In "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," Yeats" speaker cries out for control and a better life through his general theme of escapism from society and the modern world. The fantasy of a simple, quiet life so endearingly depicted by the speaker draws the reader into his peacefulness until the very end where both are jolted back to urban reality. Yeats" last line states that all that has been described is only heard "in the deep heart's core."(Rosenthal, 13) This is a significant statement for it emphasizes the importance of human desires in daily life. The presence of these desires represents the beginnings or, at least, the existence of some sort of control in the speaker's life. (Howes).
The rhythmic pulse of each stanza following an ABAB rhyme scheme exemplifies the "lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore" because of their steadiness and harmony. (Rosenthal, 13) The uniformity could signify the simplistic order so longed for by the speaker. Even the setting of the lyric poem in beautiful, scenic Innisfree, a small islet in a lake in the Lough Hill, Sligo county of Ireland, indicates the speaker's cry for control. Within the poem, the subservience of nature to the speaker in his Innisfree "fantasy" denotes the need for power. Everything that comprises his peace comes from the land. For example, the small cabin made of clay and a framework of flexible reeds, the "nine bean-rows," and the beehive. (Rosenthal, 12) All that the speaker feels is necessary for a tranquil life is provided by nature; manageable and totally opposite from modern day. .
In the fantasy presented by the poem, the speaker is in total dominance as he confidently repeats the phrase "I will arise and go now;" as if he is rising from somewhere below or even from a death like state to the described place which stands like a heaven above. (McCready) In addition, the speaker also states that "peace comes dropping slow" as if to connote that peace is hard to come by in the urban world because it drips from above where it is plentiful.
