Poems of W.B. Yeats: The Rose Lesson Plan

We already saw Fergus in "Fergus and the Druid." What is Fergus's story, and what does "Who Goes with Fergus?" add to it?

Fergus is a king who wishes to no longer be king; he wants wisdom of nature more than anything. In this poem, the speaker wonders who, among the modern youth, still feels this way, and he urges a "young man" to consider Fergus's example. Strangely, in this poem, Fergus is depicted as driving and is described as the ruler of cars. This surreal addition to the myth adds a sense of modernity to it: in Yeats's day (and today), the easiest way to get back to nature is to drive out of society to see it.

How does the poet depict death in "The Countess...