Yeats and Cuchulain

by Viviane Vasconcelos
William Butler Yeats was a central figure in the Irish Literary Revival of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a founding member of the Abbey Theatre
Yeats helped banish the overbearing idea that the nglish culture was superior to the
Irish. But unli!e the earlier poets" whose main goal was political" Yeats#s aim was to
inspire the new generations of Irish people by reclaiming some of the ancient $eltic
myths and legends
%ne particular legend" that of $uchulain was not only a ma&or theme in Yeats#s wor!" but
it was present in his poetry and drama throughout his career. The cycle of $uchulain in
Yeats#s wor! began with the '()* poem +The ,eath of $uchulain- and ended in ').)"
&ust before Yeats#s death with the poem +$uchulain $omforted.- The $uchulain plays"
which are one/act reveal Yeats#s preoccupation with limiting the time and space in which
the action unfolds. Yeats was interested to use the legend of $uchulain as theme to
communicate moments of intense feeling where the hero#s plight resonates with the
struggles the Irish faced in their day/to/day lives. ven if $uchulain is portrayed as a hero
and warrior in Yeats#s wor!" the conte0t surrounding the events are not entirely magical1
we see $uchulain as a man who has flaws" ma!es mista!es" and ultimately dies.
lyrical format
In +The Rebirth of Tragedy"- 2ichael 3alde4 2oses e0plains that for Yeats" +The
defining features of uropean modernity might be resisted by bringing about a cultural
rebirth of the spirit of ancient tragic drama-567'8. 2oses goes on to say that the state of
the arts in urope in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was stagnant9 the
wor!s produced by artists of the time were +politically irrelevant.- Thomas :ar!inson
writes1
By its very nature dramatic poetry demands conflict" and through the
demands of the theatre Yeats was forced to ob&ectify the conflict which
implicitly underlay the early poems. The true sub&ect matter of Yeats#
poetry was the duel between two sets of value" two ways of living9 and it
is illuminating that the ma&or addition to The Countess Cathleen after the
'()) performance should have e0ploited the conflict between the world of
imagination and the world of action. 2ost simply stated" the ma&or sub&ect
of Yeats# Abbey dramas was the conflict between the fi0ed palpable world
of human affairs 5;uaire" $onchubar8 and the world of passion and
aspiration which is beyond reason" system or office 5<eacnchan"
$uchulain8. The basic split in the plays is that between the institutional
world" limited" tame" calculating" interested in the virtue of fi0ed character"
and the personal world" e0uberant" care/free" wild" affirming the values of
intense personality. 5'.(8
<imilarly" :ar!inson e0plains1
In Yeats# view" the human mind was capable of two orders of e0perience"
one peculiar to the individual" the other common to the race. In day to day
urban life people lived the individual life of character9 e0alted out of
ordinary circumstances" they lived the common life of passion. $haracter
was the continually visible aspect" the distinctive attributes which mar! off
man from man1 religion" nationality" class" profession" ways of wal!ing"
tal!ing" and dressing. A =character# was to Yeats a humor figure" set apart
from his fellow men by some e0travagance of dress or speech. Tragedy"
then" is the art which affirms the value of passionate e0perience as
manifested in the intense moment when character is shed and the hero
transcends the limits of his merely individual mind and becomes the
vehicle of an eternal state of the anima mundi. Tragedy utili4es the
interplay of circumstance and character mainly as a means to an end" for it
is concerned with matters vaster than any individual person" time" or place.
Tragic figures go beyond the divisions established by the social world and
in their moments of passion attain unity of being by overcoming the
obstacles presented to them by the temporal world. 5'.)8
This brings forth the more technical aspects of Yeats#s craft" as the members of his
audience can identify with $uchulain because he is in a sense reduced from hero to
mortal9 as a character" $uchulain is immersed in the actions and interactions Yeats
constructs in order to communicate larger issues of nation and politics. Yeats uses
$uchulain as an individual to shed light into the struggles of the Irish people" since the
Irish nation is after all made up of individuals.
