On The Multiplicity Of Symbols In W.b. Yeats's Poetry

Yeats is commonly recognized as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. He wrote poems to create a world of unique symbolism. He pursued the art of poetry consistently creating a colorful and multi-esoteric symbolism. By analyzing the multiplicity of Yeats's symbolic system, the author tries to interpret Yeats's poetic ideas and artistic expressions. Yeats's poems are characterized by aestheticism, romanticism, mysticism and symbolism at varied stages to show the characteristics of the diversity of his symbolic world. Interpretation of Yeats's poetry has shown characteristics that reflect its complexity and relevance, thus, it is necessary to reassess the literary value of Yeats's poetry. Yeats's poems of each period have shown some kind of "ism" which is associated with his grand goal to create a new, complicated and systematic symbolic world. As Yeat's creative goals changed from the desire to have an emotional style to the desire to have a rational or intellectual style, so did his method of symbolism. Therefore, the analysis Yeats's entire poetic output cannot be static or isolated. The aim of this paper is to analyze the development of Yeats's symbolism over time and to strive to be more objective and more accurate in defining the value of Yeats's poetry.Yeats's early poems featured aesthetics characteristics. His reputation was first made publicly known with a poetic collection, The Wanderings of Oisin and Others (1886-1889). In this collection, the poem "The Wanderings of Oisin" presents a kind of romantic aestheticism. Meanwhile, touches of mysticism and hints of symbolism can be detected. Therefore, thorough analysis of the multiplicity of Yeats's poems warns the reader against simplification. Yeats's early poems displayed an ornate style but soon developed a dreamy atmosphere. Yeats made every effort to improve the art of poetry by sustained endeavors in writing. His poetic works span more than half a century, and demonstrate his outstanding talent and language subtlety. This paper is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces aesthetic features of Yeats's symbols and their complexities. Chapter 2 approaches the romantic features of Yeats's symbols and their functions in the development of Yeats's symbolic system. Chapter 3 elaborates on the mystical features of Yeats's symbols. Chapter 4 discusses Yeats's symbols that contain post symbolic features. In the conclusion, the author reassesses Yeats's literary contribution.In the analysis of the interwoven relations between this multiplicity and various-isms, with terms employed by critics such as aestheticism, romanticism, realism, mysticism and symbolism, the author has found the associations of each of these-isms with Yeats's grand objective in his ideology where Yeats's spiritual, intellectual, and artistic achievements can be revealed and reassessed.