Poem Analysis - He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead

A Twisted Love: Introduction to Yeats' Dark Desire

William Butler Yeats' "He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead" is a disturbing yet strangely beautiful exploration of a troubled relationship. The poem is steeped in a melancholic longing, tinged with a disturbing desire for the speaker's beloved to be deceased. The tone is initially mournful, yet a disturbing sense of peace and control emerges as the speaker imagines his beloved's death. This creates a disquieting juxtaposition between love and a morbid fantasy, leaving the reader with a sense of unease and a question of the speaker's true feelings.

The Allure of Stillness: Death as a Solution

One of the primary themes is the idea of death as a resolution to conflict and uncertainty in a relationship. The speaker imagines that only in death can his beloved forgive him and offer the tenderness he craves. The phrase "Forgiving me, because you were dead" highlights the speaker's belief that mortality removes the agency and potential for disagreement or rejection that exists in life. The poem subtly suggests that the speaker feels overwhelmed or inadequate in the face of his beloved's "will of the wild birds," implying a restless spirit that he cannot control. Death, then, becomes a way to bind and possess her, solidifying his desire for stability and permanence in their relationship.

Cosmic Entanglement: Binding Love in Death

Another theme woven throughout the poem is the transformation of love into something eternal and otherworldly through death. The vivid imagery of the beloved's hair being "bound and wound/About the stars and moon and sun" suggests that death elevates her to a cosmic status. This symbolizes a love that transcends earthly limitations and becomes part of the universe itself. This image offers a disturbing contrast to the image of the beloved lying "under the dock-leaves in the ground". The first one is a majestic transformation of the dead beloved into a cosmic force, while the second grounds the reader and illustrates the macabre image of an actual dead body.

Western Light and Dock-Leaves: Symbols of Mortality and Peace

The poem employs potent symbols that contribute to its unsettling atmosphere. The recurring image of "lights...paling out of the West" can be interpreted as a symbol of the end of life, fading hope, and the onset of darkness. This fading light sets a somber tone and foreshadows the desired death. The "dock-leaves in the ground" provide a stark contrast to the cosmic imagery, representing the finality and physical reality of death. Dock-leaves, being common and often overlooked, symbolize a simple, unadorned burial, suggesting a desire for a quiet, undisturbed peace. Could the dock-leaves also symbolize a form of healing or concealment, suggesting that the speaker seeks to bury his own guilt or pain along with his beloved?

Concluding Thoughts: Unraveling the Speaker's Psyche

In conclusion, "He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead" is a haunting exploration of a speaker grappling with feelings of inadequacy and a desire for control within a complex relationship. Through vivid imagery, symbolic language, and a disturbingly calm tone, Yeats crafts a poem that lingers in the reader's mind. The speaker's wish is not simply about death but about achieving a twisted form of eternal love and forgiveness, raising questions about the nature of love, control, and the human psyche's capacity for dark desires. Ultimately, the poem leaves us contemplating the unsettling depths of human emotion and the lengths to which one might go to secure an idealized vision of love, even if it means embracing death.