Yeats#s ')>. play On Bailes Strand tells the story of $uchulan#s con?uering of his son"
ending in the hero#s own death as he rushes against the waves of the sea in combat.
:ar!inson continues1
The play contains yet more complicated action" for its ma&or conflict is not
that between $uchulain and his son but between $uchulain and
$onchubar" who represent the two opposing views of life and modes of
conduct" the hero#s and the administrator#s. 5'6@8
While $uchilain e0claims he will not change his carefree demeanor" which allows him to
+dance or hung" or ?uarrel or ma!e love- 5Ainneran '@*8" $onchubar e0presses his desire
for a +strong and settled country- 5Ainneran '@*8 to his children. That can be interpreted
as the nglish design to create the most comfortable" stable nation for their descendents"
despite the price1 coloni4ation would assure the coloni4ers of new locations rich in
resources" but the inherent culture of the place might be crushed in the name of the
imperialistic design. The nglish may consider their culture superior to that of Ireland"
but that does not mean the Irish should accept that imposition" given the fact that their
culture was &ust as rich as the nglish culture imposed upon the colony. The manner in
which Yeats accomplishes his purpose in this play is by showing his audience the contrast
between the two figures1 $uchulain#s disposition represents the Irish nationalism
overshadowed by the nglish culture" and while Yeats recogni4es the nglish motives as
potentially coming from a valid emotional source" he still places emphasis on the idea
that a focus on the national interest would ultimately satisfy the Irish pride" for it stems
from a local effort.
<till in On Bailes Strand, $onchubar and $uchulain reconcile before $uchulain#s fight
with his son" and yet $onchubar is the cause of $uchulain#s death. If $onchubar had not
persuaded $uchulain to fight the un!nown warrior who was wasting the shores of Blster"
$uchulain would never have done so" and would in fact have been a friend to the young
man. Ainally" in his grief on discovering that he has !illed his own son" $uchulain
confuses the waves with his antagonist $onchubar and dies raging and stri!ing against
them. Again" one can see Yeats#s subtle reference to the ambivalent relationship between
ngland and Ireland1 although the two nations are reconciled" the poet warns of the perils
of turning against one#s nation" which might result in the ultimate demise of that nation#s
members. The symbolism of having a father un!nowingly !ill his own son represents the
danger of turning against one#s inherent nature9 becoming engrossed by another nation#s
interests might blind one to the interests of hisCher own nation" and the use of violence
might lead one to un!nowingly destroy hisCher own co/patriots. 2oses writes1
$uchulain#s represents an alternative form of Irish independence and of
Irish culture that comes into tragic conflict with $onchubar#s more
modern" practical" and restrictive form of national identity1 an archaic"
aristocratic" and cosmopolitan conception of community. 567)8
In another of Yeats#s plays" At the Hawks Well we see the $uchulain legend e0plored in a
different manner. Although the Doh influence in this play can signify a departure from
Yeats#s earlier craft" it also provides Yeats with a new venue to e0plore the legend of
$uchulain. In this play we see the audience and setting as supporting figures to the hero#s
&ourney. The $uchulain legend is then evo!ed by the 2usicians who initiate the action by
announcing the scene in which $uchulain#s adventure is to unfold. The 2usicians
actually invite the audience to physically participate in the action" which echoes Yeats#s
intention to inspire the Irish to ta!e charge of their cultural e0perience. Because the Doh
tradition re?uires a more sub&ective reading of the sub&ect matter" one may wonder if
Yeats#s device of having the 2usicians evo!e the $uchulain legend as his way of
assuring the audience would still recogni4e the ancient legend as a theme.
The opening verse of the play sets up the tone for the rest of the e0perience. Yeats writes1
I call to the eye of the mind
A well long cho!ed up and dry
And boughs long stripped by the wind"
And I call to the mind#s eye
:allor of an ivory face"
Its lofty dissolute air"
A man climbing up to a place
The salt sea wind has swept bare. 5Ainneran **>8
The audience is immediately invited to participate in the action because the verse actually
calls upon the +eye of the mind.- The audience is as!ed to imagine the well" which
according to the stage directions is represented by a cloth. ,espite the Doh tradition with
emphasi4es minimal setting" Yeats#s invocation of the audience#s imagination also echoes
his own tra&ectory towards the mystical world.
