The Circus Animals’ Desertion MCQs & Summary [W. B. Yeats]
By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman | Last updated: February 11, 2025
The Circus Animals’ Desertion is a poem by W. B. Yeats in which the poet reflects on the struggles of his own life and artistic career. In the poem, Yeats speaks of the “circus animals” he has used in his earlier works—symbols, characters, and ideas that he used to create art. However, as he grows older, these “circus animals” seem to have deserted him, and he feels a sense of emptiness and lack of inspiration. The poem is about Yeats facing the truth of his own limitations and the exhaustion of his imagination, which has lost its earlier vitality.
Yeats uses the idea of the circus, a place of spectacle and illusion, to represent his past creative works. He contrasts the energy and thrill of his earlier years with the disillusionment of aging and finding that the inspiration he once had is now gone. The poem ends on a note of searching for new, deeper sources of meaning, but Yeats is aware that this search may be difficult and uncertain.
The Circus Animals’ Desertion Summary
Title
The Circus Animals’ Desertion
Author
W. B. Yeats
Theme
Loss of inspiration, aging, creative struggle, personal reflection
Symbolism
Circus animals symbolize the characters and symbols Yeats used in his past works
Published
1939
Poem’s Structure
Free verse, with a focus on self-reflection and philosophical depth
Central Imagery
Circus, animals, desertion, exhaustion of creativity
Personal Reflection
Yeats looks back at his past works and feels a loss of inspiration and purpose
Philosophical Ideas
The search for new meaning, disillusionment with the past, and the inevitability of aging