The Silent Victim of a Sonnet: Ethicality of “Leda and the Swan”

Literature is an indispensable tool in understanding the interconnected nature of our human experience and shared history. Specifically, poetry initiates discussions about our social institutions through the use of literary devices. William Butler Yeats is well-known for the rich imagery, mythological allusions, and Irish nationalism within his poetry. However, when Yeats combined his poetic techniques for “Leda and the Swan”, it sparked critical debate over its ethical implications. Often interpreted as allegory for England’s suffocation of Irish nationalists, the poem’s use of a myth of sexual violence risks the reinforcement of the male gaze and its romanticization of female trauma. Scholars have acknowledged the power imbalance between Leda and Zeus countlessly, but have not fully examined how Yeats’ choice of language and form blur the line between condemnation and glorification. Through the lens of feminist theory and close reading, this analysis argues that through Yeats’ use of Leda’s rape as a representation of Ireland’s fight for independence, the poem reinforces the patriarchal social constructs that accept and aestheticize violence against women. Throughout this analysis, I will discuss how poetry can mask the violent reality of the male gaze. Ultimately, my goal is to establish the problematic nature of Yeats’ deliberate choice of words in the poem’s composition, and its devastating consequence: the oppressive silencing of Leda.