Yeats uses the %ld man as a plot device to unfold the action. As a character" he is not
unli!e the setting" which is desolate" wea!" and helpless. But he describes the ;uardian to
$uchulain9 the %ld man is li!e an omniscient narrator. The %ld man says" +There falls a
curseC %n all who have ga4ed in her unmoistened eyes9 C <o get you gone while you have
that proud stepE- 5Ainneran **68 foreshadowing the action that follows.
According to 2aeve ;ood" when $uchulain is finally placed in conflict with the <idhe"
the possessed ;uardian parallels the position of man in conflict with this other world.
;ood continues" +As the poet facing his muse" or as the hero facing his doom" she stands
in relation to her other self as haw!" dancer" and woman of the <idhe-5FF8. Referring
bac! to the idea of nationalism" a connection can be drawn between $uchulain facing his
doomGas the awareness of the e0istence of the other selfGand Ireland#s awareness that
its cultural life should not necessarily depend on the nglish culture.
By the end of his career" as he finished the first version of the play The Only Jealousy of
Emer" Yeats seemed to have lost that earlier fervor regarding the Irish nationalism. 2oses
writes that Yeats had1
Refined his revolutionary conception of an +aristocratic- cultic theatre" at
a time when he had for many years ceased to be wither at the center of
Irish nationalist politics and had been living for all intents and purposes in
his adopted country" ngland" he has come to understand that his powers
to summon up an Irish national identity out of his imagination" to impose
that vision by virtue of his creative will on the people of Ireland" to define
in real terms the political culture of a new and independent Irish state" has
ebbed away. He for the first time ac!nowledges that he must forgo his
heroic or aristocratic vision for the Irish nation. 56@68
Yet" Yeats remains one of the most important figures in the Irish Literay Revival of the
late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He in fact became the most influential and
most celebrated Irish poet to this day.
Although William Butler Yeats#s did not intend to use ancient $eltic legends and myths to
communicate politics" his effort to revive the state of the Irish cultural world resonated
with the political battles surrounding the creation of the Irish Aree <tate. ,espite his
failure in shaping the Irish Dational Theatre" Yeats was successful in inspiring the Irish
people to loo! at the past history of the country in order to ta!e pride in the present and
future of the nation. Through his craft and sensibility to infuse the old legends with more
contemporary aspects to which his audience could better relate" Yeats reclaimed the
legend of $uchulain and in so doing also helped to reclaim the culture of his own
country" which stands apart from the nglish culture that was forced upon Ireland for so
many years.
Summary of Cuchulain's Life in the Works of Yeats
'. $uchulain and the bird woman meet in IAt the Haw!Js Well.I
*. In IThe ;reen Helmet"I $uchulain" declared the bravest among men" is named the
$hampion of Blster and receives" as proof" the ;reen Helmet. Ksource for I;awain and
the ;reen LnightIM
.. In I%n BaileJs <trand"I Ling $onchubar" aware of $uchulainJs bravery and his unruly
temper" ma!es $uchulain swear an oath of obedience" forcing the unaware $uchulain to
fight and !ill his own son $onnla 5begotten on the woman of the Haw!Js Well" a figure
who seems to represent Nueen Aoife.8 When informed of the truth" $uchulain" mad with
despair" runs out to fight the sea.
F. IThe %nly Oealousy of merI and its prose version IAighting the WavesI continue the
story of I%n BaileJs <trandI1 in these plays $uchulain is thrown up out of the sea as an
image of his own self. mer" by renouncing forever any claim or hope for $uchulainJs
love" saves him from Aand and the power of the sea9 $uchulain returns to life and his
mistress ithne Inguba.
6. $uchulain" about to die in the last play IThe ,eath of $uchulain"I ac!nowledges in
front of his mistress his gratitude to mer for having saved him from the sea. When he is
half dead from his wounds" the heroJs head is cut off by the Blind 2an from I%n BaileJs
<trandI for the paltry price of twelve pennies.
