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Characters · 4
The Falcon
The Falcon appears in the opening image of W. B. Yeats's visionary poem "The Second Coming" (1919).
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The Falconer
The Falconer appears in a crucial image in W. B. Yeats's "The Second Coming": "the falcon cannot hear the falconer."
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The Rough Beast
The Rough Beast is the main prophetic figure in W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" (1919).
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The Sphinx
The Sphinx appears in W. B. Yeats's visionary poem "The Second Coming" as a symbol of ancient, inhuman forces ready to reclaim power in a crumbling civilization.
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Key quotes · 10
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer;”
These lines are from W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming," written in 1919 and published in 1920 in Michael Robartes and the Dancer.
W. B. Yeats (lyric speaker) · Stanza 1
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;”
These lines open W. B. Yeats's powerful poem "The Second Coming," written in 1919 and published in 1920.
Prophetic narrator (Yeats)
“Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,”
This line is from W. B. Yeats's powerful poem "The Second Coming" (written in 1919 and published in 1920), which is one of the most frequently quoted poems of the twentieth century.
Yeats's lyric speaker (W. B. Yeats)
“The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned;”
These lines are from W. B. Yeats's apocalyptic poem "The Second Coming," written in 1919 and published in 1920 in Michael Robartes and the Dancer.
W. B. Yeats (poetic speaker / prophetic voice) · The Second Coming (1919; published 1920 in Michael Robartes and the Dancer)
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”
These two lines are from W. B. Yeats's powerful poem "The Second Coming" (1919, published 1920), delivered in the voice of the poet-prophet himself.
W. B. Yeats (poet-narrator) · The Second Coming (poem, stanza 1)
“Surely some revelation is at hand;”
This line is spoken by the speaker of the poem — often seen as W. B. Yeats's own voice — in "The Second Coming" (1919, published 1920).
The Poet / Speaker (W. B. Yeats) · Stanza 1
“Surely the Second Coming is at hand.”
This line is from W. B. Yeats's visionary poem "The Second Coming" (1919, published 1920), delivered by the poem's lyric speaker—Yeats himself, adopting a prophetic voice.
The lyric speaker (W. B. Yeats)
“A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,”
This haunting line is from W. B. Yeats's visionary poem "The Second Coming" (1919, published 1920).
W. B. Yeats (narrator/prophetic voice)
“The darkness drops again; but now I know / That twenty centuries of stony sleep / Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,”
These lines come near the end of W. B. Yeats's visionary poem "The Second Coming" (written in 1919 and published in 1920 in Michael Robartes and the Dancer).
The prophetic narrator (Yeats) · The Second Coming (stanza 2)
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
These closing lines of W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" (written in 1919 and published in 1920) are delivered by the poem's speaker — Yeats himself, embodying a prophetic and visionary tone.
Lyric speaker (W. B. Yeats)
Symbols · 5
Bethlehem
In W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming," Bethlehem symbolizes the old Christian order—the civilization, faith, and moral framework that has shaped the Western world for two thousand years.
The Falcon and Falconer
In W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming," the falcon and the falconer illustrate the disastrous collapse of order, tradition, and human control.
The Gyre
In W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming," the gyre represents the cyclical and unavoidable collapse of civilization.
The Rough Beast
In W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" (1919), the Rough Beast represents a frightening and unfathomable force that emerges as civilization crumbles.
The Sphinx
In W. B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" (1919), the Sphinx-like creature emerging from the desert sands represents a frightening new power set to take over from the crumbling Christian era.
Literary devices · 12
Symbolism
The poem's central symbols embody its apocalyptic vision.
Imagery
Yeats uses stark, violent imagery to transform the idea of historical collapse into something we can feel rather than just think about.
Extended Metaphor
The poem starts with the idea of the falcon and falconer, which continues to resonate throughout.
Volta
The poem takes a sharp turn at line 9 — 'Surely some revelation is at hand' — marking a shift from diagnosis to vision.
Rhetorical Question
The poem doesn't conclude with an answer; instead, it ends with a haunting question: 'And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?'
Allusion
The title and closing image reference the Christian belief in the Second Coming of Christ, but then turn that idea on its head.
Anaphora
Anaphora drives the catalogue of collapse in the poem's opening movement.
Paradox
The poem centers around a striking paradox: the event that should represent divine renewal — a Second Coming — instead brings forth a monstrous birth.
Free Verse
The poem uses a loose, unrhymed iambic pentameter that often deviates from its own rhythm, reflecting the theme of 'things fall apart.'
Personification
Abstract forces are given bodies and agency throughout the poem.
Juxtaposition
Yeats contrasts opposing moral states and energies to explore the crisis of his time.
Motif
The poem consistently features a motif of circular, spiraling motion that ties its imagery together.