Poem Analysis:
William Butler Yeats’s poem “What Then?” explores the question of whether worldly success can give a person a lasting sense of fulfilment. Through the imagined voice of Plato’s ghost, Yeats repeatedly asks, “What then?” This simple question becomes the central theme of the poem: after achieving one’s ambitions, what remains?
The poem describes a man who spends his youth working hard because he believes that success will bring meaning to his life. His school friends expect him to become famous, and he shares their expectation. He therefore spends his twenties “crammed with toil.” Eventually, his efforts appear to succeed. His writing is widely read, he earns enough money, and he gains loyal friends. These achievements suggest that his youthful ambitions have been fulfilled.
The second half of the poem presents an even more complete picture of conventional happiness. The man obtains a comfortable home, a wife and children, and a garden. He is also surrounded by poets and intellectuals. In other words, he has achieved not only professional success but also personal and social happiness. Yet after each achievement, Plato’s ghost returns with the disturbing question, “What then?”
The final stanza gives the poem its deepest meaning. Now an old man, the speaker believes that “The work is done” and that he has successfully followed his youthful plan. He feels that he has brought something “to perfection.” However, the ghost’s question becomes louder: “What then?” The repetition suggests that external achievements cannot provide a final answer to the deeper questions of existence.
The figure of Plato’s ghost is especially significant. Plato represents philosophical questioning and the search for truth beyond appearances. His ghost can therefore be understood as the voice of intellectual and spiritual doubt. It challenges the assumption that fame, wealth, family, friendship, and artistic achievement are sufficient purposes for human life.
Yeats uses repetition, irony, and contrast effectively. The repeated phrase “What then?” creates a questioning rhythm and prevents the poem from settling into a simple celebration of success. There is also irony in the fact that the man achieves almost everything he once wanted, yet remains confronted by an unanswered question. The poem contrasts achievement with fulfilment, suggesting that the two are not necessarily the same.
“What Then?” is a meditation on ambition, ageing, achievement, and the search for meaning. Yeats does not provide a direct answer to Plato’s question. Instead, he leaves the reader with the uncomfortable realization that completing one’s goals may not complete one’s search for purpose. The poem therefore asks us to look beyond success itself and consider what gives human life lasting significance.