No Second Troy by W. B. Yeats
Yeats was involved in Irish politics for most of his life. As a propagandist for the nationalist cause, he was active in his younger years, promoting interest in Irish cultural language in particular literature, both of the past and the modern canon. He was a member of the revolutionary party, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, for a brief period, attracted in particular by his all- consuming, yet unrequited love of Maude Gonne, a pioneer in revolt against English rule. He met Lady Augusta Gregory in 1896, and he helped found the Irish National Theatre, the home of the Abbey Players, as a result of her patronage and his part- nership with her. He was appointed to the Senate of the new Irish Free State in 1922.
Summary of No Second Troy:
The poem "No Second Troy" was published in the collection The Green Helmet and Other Poems (1910). The subject of the poem is the unrequited love of the poet for Maud Gonne, the beautiful and Irish nationalist firebrand, who he met in 1889, and instantly fell in love with. Though she was Yeats's friend and collaborated with him as actor in the Irish plays the writer produced at the Abbey Theatre and Yeats would often visit her and show her his poems, she never returned his love. However, Yeats remained fascinated by her beauty and personality all his life. After her husband Major John McBride's death in the 1916 Easter uprising, Yeats again pro- posed to Gonne, hoping that she might accept his love, but she again turned down his proposal. Thereupon, he proposed to her daughter but was to be disappointed yet again.
In "No Second Troy", Yeats works admits his infatuation for Gonne, while successfully coming out of the provocation to blame her for causing him emotional misery by refusing his love. To express the extraordinary beauty of Gonne, Yeats invokes a com- parison with Helen of Troy, the most beautiful and controversial woman of the classical world, who was the cause behind the Trojan War, as sung in Homer's Iliad. However, the poet goes beyond his romantic attraction towards Gonne. In his elevation of the beauty of Gonne and his 'misery, even as he brings Helen in the context, the poet snubs the middle-class Irish people, who lack the ability and resolution to understand her extraordinary character and personality and rise to her expectations. The age itself does not deserve Maud Gonne, who is so much like the Helen of Troy.
Analysis of No Second Troy
The poem is structured by four rhetorical questions. Gram- matically, it is grouped into two sections of fives lines each, fol- lowed by two lines. In the first five lines using the first rhetorical question, the poet absolves Maud Gonne from the blame of be- ing the cause of his misery, as well as for exciting the unworthy men to chaotic violence. In the second group of five lines, pos- ing the second rhetorical question, the poet ironically states that the middle-class Irish people had no moral strength to equal their 'desire' of a free Ireland, and wonders how a woman of such noble and tranquil mind, as well as exceptional character and beauty as Maud Gonne could, find peace in an age so mean. In the last two lines, containing the third and fourth rhetorical ques- tions, the poet makes explicit her comparison with Helen of Troy, but regrets metaphorically that Ireland was no Troy to burn for Gonne, as Troy had done for Helen.
The poem comes across as Yeats' William Butler Yeats s at- tempt to reconcile with the rejection by Maud Gonne by over- coming the consternation caused by his unrequited love to blame her. In the same imaginative sweep, however, he also sees an opportunity to resent finds the Sinn Fein men, the rabble that found the better of Maud Gonne as was their leader, and wife of John MacBride, the Irish nationalist was executed for his role in the Easter Uprising. Yeats no doubt disliked MacBride; even in the poem "Easter 1916" written on the Uprising, Yeats could not hide his jealousy and dislike for MacBride:
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vain-glorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart
Yet I number him in the song
To Yeats, the coarse and plebian mob that Gonne led in dif- ferent revolutionary activities, and who she chose over the love of Yeats hardly deserved a royal mind and classic beauty that she embodied:
, or that she would of late
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, Or hurled the little streets upon the great,
Had they but courage equal to desire?
