William Butler Yeats

Reading his biography really made me sad. It seems like he never really got a break from the bad things in life but on the upside it made for some nice poems. I understood but at the same time I didn't quite get "No Second Troy." I really felt this poem because no one ever wants to be rejected or have their heart broken. I thought that it was very flattering that he compared Maud to Helen of Troy (I mean who wouldn't want to be compared to her because she was gorgeous) but at the same time it wasn't necessarily a good thing seeing that the country of Troy was completely destroyed because of her. I get that Maud is like Helen in that she captivated him and all he wanted in this world was to be with her but I'm not quite sure if he is putting himself in the role of Paris or Menelaus. I understand how he could be Menelaus in that he had her in his life and in a sense she belonged to him (of course in case there was absolutely nothing sexual about that relationship). Then she all of a sudden she is lost to him via another man and he desparately wants her back. At the same time I can somewhat see him as Paris in that this beautiful woman that he is so in love with and wants nothing but to be with her essentially (but at the same time unintentionally) destroys his life (in Yeats' case his life is destroyed emotionally while Paris' was destroyed physically and materialistically). This poem was a nice way for him to express the pain and loneliness he felt after Maud rejected his marriage proposal and at the same time it really makes you think about where he is coming from and how he may be dealing with this difficult chapter of his life.