An Explication of W.H. Auden "Musee Des Beaux Arts
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: An Explication of W.H. Auden "Musee Des Beaux Arts
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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In poetry, the use of allusions is very common. There are briefs, usually indirect references to another work or to
real or historical events or persons, traditionally as a way of connecting those elements as well as enriching the
meaning of the current work through associations with the other. In his poem "Musee des Beaux Arts", W.H.
Auden uses allusions as a way of drawing connections between his poem, Peter Brueghel's painting " The Fall of
Icarus", the myth, and the humanity indifference toward one's suffering.
Icarus, the subject of this poem, was a figure from Greek mythology. He was the son of Dedalus, who, in order to
escape from prison in Crete, made two pairs of wings, one for him and one for his son, Icarus. As Icarus and
Dedalus flied away, Icarus forgot his father's warning and flied too close to the sun. The wax on his wings melted
and Icarus felt into the sea and drowned. The references in the poem are details from the painting. Icarus is a tiny
figure, only his white legs can be seen standing out of the green water.
His fall is unnoticed by the ploughman in the foreground. The sailing ship is very near the place where Icarus fell
into the water.
The myth of Icarus has inspired many artists, including painter Peter Brueghel and poet W.H. Auden. In fact, the
title of Auden's poem, "Musee des Beaux Arts", is a direct allusion to Brueghel's painting "The Fall of Icarus."
Musee des Beaux Arts refers to the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. Auden visited the museum in 1938 and
viewed the painting by Brueghel, which the poem is about. The reader of the poem is placed in front of the
Brueghel painting in the museum and is expected to project those images and truths to the world outside. By
using a f...