The juxtaposition of the images "little street" and "the great" confirms Yeats's faith in the aristocratic lineage and his enthusi- asm for the traditional Irish society under the protection of the aristocratic lords. The agents of nationalism therefore for him should have been noble and valiant men of the upper class rather than the "ignorant men," who have no physical or moral "cour- age equal to desire."
The poet employs two similes to suggest the nobility of Gonne's mind and her extraordinary beauty:
What could have made her peaceful with a mind That nobleness made simple as fire With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind That is not natural in an age like this,
It is the exalted nature of her mind, as pure "as fire," as well as her physical "beauty like a tightened bow" that gives her superiority over the crowd, and makes her presence out of place "in an age like this." In the smile "beauty like a tightened bow," the word/ob-ject "bow" transforms into a symbol of sternness and grace, a mix of austerity and passionate action, restraint and violence.
In the final movement of the poem, Yeats wonders what would Maud Gonne do knowing what she is, as there was no another Troy to burn for her.
Form
The poem is in the form of a sonnet, with an exception. It does not have the couplet that ends a sonnet. It has 12 lines, whereas a sonnet has 14 lines.
Shakespeare's sonnet no. 126 only has 12 lines rather than 14. Unlike grammatically, the rhyme scheme structures the poem into three quatrains of 4 lines each: abab, cdcd, efef. The metre employed, as in a sonnet, is that of iambic pentameter, in which five stressed syllables each follow an unstressed syllable. In other words, an iambic pentameter line would contain 10 syllables set in a pattern in which an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable:
What could have made her peace-ful with a mind.
Critical Explanation
L. 1. Her-Maud Gonne whom Yeats loved.
L. 1-2. Filled my days with misery-These words allude to the feet of Maud Gonne's turning down the poet's proposal of marriage. Yeats was deeply in love with her. Maud's refusal caused him great agony.
L. 3. Ignorant men-unsophisticated Irish people.
L. 3. Most violent ways to take to violent or destructive path.
L. 4. Hurled the little streets upon the great incited the people to revolt against the authority 'little streets' stand for the 'Irish masses' or 'the common man of Ireland. It is expressive of the Poet's contempt for the common man of Ireland for being misguided by the revolutionaries. By the term 'great' is meant to the 'people in authority.'
L. 7. Nobleness-It expresses Maud Gonne's nobility of soul and the selfless devotion to the cause of the Irish people.
L. 7. Simple refers to the single-minded devotion of Maud Gonne to the cause of the people of Ireland. Such devotion is a sign of the simplicity and the nobility of her soul.
L. 8. Tightened Now this image is used to describe the beauty of Maud Gonne which had a certain sternness about it and which had become a part of her personality because of her unrelenting struggle against the people in authority.
L. 10. High and solitary and most stern-These words de- scribe Maud's personality.
L. 11-12. Why, what could she "to bum"-In ancient times, it is said, Troy was destroyed because of Helen. The implication of these lines is that although Maud Gonne was another Helen, she could not, in the changed circumstances, cause another Ti- ojan war. In the changed circumstances she could only cause useless bloodshed and anarchy.
Short Type Questions & Answers:
1. What is the full name of W.B. Yeats?
Ans: William Butler Yeats.
2. Where was the poem 'No Second Troy' published?
Ans: 'No Second Troy' was published in the collection 'The Green Helmet and Other Poems' (1910).
3. What is the subject of the poem?
Ans: The subject of the poem is the unrequited love of the poet for Maud Gonne.
4. Name the husband of Maud Gonne.
Ans: Major John McBride.
5. Who was Helen?
Ans: The Greek mythological character Helen was the cause behind the Trojan War as a result of which the city of Troy was burnt into ashes.
6. What is a rhetorical question?
Ans: Rhetorical question is a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
7. How many rhetorical questions are there in the poem?
Ans: Four rhetorical questions.
8. What is the form of the poem?
Ans: It is a Shakespearean sonnet though there is the abs rice of the last couplet.
9. Which figures of speech is used in the line, 'Beauty like a tightened bow?
Ans: Simile.
