The theme of "Lapis Lazuli" is that all forms of art can surpass the tragedies experienced within the world; therefore making it gay. Yeats uses his theme of tragic joy throughout the poem, and often in his works toward the last few years of his life. As an artist of literature Yeats understands he faces death like every mortal, but art is what makes things beautiful. Art can bring people joy even in the worst of times. Art can overcome the mere tragedy of events simply by knowing everything comes to an end. Tragic joy is the bittersweet part of life that involves the acceptance of all things good and bad.
In the first stanza we see he believes that those who give credence to the political world will only end up with tragedy, and no joy. The "hysterical women" he speaks of are those who have forsaken the arts, "sick of the palette and fiddle-bow." Specifically, he is thinking of women such as Maud Gonne who was extremely active politically, especially with the uprising Easter uprising. These women embrace the politics of the modern world, and the modern world is stricken with war and destruction. The women's convictions make them ugly since they are not accepting of art into their lives; therefore they don't have joy. Yeats says that if everyone relies on politics instead of art, the world will come to an end. It isn't the end that we should fear, but an end with no joy, no art. Yeats specifically proclaims three areas of art that are doomed to tragedy, yet they happily go, knowing that it provides them with sanity in an insane world.
In the second stanza the reader is introduced to the first of the three arts in the form of Shakespeare's tragic heroes, Prince Hamlet and King Lear. Readers of Hamlet and Lear understand that the characters meet a tragic end, but at the same time the heroes come to an understanding of their tragedy. Any artist should feel the troubles of his time, as the actor should understand the intensity of Hamlet and Lear.
From Sumeria have come examples of fine works in marble, diorite, hammered gold, and lapis lazuli. ... Devices of this sort were brought to perfection by craftsmen of the early dynastic period the finest examples of whose work are to be seen among the treasures from the royal tombs at Ur a bulls head decorating a harp, composed of wood or bitumen covered with gold and wearing a lapis lazuli beard. ...
Robert Browning, the famed English poet wrote "The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church- in 1845. In this poem, he brings to life the Italian Renaissance, nearly 300 years in the past. The character, a bishop of a Roman church, is lying on his deathbed, speaking to those who have gathere...
Robert Browning, the famed English poet wrote "The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church- in 1845. In this poem, he brings to life the Italian Renaissance, nearly 300 years in the past. The character, a bishop of a Roman church, is lying on his deathbed, speaking to those who have gathere...
Ancient Egyptian Art To understand ancient Egypt, one must understand ancient Egyptian art. Studying ancient Egyptian art, one can understand how they lived, worked and what they believed in including religion. The ancient Egyptians also believed in the afterlife so tomb painting was also an impo...
"Why is That Hippo Blue?" During the time of the Middle Kingdom, in the twelth dynasty, a masterpiece was created. It seemed as if it was just an ordinary everyday paperweight of some sort, but instead it was actually a symbol for the afterlife during this time period. It was "Hippopotamus" from...
In the second she must forfeit her lapis lazuli rod her creativity, the third her beads her human compassion, the fourth her breastplate and armor defense, the fifth her sparkling jewels her ability to act and at the sixth her emblems the very meaning of herself. ...
As Brusatin mentioned in "A history of colors", the Egyptian obtained the color blue with hard stone such as the sapphire, lapis lazuli and beryl. ... This blue was obtained with the Lapis Lazuli; its utilization was a sign of religion's deference. ...
