Easter 1916 (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Butler Yeats
- First Published: 1920
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Revolutionaries, Revolutions, 1910’s, World War I, Martyrs or martyrdom, Ireland or Irish people, Great Britain, Easter
The Poem
“Easter 1916” is a poem of four stanzas, with sixteen lines in the first and third, and twenty-four lines in the second and fourth. One of William Butler Yeats’s best-known political poems, it was written shortly after the Irish Republican uprising against the British government in April of 1916, although it was not published until 1920. “Easter 1916” is one of several poems that Yeats composed during the Irish national struggle against the English, which lasted until an independent Irish state was created in 1922.
In a first-person voice that conveys...
[The entire page is 1493 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