10. Why is the poet unhappy?
Ans: The poet is unhappy that Maud Gonne has not responded to his love.
Short & Long Questions Answers of No Second Troy:
Q. 1 Who was the Helen of Troy alluded to in the poem?
Answer: Helen of Troy was daughter of the Greek god Zeus, and Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. The seduction of Leda by Zeus in the form of a swan is the subject of Yeats's poem "Leda and Swan." Helen was abducted by Paris, the Prince of Troy, which resulted in the Trojan War fought between the Greek states and Troy.
Q. 2 What is the significance of the title "No Second Troy"?
Answer: The title gives a unity to the thought of the poem. The poem is a comment on the fallen values of the time. Even as Ireland desperately needs a cultural and political revolution against the colonial occupation of Britain, the middle class is too engrossed in its mechanical routine and mercantile ambitions to worry about the country. Comparing Maud Gonne with Helen, Yeats says though she is equally beautiful and noble, Ireland is not the place she deserved, as it would not be truly inspired as Troy was by Helen. There would be 'no second Troy.'
Q. 3 Why does the poet consider the people of his era and time not deserving Maud Gonne?
Answer: The poet reprimands the Irish people of his age to be a violent mob, lacking the nobility of mind that Gonne possesses; they lack courage and conviction and are driven by desires. Therefore, the poet says, Maud Gonne is born with a physical beauty and mental nobility "not natural in this age."
Q. 4 What does Yeats propose the solution of independence?
Answer: He says that violence is not the only way to get freedom for Ireland. There is a peace way too. He is of the view that the task that can be done just by peace movement is turned to revolution.
Q. 5 Why, according to Yeats. Maud has no way to go further?
Answer: Yeats says that though Maud is beautiful like Helen, she can't create more violence because there is no other city of Troy to destroy. So she should give up the path that leads to violence
Q. 6 What is the structure of the poem?
Answer: The poem is consisting of twelve lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF
Q. 7 Who is the subject of "No Second Troy," and what is the meaning of the classical allusion?
Answer: The subject of "No Second Troy" is Maude Gonne, Yeats's friend and the woman he tried, but failed, to marry. The meaning of the classical allusion is that Maude, in her advocacy of revolutionary violence, is like Helen of Troy, whose elopement with Paris started the Trojan War and led to bloodshed and destruction.
8. Who was the Helen of Troy alluded to in the poem?
Ans: Helen of Troy was the daughter of the Greck God Zeus and Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. Helen was abducted by Paris, the Prince of Troy, which resulted in the Trojan War fought between the Greek states and Troy.
9. What is the significance of the title "No Second Troy"?
Ans: The title gives a unity to the thought of the poem. The poem is a comment on the fallen values of the time. Even as Ireland desperately needs a cultural and political revolution against the colonial occupation of Britain, the middle class is too engrossed in its mechanical routine and mercantile ambitions to worry about the country. Comparing Maud Gonne with Helen, Yeats says, though she is equally beautiful and noble, Ireland is not the place she deserved, as it would not be truly inspired as Troy was by Helen. There would be 'no second Troy.'
10. Why does the poet consider the people of his era and time not deserving Maud Gonne?
Ans: The poet reprimands the Irish people of his age to be a violent mob, lacking the nobility of mind that Gonne possesses, they lack courage and conviction and are driven by desires. Therefore, the poet says, Maud Gonne is born with a physical beauty and mental nobility "not natural in this age."
11. How does the poet rebuke the Irish people?
Ans: The poet reprimands the Irish people of his age to be a violent mob, lacking the nobility of mind. that Gonne possesses, they lack courage and conviction and are driven by desires. The poet snubs the middle-class Irish people, who lack the ability and resolution to understand her extraordinary character and personality and rise to her expectations. The age itself does not deserve Maud Gonne, who is so much like the Helen of Troy.
