Psychological Constructs and Defensive Transformations: Yeats’s Mythic Poetry as a Response to Political and Cultural Dilemmas

Yeats's mythic poetry has often been approached from two distinct perspectives: either as an tribute to Ireland and its people or as a mirror reflecting the political turbulence of his times. Nonetheless, this study veers onto a distinct course, probing the psychological constituents manifested in Yeats's engagement with myths. The focal point of this investigation is Yeats's application of ego mechanisms as a method to sail around the sociopolitical obstacles he faced. The central argument posited here is the necessity to discern the recurrent psychological motifs when dissecting Yeats's mythological work. Drawing substantially on Freud's hypotheses about ego defense mechanisms, this study's objective is to shed light on how Yeats employed myths and folklore as a form of psychological defense to grapple with Ireland's contemporary political and existential uncertainties. A thorough analysis of selected mythological poems from diverse stages of Yeats's career unveils his recurrent utilization of defensive strategies embedded within Irish narratives, while concurrently endeavoring to rekindle a sense of national pride and identity amidst Ireland's unstable state. Yeats's poetic endeavors exceed mere storytelling; they constitute a conduit for psychological metamorphosis, aspiring to intertwine the ingrained tradition of legends with the intricate realities of modern Irish existence.