Justify the title of the poem "No Second Troy".

 

There is an allusion in the poem title ” No Second Troy ” because W.B. Yeats brings out the Greek mythological beautiful 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 movement . 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 different 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 tightened 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 misery”

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 another 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 Warriors 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 reason of burning his heart.

 

Thus, the title “ No Second Troy” is significant for expressing poet fascination and deeper love toward Maud Gonne.