12. How does the poet express his faith in the aristocratic lineage?
Ans: The juxtaposition of the images 'little street' and 'the great' confirms Yeats's faith in the aristocratic lineage and his enthusiasm for the traditional Irish society under the protection of the aristocratic lords. The agents of nationalism therefore for him should have been noble and valiant men of the upper class rather than the 'ignorant men', who have no physical or moral 'courage equal to desire'.
13. What are the two similes employed by the poet to suggest the nobility and extraordinary beauty of Maud Gonne?
Ans: The poet employs two similes to suggest the nobility of Gonne's mind and her extraordinary beauty: It is the exalted nature of her mind, as pure 'as fire', as well as her physical 'beauty like a tightened bow' that gives her superiority over crowd, and makes her presence out of place 'in an age like this'. In the simile 'beauty like a tightened bow', the word/object 'bow' transforms into a symbol of sternness and grace, a mix of austerity and passionate action, restraint and violence.
14. When did Yeats write the poem?
Ans: 'No Second Troy' was written after Maud Gonne's final rejection of Yeats's love offer and sudden marriage to John MacBride, who, ironically was later made the martyr of Irish Freedom Movement by the efforts of Yeats himself.
15. What does the poet mean by the phrase, 'most violent ways'?
Ans: It is a reference to the different international associations of Maud Gonne and her tacit involvement in the situations as divergent as the Boer War and the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
16. Write a critical appreciation of the poem "No Second Troy'.
Ans: "No Second Troy' is a short lyric poem by W. B Yeats. The lyric poem graphically presents the fiery personality of Maud Bonne, whom the poet loved with his heart and soul. No other poet has painted his beloved more vividly than Yeats in this short lyric. The poet vindicates her position and status and also ventilates his agony in an indirect, personal way. Maud Gonne, the lady with extra ordinary beauty did to the poet what another lady with extraordinary beauty would have done. The poet draws in the testimony of history in support of his allegation. The personal and the particular are linked up with the cyclic process of history. The particular has been categorized as general. The poet has expanded the scope of the lyric by compressing vastness into a narrow campus. He has effected a fusion of the past, the present and the future by using Helen- image. The use of the image gives an impression of simultaneous compression and expansion, accompanied by a corresponding increase in intensity.
17. What is the significance of the title 'No Second Troy"
Ans: The title, "No Second Troy," alludes to ancient Gr history. The destruction of Troy, as depicted in Homer's Iliad Virgil's Aeneid, is perhaps the most famous epic event in literature. Yeats knew his Greek history inside and out, and so we're not too surprised by his choice.
The important thing is neither Troy nor the ancient Greeks. are mentioned specifically until the last line of the poem. By the end, the reader is expected to know that Yeats is comparing the female figure in the poem to the notorious Helen of Troy. The title is something of a joke: the speaker is saying that if there had only been another Troy to burn, Maud Gonne wouldn't have needed to cause so much trouble in Ireland. Sadly, for the speaker and his country, there are no ancient cities lying around in need of a good burning.
Model Questions of No Second Troy
Q. 1 Who was the Helen of Troy alluded to in the poem?
Ans: Helen of Troy was daughter of the Greek god Zeus, and Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. The seduction of Leda by Zeus in the form of a swan is the subject of Yeats's poem "Leda and Swan."Helen was abducted by Paris, the Prince of Troy, which resulted in the Trojan War fought between the Greek states and Troy.
Q. 2 What is the significance of the title "No Second Troy"?
Ans: The title gives a unity to the thought of the poem. The poem is a comment on the fallen values of the time. Even as Ireland desperately needs a cultural and political revolution against the colonial occupation of Britain, the middle class is too engrossed in its mechanical routine and mercantile ambi- tions to worry about the country. Comparing Maud Gonne with Helen, Yeats says though she is equally beautiful and noble, Ire- land is not the place she deserved, as it would not be truly in- spired as Troy was by Helen. There would be 'no second Troy.’
