and The Wild Swans at Coole (1917) before he died. He died in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin situated in France on 28th January, 1939. Two Poems and a few of his plays were published after his death that became the work of remembrance of the writer.
W.B Yeats Facts
Name: William Butler Yeats
Birthday: 13th June, 1865
Education: Metropolitan School of arts in Dublin to study art and litrature
Nobel prize: Nobel-Prize for Literature in December 1923
Prize Motivation: inspirational work in poems and plays in the highest artistic manner that became a spirit of the whole Nation
Popular poems: The Tower and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems
Death: 28th January, 1939
FAQs on William Butler Yeats
Question1: Where was WB Yeats born?
Answer: He was born in Dublin, Ireland but soon shifted to London as a child.
Question2: Does the autobiography of William Butler Yeats exist?
Answer: Although there are many biographical books written by many biographers, there is no autobiography of William Butler Yeats.
Question3: Full form of WB Yeats?
Answer: WB yeats was an English poet and writer of many influential play of Irish nationality and his full name is William Butler Yeats.
