“Easter, 1916” is typically read as a revolutionary poem in praise of the Easter Rising. For example, R.F. Foster writes that “in the mood of 1916” the poem was seen as “republicanism, pure and simple.” (Republicanism refers to the movement for an Irish republic independent from Great Britain.) However, Yeats did not have consistent political ideas on this topic throughout his life and the poem itself is ambiguous in its attitude toward the Easter Rising.
Yeats was an Irish nationalist, but he did not advocate violent uprising to free Ireland. He was mostly focused on artistic issues. He was associated with a movement known as the Irish Literary Revival. He wanted to link contemporary Ireland to indigenous folklore and myths. He was also invested in the idea of a mystical and magical past. He was not concerned with the gritty details of contemporary politics. In fact, he was often harshly critical of militant Irish Republicans. According to fellow poet Ezra Pound, Yeats considered Patrick Pearse “half-cracked” and one of those megalomaniacs who “think they are Napoleon of God.” This ambivalent attitude is clear in the poem when the speaker compares revolutionaries’ hearts to stone and describes them as “bewildered” by an “excess of love.” In the poem, he also admits that he used to make fun of revolutionaries with “a mocking tale or a gibe/To please a companion.”
When the Easter Rising occurred, Yeats was already 50 years old, and thus not overly sympathetic to the passions of younger revolutionaries. The poem does show that he partly changed his mind after the event. As he wrote to a friend at the time, “I had no idea that any public event could so deeply move me.” Yet the poem manages to express this enthusiasm while also making clear his doubts. As poetry critic Marjorie Perloff writes, “In ‘Easter, 1916,’ the trick is to immortalize the rebels, not as heroes in the abstract, but as agents of change—change by no means all positive, but dramatic in the mere fact of its taking place.” For Yeats, the events are not all good. However, they point to the fact that change is still possible. That is why it is worth commemorating.
Yet while commemorating the revolutionaries, Yeats was still cautious. In 1917, he only printed 25 copies of the poem to ensure that not too many people would hear about it. He only included it in a book of his in 1921. At this time, World War I was over and it was clear that the winds of history were blowing in Ireland’s favor. He chose this time to make the poem widely available. Some of the more committed revolutionaries that Yeats knew did not appreciate his caution and ambivalence. His friend Maud Gonne, for example, wrote this criticism of the poem in a letter to Yeats: "No I don't like your poem, it isn't worthy of you and above all it isn't worthy of the subject." She said, "sacrifice has never yet turned a heart to stone though it has immortalized many and through it alone mankind can rise to God."
Therefore, while “Easter, 1916” is remembered as a fiery poem written in support of the Irish struggle for independence, it is actually the product of a somewhat conservative and cautious mind. Even while seemingly praising the fallen martyrs, Yeats does not hold back his criticisms.
