Well-Educated Mind Poetry Reading List discussion

Epitaph on a Tyrant is a short poem written in 1939, the eve of WWII. One thinks of Hitler, though the poem does not say.

Auden describes the kind of society the tyrant is seeking: perfection. His policies to achieve such are straightforward. The tyrant (or dictator) knows human nature is foolishness (easy to fool). Obviously, the dictator is interested in arms and war, probably to spread his ideas and to obtain more power. When he is in high spirits, the government officials laugh with him; but when he is in a tyrannical mood, people suffer at his hands.