All versions of the story of “Leda and the Swan” tell of the violent rape of the young woman by a lustful god. Each story describes in detail the despicable act and each give a slight foreshadow to future events that will spawn from this depraved scene. The only version that does not go into detail of the attack or foreshadows impending doom is the version written by Mona Van Duyn. In which she provides a modern, female perspective of the rape of Leda.
Originally the poem was not titled “Leda and the Swan” it was called “Annunciation” by Yeats. The first draft was written in 1923 and seems to be one of the vaguest versions of the rape. There is very little describing the act, at least compared with later versions of the story. Also there is very little attention paid to the emotions felt by Leda during the rape. Another sign that this is definitely a first draft is the seemingly incomplete thoughts on each line. It is almost as if Yeats was trying to say more on each line than he could actually fit in the stanza structure. This fact seems to be remedied slightly in later versions to help give some kind of flow and depth to the piece. Overall this first draft can be easily seen as such for its difficult language, vague details, and incomplete thoughts.
The 1924 version is the first of the poems to be given the poem’s now famous title of “Leda and the Swan.” This is also a version in which his wording becomes slightly less cryptic and easier to understand the scene being portrayed. Even though the poem has been called “one of the most technically masterful poems ever written in English” (Napierkowski), it can be hard to decipher to the average reader. This second version goes into more depth on the initial attack of Leda by Zeus, “a rush, a sudden wheel, and hovering still the bird descends,” (Barnet, 140). Later the actual rape is described in more vivid details somewhat easier to understand than in the original version. This version of the poem also seems to show more of the fact that Leda was actually raped and not seduced as debated by some critics, “and that all-powerful bill has laid her helpless face upon his breast,” (Barnet, 140). The mention of the word “helpless” implies that she was not consenting to the act and that it was in fact a rape. This revision is a great improvement on the original draft in that the imagery is easier to visualize, the lines now contain a thought process that flows easily from one line to the next, and that Yeats ends the debate on whether this was rape or consensual sex.
Yeats’ third and final draft is not actually a revision so much as it is a restructuring of the poem. The poem is broken from its original sonnet structure into four separate stanzas. This also breaks up the massive section with numerous thoughts in one continuous paragraph into smaller sections all following their own separate idea allowing the poem to flow much easier than before. Another interesting addition is the line “the great wings beating still above the staggering girl,” (Barnet, 140). The addition of the word “girl” adds a much more personal touch to the poem. The girl could be someone you know or at the very least someone that may have been. Adding this piece humanizes the somewhat mythological story. This final revision by Yeats in 1933 allows the poem to be understood by any reader regardless of if they know the history behind the scene, and provides a window for personal insight into the story.
Another version of the story of Leda and the Swan was not written by Yeats but rather by Mona Van Duyn, and adds a feminine perspective to the story of the rape of a young woman. The largest and most obvious difference from this story and any of the past versions can be scene without evening reading the story. With a female author behind the pen the story immediately takes a 180 degree turn in language and style. Duyn’s version is not even a rewrite as it is a reaction to the story as it follows the last line of Yeats’ poem placed at its beginning. In the first half of the story Duyn writes with the premise that Zeus is like a common rapist roaming the dark streets of a nameless city stalking the innocent. She later goes on to describe Leda’s state of mind during the rape. That she regressed within herself and tried to hide in her mind. Later Duyn goes on to describe the story in modern imagery, almost transferring the story into the modern equivalent of a rape, or at least in terms a modern reader could understand. It almost sounds as if Duyn is doing a physiological analysis of Leda, or she is Leda’s counselor and is describing how Leda felt during the rape. This version of the story could not be any further from the original versions written by Yeats in the 20s and 30s. But it gives the story a victim’s perspective which is unseen in any of Yeats’ versions of “Leda and the Swan.”
The story of Leda and the Swan is a dark tale of a young girl having her innocence taken from her by a lustful god. Yeats’ story started with confusing thoughts and imagery but was perfected over several versions to a story with an aligned thought process and clear imagery. Later a new version written by Duyn gave a female perspective to a story of a strong masculine god raping a poor girl who did no wrong. So while Yeats tells us the story with imagery and allusions Duyn gives us a humanizing perspective by telling the tale through the victim’s eyes.
Self-Reflection
Do the main paragraphs support the argument? Does the argument make sense?
Is there enough supporting evidence in the main body paragraphs, mainly outside sources, to support the argument?
I had some difficulty writing this paper and trying to evaluate all the different aspects that changed with each new draft of the story. Comparing versions of the same work turned out trickier than I expected. Even the slightest changes in a poem can have a drastic effect on the tone or even meaning of the poem. I believe that I may need to go back and reread the poems again and check to make sure that I covered all changes and their possible effect on the poem.
