Yeats' The Second Coming: Analysis and Themes

Religious Allusions and Connections

• The title "The Second Coming" gains significance from the biblical reference to Jesus' return to save people from dark times, foreshadowing a world-ending event and a new era.
• "Turning and turning in the widening gyre/ The falcon cannot hear the falconer,”(1-2) alludes to the relationship between humans and God.
• The falcon-falconer relationship represents the reliance of a domesticated falcon on its trainer for safety, loyalty, and hunting.
• A falcon losing its falconer symbolizes confusion without guidance, mirroring humans without God.
• When humans follow Christ, they stay loyal to God's commandments for peace, safety, and happiness.
• A warning: not following God may lead to being lost and missing the benefits of faith; faith requires devotion to reap its rewards.
• "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;/ Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world/ The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/ The ceremony of innocence is drowned;”(3-6) refers to "The Second Coming" of Jesus.
• Desolation is expected instead of happiness, because soldiers realize they are sinners, and they will not be saved because they have not followed the commandments of God.
• “Ceremony of innocence” is a reference to the loss of innocence in society, because darkness has left no true followers of God.
• “The best lack all conviction, while the worst/ Are full of passionate intensity” (7-8) means God's most devoted and righteous followers lack courage which leads to them being trampled by sinners.
• The lesson is the bad will always overtake the good, but those who stick to convictions will face mercy, while sinners face punishments.
• "Surely some revelation is at hand;/ Surely the Second Coming is at hand./ The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out/ When a vast image out of/ Spirituous Mundi/ Troubles my sight:"(9-13) refers to the the Second Coming in a more hopeful and nervous tone.
• The "Spirituous Mundi” alludes to the Book of Revelation's prophecy about the paradise for good Christians, and the suffering for those who rejected Christ.
• “Somewhere in the sands of the desert/ A shape with a lion body and the head of a man,/ Ag gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,/ Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it/ Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds” (13-17) mentions the sun, commonly connected to Jesus, because of his death and new beginning.
• "Pitiless" alludes to society's collapse from not accepting Jesus, leading to despair.
• The last two lines refer to desert birds pointing to vultures, which symbolizes death.
• In the Bible, vultures symbolize God's judgement of shame, as well as an indication of diseased spiritual conditions.
• "The darkness drops again; but now I know/ That twenty centuries of stony sleep/were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle” (18-20) alludes to the prediction of Jeusus' return 20 centuries after the crucifixion.
• Twenty centuries also refers to when the calendar begins with the birth of Christ.
• “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,/ Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" (21-22) alludes to the Antichrist slouching toward Bethlehem to spread evil.
• Biblically, the antichrist has desired to take the place of Jesus and he is born in the same place as Jesus.

Connection to Things Fall Apart

• Things Fall Apart shows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo leader, from events leading to his banishment for accidentally killing a clansman, exile, and return.
• Things Fall Apart also addresses the intrusion of white missionaries and colonial government into the tribal Igbo society in the 1890s.
• The novel describes the protagonist Okonkwo and his village's disintegration with Igbo proverbs with intelligent and realistic treatment of tribal beliefs, as psychological disintegration coincided with social unraveling.
• In the novel, Okonkwo's seven year banishment represents the biblical interpretation of the seven year trial when Satan will make his final attempt to steal God's throne before being defeated.
• It is believed things will get worse before they can get better.
• Okonkwo's exile is biblically connected to exile in God's kingdom, thus not having protections.
• Okonkwo's tribe practiced Christianity, the foundation of their tribe.
• Because he was exiled, he needs to maintain Christian values to stay connected with Hod so that Satan can't see him in a vulnerable place.
• Both examine destruction and chaos resulting from their beliefs.
• The Second Coming highlights a chaotic world corrupted by inner conflict and lack of faith.
• This connects to Okonkwo, who faces exile leading to demise.
• The world faces isolation from God's word, causing death and destruction. Both stories highlight struggles with religion, feeling isolated, and losing faith.
• Things Fall Apart was the first book to borrow and invert a "line from the poem" into a story.
• “Here African civilization is the one under threat, and the rough beast is the West" describes how African civilization felt threatened and ultimately was faced with a bigger power with the goal to control and diminish the traditional values of the African civilization.
• African religions were treated with a negative bias in an attempt to uproot and eliminate.

Occultism

• Theosophical Society emerged in the late 19th century focusing on spirtual and hidden truths that were beyond regular religious teachings.
• By joining in 1885, Yeats was profoundly influenced in his metaphysical understanding and cyclical history, as theosophy was a runner for his contemporary interpretation.
• Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of the occult that focused on spiritual enlightenment and the development of personal power through mystical practices.
• By the time the Golden Dawn was in decline, Yeats made a breakthrough in his quest for communication with the spirit world, which took precedence over ritual magic and experimentation.
• This was a turning point in his life and art.