Q. 3 Why does the poet consider the people of his era and time not deserving Maud Gonne?
Ans: The poet reprimands the Irish people of his age to be a violent mob, lacking the nobility of mind that Gonne possesses; they lack courage and conviction and are driven by desires. There- fore, the poet sayş, Maud Gonne is born with a physical beauty and mental nobility "not natural in this age."
Q. 4 When No Second Troy was published?
Ans: It was published in 1916 in the collection of Responsi- bilities and Other Poems.
Q. 5 What is the subject of the poem?
Ans: The subject of the poem is Yeats beloved Maud. He compares her to Helen of Troy who caused the destruction of splendid city of Tory.
Q. 6 Why does the poet blame Maud?
Ans: The poet blames Maud of betraying innocent people of Ireland with her attractive beauty. She, he says, with the help of her splendid voice turned the people into violence. She has played with their emotions.
Q. 7 What does Yeats propose the solution of independence?
Ans: He says that violence is not the only way to get free- dom for Ireland. There is a peace way too. He is of the view that the task that can be done just by peace movement is turned to revolution.
Q. 8 Why, according to Yeats, Maud has no way to go fur- ther?
Ans: Yeats says that though Maud is beautiful like Helen, she can't create more violence because there is no other city of Troy to destroy. So she should give up the path that leads to violence.
Q. 9 What is the structure of the poem?
Ans: The poem is consisting of twelve lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF.
Q. 10 Explain the poem "No Second Troy" by W. B. Yeats.
Ans: Why should I blame her that she filled my days With misery, or that she would of late Yeats had fallen in love with Maud Gonne. But she refused Yeats proposal of marriage several times. This unrequited love caused Yeats lot of pain and misery throughout his life.
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, Or hurled the little streets upon the great,
Had they but courage equal to desire?
What could have made her peaceful with a mind
This poem was written when Ireland was fighting against England for independence. Yeats believed that Maud's revolu- tionary ardour and strong Republicanism was teaching common, ignorant Irishmen violence and hatred. She destroyed their hap- piness and peace. Yeats held that before embarking upon this war for independence, Irishmen need to have a self-identity, cour- age and spiritual unity. Maud was accused to be responsible for Irish turmoil. Yeats never wanted Maud to jump into politics and Nationalists war. He asks if it were possible for her to stop all this and be peaceful.
that nobleness made simple as a fire, with beauty like a tightened bow, a kind that is not natural in an age like this, being high and solitary and most stern?
Yeats believes that Maud was not representative of her age.
Her leadership skills, stern principles, fierce beauty, intense com- mitment, and unparalleled bravery reminded him of Aristocratic ideals. Her heroic mask was at odds with the modern sensibility. Her beauty is being compared to a tightened bow which high- lights grace as well as tension and taut.
Why, what could she have done being what she is?
Was there another Troy for her to burn?
In ancient Greek mythology, a place called Troy was devas- tated by the Greeks in the Trojan War after Helen, the wife of king Menelaus (Sparta, Greek) ran away with Paris, the prince of Troy. Apparently, it was Helen, the most beautiful woman of Greece, who was blamed to be responsible for the destruction of Troy.
Yeats tries to create a parallel between Helen of Troy and Maud Gonne as well as between the Trojan War and the anti- British, revolutionary activities of Irishmen. Like Helen, he blames Maud for filling Irishmen with hatred and violence, and causing bloodshed and destruction.
Q. 11. Who is the subject of "No Second Troy," and what is the meaning of the classical allusion?
Ans: Yeats loved Maude Gonne, and proposed to her on a number of occasions. But she always turned him down. Not long after she rejected another of his marriage proposals, Maude mar- ried John MacBride, who was later famously described by Yeats in "Easter, 1916" as "a drunken, vainglorious lout."
In "No Second Troy," Yeats draws disturbing parallels be- tween Maude Gonne and Helen of Troy. It was the elopement of the beautiful Helen with Paris that precipitated the Trojan War. an epic conflict which, according to legend, lasted for ten years until the city of Troy was finally breached and burned to the ground by the Achaeans.
