The two characters of the poem, Hic and Ille, are Latin words meaning this man and that man, respectively. Ezra Pound identified Ille with 'Willie', or Yeats: the poem covers many characteristic themes of Yeats, in particular the image of the mask and the concept of the double or "anti-self".
The two characters in the poem, Hic and Ille, are Latin words for "this man" and "that man". Ezra Pound associated Ille with 'Willie', or Yeats: the poem delves into several key themes of Yeats, notably the image of the mask and the idea of the double or "anti-self".