Introduction to “The Second Coming”
William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming” is one of the most prominent examples of the works created during the period of modernism that mirrors the chaos of the epoch. It was written in 1919. The poem reflects the spirit of the people after the First World War and the mood of the Irish nationalist, who was a theosophist and a believer in the cyclical nature of history. Yeats depicts the world’s future as dark.
The very title of the play is taken from the New Testament, the Second Coming of Christ; however, what Yeats expects is quite opposite to the message of redemption. The poem can be read as an essay in the themes of cultural and moral decay, chaos, and the genesis of a new, and, perhaps, post-human order.
Themes in “The Second Coming”
Theme#1
Chaos and Anarchy
It is one of the significant theme in poem. The author starts the poem with a evocative description of the world twisting out of control:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
In the beginning stanza of the poem, the author employs the metaphor of a falcon that has lost connection with its falconer to reflect the descend of the societal structures. The “widening gyre” shows the ever-increasing chaos, where traditional values and institutions no longer impart stability. The phrase “things fall apart” has become eminent, which indicates the poem’s vision of a world where the basis of the society are decayed.
The idea that “the centre cannot hold” evinces that the fundamental values that once carried the society together are now ineffectual. The result is “mere anarchy” escalating across the world, a tide of violence and disorder that drowns innocence and decency. The theme unfolds the belief of Yeats in the recurring nature of the history, where phases of stability are inevitably followed by chaos.
Theme#2
The End of an Era
The author also unfolds the theme of the end of an era. This reflects that the current time is ending and and the new darker era is starting. This theme has been elaborately discussed in the following lines:
“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 Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.”
In this stanza, the author propounds that the old world is on the edge of collapse, and a new horrible force is about to appear. The “Second Coming” in the poem is not the Christian view of Christ’s return, but rather the birth of a monstrous figure, which reflects the dawn of a new and menacing period.
The “vast image out of Spiritus Mundi” indicates the collective mind that Yeats believed held all the common images and experiences shared by humanity. The creature with “lion body and the head of a man” is a mutilated symbol of the new age—an age that is blank, merciless and devoid of human sympathy. The “indignant desert birds” revolving the beast propose that even nature itself is demurring from this new and unnatural order.
Theme#3
Prophecy and Revelation
Prophecy and the revelation is one of the key themes in the poem. Yeats sees the poem as a prediction, which reflects warning new coming world order, that is both certain and terrible:
“The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
The poem contains an apocalyptic vision. The phrase ‘the darkness drops again’ symbolizes the return to a state of ignorance, however at this time, Yeats claims that he knows what is coming. The phrase ‘twenty centuries of stony sleep’ points out to the two millennia since the incarnation of Christ: yet to Yeats’ vision, this time is as wakeful, as fevered, as full of nightmares as it is not of repose.
The ‘rocking cradle’ symbolizes birth but not of a divine prophet but a new force that has arrived ‘slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.’ Bethlehem is a Christian symbol of birth of Christ and is used here with the intention of shockingly reversing the connotations of the Christian narrative with a ‘rough beast. This new birth withers away the possibility of a savior and brings in a monster which for Yeats is a sign of the ‘manus gods,’ the new order that is soon to come.
See also: Themes in the Chimney Sweeper
Theme#4
The Failure of Human Morality
Another important theme in the poem is the failure of human morality and the loss of moral direction. The author introduces the world where the moral values have shattered leaving the humanity in a state of spiritual and ethical decay:
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
The line reflects the moral breakdown that serves as the poem’s premise. Yeats opposes ‘the best’ to ‘the worst’. ‘The best’ clearly reflects the people who should know and act righteously, however, they only stagnate and do nothing due to the doubts. Such hesitation is indicative of the society’s refusal to believe in once-trusted moral principles as well as willingness to confront evil forces.
On the other hand, “the worst” is experienced based on “passionate intensity” meaning that those held with negative or destructive values are the ones acting, steering the world to further degradation. This theme is reminiscent of Yeats’ anxieties about the breakdown of the old ethical order in the contemporary society and his growing apprehension about the anti-heroic spiritual powers which will take over in this new age largely due to lack of leadership.
Theme#5
The Inevitability of Historical Cycles
Yeats was under control by his belief in the recurrent nature of the history and this is the primary theme in the poem. The poem propounds that the history is not a straightforward development, but a series of rounds, each reflects the rise and fall of the civilization:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…”
The meaning of the ‘‘widening gyre’’ is that regarding the circle of history, the intervals of order are succeeded by the intervals of anarchy. The image of the climbing falcon leaving the falconer signifies the cycle’s deterioration and the collapse of order at the crown of every circle. Based on this cycle, Yeats thought that history came to a close as something is destroyed before a new start, sometimes characterized by the appearance of a completely new world system.
In the poem, the current cycle is coming to a disastrous end. It leads to a new and terrible period. This idea reflects the view of Yeats that history repeats itself in cycles, which shaped by forces beyond our control, and his belief that the world is about to experience a major and disturbing change.
Poetic Devices Used in “The Second Coming”
Metaphor: The falcon, sphinx and slouching beast are all metaphorical symbols, which Yeats uses to portray the societal failure and ominous change approaching. The spiraling and out of control falcon reflects chaos and turmoil, while the ominous sphinx and “rough beast” indicate at a powerful, primitive force overtaking civilization.
Alliteration: Phrases like “stony sleep” and “veil of tears” employ alliteration (repetition of initial consonant sounds) to create the mournful tone of the poem. The repetition of “s” sounds invoke a sense of despair.
Imagery: Stark and deep rooted imagery evinces the sensation of a world in disorder. The descriptions, such as “the falcon cannot hear the falconer” and “the ceremony of innocence is drowned” create chilling, memorable visuals.
Symbolism: The sphinx, falcon, Spiritus Mundi (world spirit), and Bethlehem all are symbols of different aspects. The sphinx represents ancient Egypt, Spiritus Mundi a collective soul, Bethlehem the birth of Christianity, and the falcon uncontrolled chaos.
Juxtaposition: The careful balance of the falcon at the beginning and the slouching beast nearing Bethlehem at the end creates an ominous juxtaposition. The contrast highlights societal tension.
Anaphora: Repeating “surely” at the start of lines in the first stanza creates an incantatory tone and sense of alarm at what is unfolding.
Rhyme: While not perfectly rhyming, phrases like “flight/night” and “sight/light” create loose slant rhymes that add to the poem’s musicality.
Enjambment: Lines break mid-clause with no punctuation, building tension through enjambment as the sentence continues across multiple lines.
Summary of “The Second Coming”
“The Second Coming” portrays a catastrophic vision of the world turning in disruption and anarchy as a new order threatens to emerge and replace Christianity. The poem starts with the imagery of a falcon losing control as it spirals upwards. This chaos is a metaphor for the speaker’s vision of the world falling apart.
The second stanza unfolds the “rough beast” of a mysterious new age poking towards Bethlehem to be born, propounding ominous upheaval and change. There are layers of symbolism, with the Sphinx reflecting Egypt and the Spiritus Mundi depicting a collective soul.
Overall the poem indicates the themes of revolution, impending societal metamorphosis, and the cyclic nature of time as humanity stands on the brink of a new era. The vivid imagery portrays an unsettled, chaotic world awaiting a monumental but ambiguous transformation.
