Summary Of Anashuya And Vijaya

“Anashuya and Vijaya” is a lyrical poem written by W.B. Yeats in1887,appeared in The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems in 1889.The central theme of the poem subsumes the double identity of the protagonist: one is a pious and generous priestess who implores to god for the welfare of the entire country and, the jealous other self who wishes his beloved dead if he thinks of another woman. The double identity of the lady, Anashuya is the reminiscence of the notion of the man and the mask and its ostensible influence on his literary work because Yeats himself was quite obsessed with the idea of antiself, rather known as the mask that covers the real self and thus complicates the perception of it. Simultaneously the concept of anima and animus expounded by Carl Gustav Jung had a remarkable impact on his philosophical notions and literary works. Moreover, after a detailed study of the two plausibly contrasting poles of Anashuya’s character, it can be interpreted in the light of Chinese cosmological theory of yang and yin mentioned in the Book of Changes. The way these two contrasting yet complementary forces work not only influences the natural changes but also determines human nature. Only by having an appropriate proportion of these two forces, one can attain balance and a harmonious position in nature and life. Therefore ,while conceiving the idea of the double identity of Anashuya ,Yeats must have ruminated over the concept of dual forces striving to establish its