How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn (13-14)
Yeats always lived his daily life figuring that he lived in a world where nothing should be taken too seriously. He was totally sure that that was the basic principle of daily life—nothing really matters too much and everyone is more or less satisfied with the way things are. But Yeats turns out to be wrong on this one.
Quote #2
All changed, changed utterly
A terrible beauty is born (15-16)
As a matter of principle, Yeats feels like there's something important that has happened with the Easter Uprising. He wants to connect all of the death and sacrifice to larger events that have taken place throughout history. And even though all the death might be terrible, there is something beautiful about how it fits in with the cycle of death and violence that has always been going on in the world.
Quote #3
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill (19-20)
It looks like Yeats isn't all that big a fan of women entering the world of politics. While he tends to be pretty nice to the men involved in the Easter Uprising, Yeats regrets the fact that a beautiful woman like the Countess Constance Markievicz threw away her femininity by yelling about politics until her voice "grew shrill." Sheesh, Yeats. We know you wrote a long time ago, but that's still pretty misogynistic.