Speaker
The speaker is never identified as W.B. Yeats, but Yeats does use this poem to express his own political beliefs and frustrations. He is a defender of the shade, furious at the widespread betrayal of the shade despite the latter's selfless defense of the town. Scholars generally agree that this work is addressed to the Irish nationalist Charles Parnell, and that the "town" described in it is Dublin. In other words, the speaker's defense of the shade is a defense of Parnell—as well as a shorter defense of Hugh Lane—and the speaker's anger at the town is anger at Dubliners. Read through this lens, we can conclude that the speaker is a Dublin resident with nationalist, pro-independence leanings. The speaker's attitude is bitter, passionate, and protective.
The Shade
The shade is a depiction of Charles Steward Parnell, a real-life Irish politician and leader of the country's nationalist movement during the second half of the nineteenth century. The version of Parnell described in the poem is a ghost, hoping to return from the dead in order to observe the people he knew in life. He is described as a selfless, passionate, and brilliant man, betrayed by those who stood to benefit the most from his help. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that—even in death—he may be able to reconcile with or at least enjoy observing those who disappointed him. But the jaded speaker tells him that this is unlikely.
