Allusions in Greek Mythology: The Rape of Leda Together, Leda and the Swan and Ledas Sister and

the Geese demonstrate the relationship between power and family. William Butler Yeats and Katharyn Howd Machan illustrate the same story about the rape of Leda, in two unique point-of-views. The candid narrator and the envious nature of Ledas sister help portray Ledas brute event from the outside looking in. The rape of the mortal Leda by the godly Zeus causes many unwelcome reactions to her family and Greece. Although these two poems are told from two different point-of-views, many of the same characteristics and themes are portrayed in both. The rape of Leda by omnipotent Zeus causes the universal theme of both poems to be around violence, devastation, and arrogance. Both poems do not explicitly identify the swan as Zeus, but knowing that Zeus would transform into anything to keep Hera from finding the truth, we can deduce that it is him. Leda is the unexpected victim who is weak and had no choice but to yield to Zeus, the all powerful god who preys on raping humans he finds beautiful. In Yeats poem Leda is referred to as the staggering girl who tries to push the swan away with terrified vague fingers, but fails. The rape was confusing for Leda because she was scared and was later sore afraid and whimpering, according to Machan. In Leda and the Swan, Zeus is the feathered glory who has great beating wings and surprised Leda with a sudden blow, in which she lost most of her sense of what was occurring. In Ledas Sister and the Geese, Zeus is even more despised, Leda may have been scared and in one case sore afraid, but the reaction in Greece was just as bad. Her family was torn, either directly when the rape occurred, or further down the family line because of the children she bears to Zeus. The two poems have a common attitude of

being passive and aggressive. In Leda and the Swan the tone starts off being aggressive with dictions such as a sudden blow and staggering then switches to a more passive tone when it leads to knowledge and the indifferent beak. Machan also demonstrates this tone shift by starting with whimpering, whined out, to Leda being smug, according to her bitter sister. Leda and the Swan revolves around how uncontrolled arrogance can lead to the destruction of innocence. Although this is about the rape of Leda, Yeats gives a deeper insight of what the future will bring when she bears Zeuss children. Inexplicitly Yeats tells the reader that Troy, the broken wall, will fall and that also that Agamemnon [dies] due to her pregnancy. Her daughter Helen is the cause of the fall of Troy, and the adulteress Clytemnestra kills her husband, Agamemnon. Yeats poem is a sonet and thus the tone is more formal and serious. The first two stanzas, which have a more aggressive attitude, rhyme and then shift to an unrhyming sonet as the attitude turns more passive. This poem is specifically of the rape of Leda, but gives no reaction from the main character, only of the speaker. Leda and the Swan has a point-of-view from an unobjective third person, however the speaker does not side with Zeus about the rape. Yeats refers to Zeus as the body and the indifferent beak, showing that when Zeus does this he is more animalistic as the swan he portrays. The major theme is how the vulnerable are taken advantage of by the dominant. Zeus only cared about seducing and raping Leda and did not care about his abuse of power over her. Even though Leda was raped and impregnated by a swan, Ledas sister was still envious and jealous of her. Machan shows Ledas sisters resentment of her by fixating on how I was stuck at home and the overall attitude of her sister. Leda is also vexed

against Zeus because she is jealous of her sister for getting impregnated by him. She shows her anger for him by acknowledging him as the swan-manwhatever he was. Machans poem does not focus on the act itself, but what led to and after the brute event. Even though this poem takes place from the point-of-view of Ledas sister, Machan still illustrates how Leda felt after she was impregnated by Zeus. Ledas sister mentions that Leda was sore afraid because she knew she was pregnant. Machan also alludes to the House of Atreus having twins run in [their] damned family, which is exactly what happens to Leda. The title of Ledas Sister and the Geese refers to the children that Leda has by laying eggs. Ledas sister than has to take care of the geese that she wish[es] to Hades everyday. Taking care of the kids furthers the resentment that Ledas sister has. This jealousy and envy of Ledas sister is the central theme of Machans poem. By their strong sense of power through writing, William Butler Yeats and Katharyn Howd Machan are able to illustrate the story of Leda in two completely different and unique ways. Leda and the Swan and Ledas sister and the Geese revolve around violence, rape, and jealousy. The almighty power of Zeus was able to overcome the weak mortal Leda. The shifts in tone and use of many common motifs allow a broad array of emotions in both poems. More shocking than the act itself is the outcomes and changes in their families.