Egyptian Mythology

• Yeats has always shown interest in Egyptian mythology in his works.
• Yeats' use of Egyptian art and mythology mean he was curious and open to more than just Christianity so, was interested in other religions and mythologies were not culturally acceptable at the time.
• Yeats connects Isis with the “Flower of Life," also demonstrated that the symbolism is shared across cultures like Egypt and Ireland.
• The connection of religions and culturals made his works stand out from other writers.
• The combination of cultures created projects that interested people all over the world and not just in specific groups.
• “Somewhere in the sands of the desert/ A shape with a lion body and the head of a man,/ Ag gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,/ Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it/ Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds” (13-17) alludes to a mythological Sphinx found in ancient Egypt, carved in famous pyramids.
• Sphinxes typically symbolize strengths of the Pharaoh, including power, protection, and royalty in order to guard important sites such as tombs and temples.
• Sphinxes are closely associated with the sun god Ra because they are seen as guardians.
• Yeats is combining Egyptian mythology with biblical references and stories allows connections and inferences about the similarities between the cultures.
• Egyptian Mythology is polytheistic, while Christianity is monotheistic.
• The bible is the source of stories, while Egyptian Mythology stories are based on translation of ancient texts and passing down of stories.
• Both religions have prevalent differences, but there are also similarities in core beliefs and ideals within the stories.
• Osiris, an Egyptian god reborn at dawn, connects with the biblical Jesus. Egyptians believed Nun would reclaim the Earth when the world ends, like the biblical Second Coming.
• Yeats was perplexed, which allowed him to create new ideas about religion.

Line by Line Interpretation

• “Turning and turning in the widening gyre/ The falcon cannot hear the falconer” (1-2) represents Yeats' belief in historical cycles, represented by the spiraling cone shape.
• The expansion of the gyre suggests society is moving toward an inevitable collapse, where the established structures no longer hold.
• When the gyre reaches maximum expansion, it will narrow until it reaches the end-point and origin of the new gyre.
• The poem refers to: The Russian Revoultion of 1917, the Easter Uprising of 1916, and The First World War (1914-1918)
• The falcon signifying a loss of control suggests society's disconnection from guiding principles.
• Humans are moving away from the path shown to them by their Creator, so need God's word for guidance.
• Followers of Christ must obey His commandments for safety, joy, and peace.
• “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," (3-4) signals that the center representing stability/control has been lost and unable to maintain order.
• This reflects the effects of World War I: Technology and nationalism have wrought inevitable destruction, resulting in the loss of religious faith and collective purpose.
• "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned;" (5-6) indicates the loss of purity and goodness in a world where the forces of destruction are in the ascendant.
• Innocence itself appears destroyed and drowned by chaos: Alluding to the Russian Revolution and World War I.
• “The best lack all convictions, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity” (7-8)
• The best, wise, and virtuous people are powerless and unmotivated to chaos, while the worst people (those with dangerous destructive beliefs) are impassioned and eager.
• "Surely some revelation is at hand; / Surely the Second Coming is at hand" (9-10)
• The second stanza in the poem has a hopeful tone, as it repeats the word, "surely".
• “The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out / When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi” (11-12) points to society in search of revelation taking the form of a sphinx from the Spiritus Mundi.
• Spiritus Mundi means "world spirit" in Latin, and it refers to humanity's collective unconscious.
• Spiritus Mundi is also connected to the Book of Revelation's prophecy, where faithful Christians find paradise, while those who reject Christ face suffering.
• "Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert / A shape with lion body and the head of a man” (13-14) refers to a monstrous, sphinx-like figure representing a new brutal era marked by violence/destruction.
• “A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, / Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it” (15-16) uses the beast slouching towards Bethlehem to symbolize a new, darker era emerging.
• This new era means the world is in a moral decline that is incapable of humans having empathy.
• The sun, often used to symbolize Jesus, is described as pitiless. In this idea, if people choose to remain that way, then spreading Christian teachings are useless.
• "Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. / The darkness drops again; but now I know" (17-18) uses desert birds that are likely vultures to symbolize death/decay, in order reflect an era of destruction.
• In the Bible, vultures show judgment from God and a spiritual crisis.
• "That twenty centuries of stony sleep / Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle," (19-20) references the prophecy that the Second Coming/Antichrist will arrive after the Crucifixion.
• The calendar begins with Christ's birthday.
• As peace is disturbed, the infant begins to grow upset and angered.
• And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" (21-22)
• Suggests the beast has been waiting for its moment, and insinuates the arrival is not a positive one.
• The Antichrist is being hinted at as he slouched toward Bethlehem to spread evil to replace Jesus.

W.B. Yeats Background

• Yeats co-founded the private poets society called the Rhymers' Club with other authors such as Oscar Wilde after returning to London with his family.
• The Rhymers' Club started as a dining club, but then became more secretive as they met in more isolated locations.

Irish Background

• Yeats witnessed the start of the 1922, Irish Civil War (shortly after end of WWI), which influenced his works to have an ominous tone.
• The Irish culture Yeats knew and grew up included folklore, mythology, and legends that he pulled from in his work.

Georgiana Hyde Lees

• In 1917, Yeats met his wife Georgie, and ultimately used her as inspiration because he felt like was "spiritually valid".

Politics

• Yeats supported the pro-treaty governments and Irish independence.
• In 1928, Yeats assisted the government's new coinage by serving a term in the Irish Senate.
• Being conservative, Yeats connected with fascism/spiritual rejuvenation.
• However, he stayed most loyal to his spiritual beliefs.

Religion

• Yeats grew up Protestant with strong interest in mysticism.

Explore W.B. Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming' through analysis of its key themes, symbolism, and historical context. Understand the meaning of phrases like 'ceremony of innocence' and 'Spiritus Mundi'. Investigate Yeats' occult influences and their impact on the poem's imagery and message.