Yeats makes this rather unflattering comparison because he sees Maude, for all her remarkable beauty and intelligence, as having a dark, dangerous side to her. The object of Yeats's unre- quited love was a passionate Irish nationalist and advocated vio- lence as a means of bringing British colonial rule to an end. This is what Yeats is referring to when he claims that Maude nad
[T]aught to ignorant men most violent ways.
Yeats is clearly uneasy with Maude's predilection for revolu- tionary violence. He sincerely hopes that she, and other nation- alist firebrands, will not turn Ireland into a second Troy with all the bloodshed, chaos, and suffering that it would entail.
Q. 12. Write a Critical Appreciation of the poem "No Sec- ond Troy"
Ans: 'No Second Troy' is one of the many poems that Yeats wrote about Maud Gonne with whom he remained in love till the end of his life, but she did not respond to his deep rooted love. The poem is partly a criticism of Maud Gonne and partly a tribute to her. She had nobleness, fiery mind and beauty like 'a tightened bow'. She was such a woman as was not natural in any age because she was 'high solitary and most stern'. She was like 'Helen of Troy'.
Occasion:
The poem is supposed to have been written between 1906 and 1907. It was published in 'The Green Hemlet and Other Poems' in 1910. Yeats was introduced to Maud Gonne in 1888. She was very beautiful. Yeats fell in love with her. She wanted to free Ireland from the British rule through violent revolution- ary means. Yeats was also patriotic but he was peace - loving and wanted to win freedom through peaceful ways. Yeats pro- posed to Maud Gonne several times, but she always refused to marry him. He loved her for 15 years till she married Major John Macbride. Her marriage drowned him in great grief and he be- gan to write love - lyrics of intense passion and in praise of her beauty. The present lyric is one of those lyrics.
The Contents of the Poem:
The poet should not blame Maud Gonne, his cruel beloved who has made his life sad by marrying John Macbride. He has no reason to blame her for instigating the common ignorant people to revolt against the British rule, because she could not adopt any peaceful means. Being high hearted, lofty souled and most unrelenting she was unique and solitary. Her beauty was as aggressive as a tightened bow. By virtue of her above mentioned qualities she was such a woman as is not available in any age normally. She is like Helen of Troy. Being like Helen she could not have otherwise. She burnt down the Troy of the poet's heart as Helen destroyed Troy by eloping with her lover Paris.
Single Metaphor:
The poet has based his thought on a single metaphor that Maud Gonne is beyond blame being 'Helen of Troy' in a new appearance. The key - symbol is 'Troy'. 'Was there another. Troy her to burn?' suggests that she is Helen and the poet is Paris. He hid her image in his heart as Paris hid Helen in the palace of Troy so the poet's heart becomes Troy. The presence of Helen caused the destruction of Troy. Similarly, the presence of Maud Gonne's image burnt down the Troy of the poet's heart. It was burnt down when she married another man named Major John Macbride. The difference between Helen and Maud Gonne is that Helen got reconciled with her husband Menelaus after the fall of Troy while Maud Gonne never accepted the poet's pro- posal of marriage.
Imagery and Symbols:
The poem is full of wonderful images. Maud Gonne's beau- tiful form is likened to 'a tightened bow', implying that it was ready to kill the lover. Her nature is as hot as fire. Maud Gonne is likened to Helen and the poet to Paris, Helen's lover. The poet's heart is Troy. The little streets stand for the common poor people of Ireland and the great for the aristocratic people. Yeats criticises Maud Gonne for her cruel behaviour and her violent political revolutionary ways. His disapproval of her political aggressive- ness finds expression in the third line where Maud Gonne is shown as teaching 'to the ignorant men most violent ways'. The poem ends with 'Was there another Troy for her to burn?' imply- ing that she could not cause any other Trojan War.
