The Poems of W.B. Yeats: Leda and the Swan Characters

The Poems of W.B. Yeats: Leda and the Swan Character List

Leda

Leda is the mother of Helen of Troy and of Clytemnestra. She is a beautiful maiden whom Zeus decides to mate with.

Zeus/The Swan

The amorous Greek god of the heavens, Zeus has the ability to shift forms. In this poem, he takes the form of the swan before mating with Leda and impregnating her.

Clytemnestra

Clytemnestra is not mentioned by name in this poem, but she is the child whose future leda has a vision of when she sees the burning tower and the death of Agamemnon. Clytemnestra and her lover kill her husband Agamemnon after the Trojan War.

Agamemnon

Agamemnon is the King of Mycenae and the husband of Clytemnestra. She and her lover murder him after he returns from the Trojan War.

Helen

She is the daughter of Leda and Zeus who was married to Menelus, Agamemnon's brother. She eloped with the Trojan prince, Paris and for the restoration of her the Trojan war was fought.

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