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It was the dream itself enchanted me: Character isolated…

“It was the dream itself enchanted me: Character isolated by a deed To engross the present and dominate memory. Players and painted stage took all my love, And not those things that they were emblems of. [from "The Circus Animals' Desertion"]” quote by William Butler Yeats
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““It was the dream itself enchanted me: Character isolated by a deed To engross the present and dominate memory. Players and painted stage took all my love, And not those things that they were emblems of. [from "The Circus Animals' Desertion"]””

William Butler Yeats

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Artistic creation can become an obsession that consumes the self, turning life into performance and memory into spectacle.

In simple terms: Art can dominate life, turning it into performance.

Key Takeaway

Balance creation with lived experience.

Themes

art obsession memory

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • creative work
  • performance art
  • teaching
  • personal relationships
  • public speaking

Key Concepts

aesthetic theory existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does it mean to be “isolated by a deed”?
  • How can one reclaim personal identity beyond artistic roles?
A Different Perspective

Obsessive focus may alienate the creator from authentic life.

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