William Butler Yeats's Poetry

Support for studying English GCSE and A Level

William Butler Yeats - Biography

William Butler Yeats was born (Sandymount, County Dublin, Ireland) on 13 June 1865 and died on 28 January 1939 (Menton, France). He was an Irish poet. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923.

William’s parents were John and Susan. He had a brother and two sisters, who were very artistic. Within two years of being born (1867) William’s family moved to England to support their father’s career as an artist. Initially, William was educated at home, but then went to Godolphin school (West London) for four years. The family went back to Dublin at the end of 1880 and in 1881 William went to Erasmus Smith High School (Dublin). From 1884-1886, William attended the Metropolitan School of Art (now National College of Art and Design). In 1887, the family returned to London and William joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (a group of London-based poets who shared their work).

Yeats’ writing began aged seventeen. He was influenced by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Edmund Spenser and Oscar Wilde.

Yeats met Maud Gonne in 1889, someone who he proposed to several times and got rejected. She married Major John MacBride, but their marriage was unsuccessful. She eventually, met up with Yeats again and they consummated their relationship; however, this did not last. Yeats eventually married Georgie Hyde-Lees (only twenty-five years old) when he was fifty-two. They had two children, Anne and Michael. Yeats did go on to have other affairs though.

Yeats was fascinated by spiritualism, mysticism, occultism and astrology throughout his life.

William Butler Yeats Cartoon - High Resolution

William Butler Yeats - References

Wikipedia (William Butler Yeats): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats
Encyclopaedia Britannica (William Butler Yeats): https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Butler-Yeats
Poetry Foundation (William Butler Yeats): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-butler-yeats
Nobel Prize (William Butler Yeats): https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1923/yeats/biographical/
Poets.org (William Butler Yeats): https://poets.org/poet/w-b-yeats
Poetry Archive (William Butler Yeats): https://poetryarchive.org/poet/william-butler-yeats/

W B Yeats - 'A Coat' - Annotation

Annotation prompts for W B Yeats' 'A Coat'.

'A Coat' is literally about an outer garment with sleeves; a natural covering (e.g. fur of an animal); a layer or covering of anything. However, this coat could be an extended metaphor for Yeats relinquishing an older style, belief or poetic voice, and embracing another one.

The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further analysis and interpretation.

W B Yeats - 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing’ - Annotation

Annotation prompts for W B Yeats' 'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing'.

'To a Friend Whose Work Has Come To Nothing' is addressing a companion whose work has been futile or unproductive. It is about maintaining dignity and integrity in the face of defeat.

The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further analysis and interpretation.

Exemplar English Literature Essays

Poetry Essay helps you write essays about English Literature more confidently - providing you with a variety of helpful hints. With Poetry Essay, you should find all the help you need - from analysing a text in detail to writing coherently about it. Please visit the links below for exemplar student-style essays.