Metre and Rhythm:
The metre of the poem is iambic pentameter of the English ballad. It is also called ballad metre. Besides the five iambic feet, ten syllables, in each verse, there is here and there an extra syllable at the end, for the sake of rhyme. The rhythm is iambic but that of folk singers of the ballad. Here and there it is charac- terized by a variety of descending rhythm. The rhythm is force-ful as in the following line: 'Or hurled the little streets upon the great'.
In the last two lincs the rhythm is symbolical. Maud Gonne is Helen of Troy and the poet is Paris. His heart is Troy in which is lodged the image of Maud Gonne. She burnt down the heart of the poet but there was no other Troy for her to burn. As a Lyric: The feeling of the poet is genuine and sincere but lacks warmth. He introduces his own views and beliefs. His feeling is ruled by the rhetoric. He has time to make cool calculations of rhythm and metre. The flow of the poetic feeling is, however, spontaneous, not forced. It is because the poetic feeling is re- lated to the poet's beloved whose mention could raise a storm in his heart. The poet praises Maud Gonne for her beauty but criticises her for her stern, cruel and violent political ways.
Conclusion:
'No Second Troy' is a wonderful lyric. It has poetic emotion of striking quality. The poet praises his beloved's beauty by com- paring her to Helen of Troy. He bases his argument on a Greek legend that Helen's beauty was destructive as she left her hus- band and eloped with her lover Paris, but she was beyond all blame and praise because afterwards she reconciled with her husband. Maud Gonne is like Helen so she is also beyond all blame. She burnt down the heart of the poet but there was no other Troy for her to burn.
Q. 13. Justify the title of the poem "No Second Troy".
Ans: There is an allusion in the poem title " No Second Troy "because W.B. Yeats brings out the Greek mythological beauti- ful striking lady "Helen of Troy" for making a comparison with his beloved Maud Gonne. From the Greek mythology, we know that Helen was taken to troy from Greek by Paris. Therefore, the long lasting fierce 10 years Trojan War broke out, and the city of troy destroyed devastatingly by this war. So the beautiful Helen becomes the reason of destructive troy.
Like Maud Gonne, Helen, a legendary character from Homer's Iliad, was considered to be one of the most beautiful women of her age. She was also partly responsible for starting the Trojan War, which eventually led to the burning of the great city of Troy..
A fiery beautiful revolutionary women in Irish national move- ment. She rejected the poets love proposal and filled him with misery. Her beauty is said to be like a tightened bow. Her mind is made simple as a fire of nobleness. Maud Gonne holds a dif- ferent personality which is contradictory to Helen while talking about the terrifying beauty of Maud Gonne yeats says,
That nobleness made simple as a fire with beauty like a tight- ened bow.
Yeats proposed Maud Gonne several times, but his love was not answered by Maud Gonne.
He cannot blame her for tormenting his soul. He mention it in the poem "No second Troy".
"Why should I blame her that she filled my days with mis- ery"
Or that she would of late have taught to ignorant men most violent ways"
Yeats further says, a women who is taking the ignorant Irish men to the way of revelation for their freedom. And leading from the front in the strike of revaluation the actually cannot blame her for not accepting his love making proposal.
Poet is asking the question for Maud Gonne will it be an- other Troy to burn. The poet alludes it at the end of the poem. What could she have done being what she is? Was there another troy for her to burn?
Finally the author says, there is no chance to burn another Troy for Maud Gonne because Maud Gonne because Maud Gonne is unlike Helen is nature, likewise Paris, Yeats does not have a courageous brother as Paris had Hector and Irish people are coward thus they will not fight 10 years as the Trojan War- riors did for Paris.
Yeats final remark is though his beloved Maud Gonne is a fearless dame, whose knowledge and beauty is incomparable to others, and he loves her from the bottom of his heart. But for this very reason there will not be second troy to burn even though his beloved furious beauty and strong personality has been the rea- son of burning his heart.
Thus, the title "No Second Troy" is significant for express- ing poet fascination and deeper love toward Maud Gonne.
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