FREE ESSAY ON YEAT'S LONG LEGGED FLY

YEAT'S LONG LEGGED FLY

The Symbolism of "Long Legged Fly"
An analysis of Yeats' poetry 
In his poem "Long Legged Fly", William Butler Yeats, examines the 
notion of human genius, and its many aspects. The apparent theme that Yeats 
attempts to show is that peacefulness is required in order for one to utilize 
their genius ability. The title itself, "Long Legged Fly", has a symbolic 
meaning. It is a metaphor for a tranquil and clear state of mind, which is a 
key ingredient to enhance genius. The people who posses this ability have a 
power that extends above and beyond the ordinary. They appear to hover in 
a separate world of their own in the same way that the fly glides effortlessly 
over water. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each presents a 
different example of human genius from history and contrasts the similarities 
and differences between them.
The first stanza talks about Julius Caesar, a great political and military 
genius of who was responsible for the expansion of the early Roman empire. 
However, in his poem Yeats does not focus on Caesar as a warrior, instead 
he introduces him as a thinker, one who's tactical skills are not derived from 
his actions but from his own careful thought and intellect as "his mind is fixed 
upon nothing, a hand under his head." Most importantly Yeats introduces the 
need for silence in order for a great thinker to achieve full potential for his 
wisdom. Here he stresses to the reader to "quiet the dog, tether the pony to a 
distant post" because these noisy disturbances may interfere with Caesars 
genius ability, for "like a long legged fly upon the stream, his mind moves 
upon silence."
The second stanza deals with Helen of Troy, whose genius transcends 
from her own mystical beauty which resulted in her capture by the Trojan 
prince Paris, marking the beginning of the Trojan war. The first line of this 
stanza, "that the topless towers be burnt", represents the downfall of Troy at 
the end of the war when Helen was finally freed and reunited with her 
husband King Menelaus of Sparta. Helen's genius, although different from 
that of Caesars, is again motivated by peace and silence, without which she 
would not be capable of exhibiting her remarkable gift of beauty and poise. It 
is with this aspect that Yeats commands "move most gently if you must", 
signifying the importance of a calm and tranquil environment for her state of 
mind. Yeats concludes this stanza with the same line stated earlier, "like a 
long legged fly upon the stream his mind moves upon silence."
The third an final stanza describes yet another kind of genius, that of 
the famous artist Michaelangelo who painted the Sistine Chapel. Yeats 
describes Michaelangelo as having an almost supernatural ability from which 
he is inspired by visions which enable him to create his magnificent painting. 
Similarly, as in the previous two stanzas, Yeats again expresses the need for 
peace. This is pointed out when he orders to "shut the door of the 
Pope's chapel, keep those children out." The children must me removed 
because they present a distraction to Michalangelo completing his work.
The obvious theme that is emphasized throughout the poem is the need 
for peace and tranquillity of mind. This seems to be Yeats' central idea to 
developing genius. Each of the three stanzas provide an example of how 
human genius has shaped history and how the ways in which they work have 
the potential to shape the future.