Themes
The Relationship Beteen !rt and "olitics
Yeats believed that art and politics were intrinsically lin!ed and used his writing to
e0press his attitudes toward Irish politics" as well as to educate his readers about Irish
cultural history. Arom an early age" Yeats felt a deep connection to Ireland and his
national identity" and he thought that British rule negatively impacted Irish politics and
social life. His early compilation of fol!lore sought to teach a literary history that had
been suppressed by British rule" and his early poems were odes to the beauty and mystery
of the Irish countryside. This wor! fre?uently integrated references to myths and mythic
figures" including %isin and $uchulain. As Yeats became more involved in Irish politics
Gthrough his relationships with the Irish Dational Theatre" the Irish Literary <ociety" the
Irish Republican Brotherhood" and 2aud ;onneGhis poems increasingly resembled
political manifestos. Yeats wrote numerous poems about Ireland#s involvement in World
War I 5+An Irish Airman Aoresees His ,eath- K')')M" +A 2editation in Time of War-
K')*'M8" Irish nationalists and political activists 5+%n a :olitical :risoner- K')*'M" +In
2emory of va ;ore Booth and $on 2ar!iewic4- K')..M8" and the aster Rebellion
5+aster ')'7- K')'7M8. Yeats believed that art could serve a political function1 poems
could both criti?ue and comment on political events" as well as educate and inform a
population.
The #mpact of $ate and the %ivine on &istory
Yeats#s devotion to mysticism led to the development of a uni?ue spiritual and
philosophical system that emphasi4ed the role of fate and historical determinism" or the
belief that events have been preordained. Yeats had re&ected $hristianity early in his life"
but his lifelong study of mythology" Theosophy" spiritualism" philosophy" and the occult
demonstrate his profound interest in the divine and how it interacts with humanity. %ver
the course of his life" he created a comple0 system of spirituality" using the image of
interloc!ing gyres 5similar to spiral cones8 to map out the development and reincarnation
of the soul. Yeats believed that history was determined by fate and that fate revealed its
plan in moments when the human and divine interact. A tone of historically determined
inevitability permeates his poems" particularly in descriptions of situations of human and
divine interaction. The divine ta!es on many forms in Yeats#s poetry" sometimes literally
5+Leda and the <wan- K')*.M8" sometimes abstractly 5+The <econd $oming- K')')M8. In
other poems" the divine is only gestured to 5as in the sense of the divine in the By4antine
mosaics in +<ailing to By4antium- K')*7M8. Do matter what shape it ta!es" the divine
signals the role of fate in determining the course of history.
The Transition from Romanticism to 'odernism
Yeats started his long literary career as a romantic poet and gradually evolved into a
modernist poet. When he began publishing poetry in the '((>s" his poems had a lyrical"
romantic style" and they focused on love" longing and loss" and Irish myths. His early
writing follows the conventions of romantic verse" utili4ing familiar rhyme schemes"
metric patterns" and poetic structures. Although it is lighter than his later writings" his
early poetry is still sophisticated and accomplished. <everal factors contributed to his
poetic evolution1 his interest in mysticism and the occult led him to e0plore spiritually
and philosophically comple0 sub&ects. Yeats#s frustrated romantic relationship with 2aud
;onne caused the starry/eyed romantic idealism of his early wor! to become more
!nowing and cynical. Additionally" his concern with Irish sub&ects evolved as he became
more closely connected to nationalist political causes. As a result" Yeats shifted his focus
from myth and fol!lore to contemporary politics" often lin!ing the two to ma!e potent
statements that reflected political agitation and turbulence in Ireland and abroad. Ainally"
and most significantly" Yeats#s connection with the changing face of literary culture in the
early twentieth century led him to pic! up some of the styles and conventions of the
modernist poets. The modernists e0perimented with verse forms" aggressively engaged
with contemporary politics" challenged poetic conventions and the literary tradition at
large" and re&ected the notion that poetry should simply be lyrical and beautiful. These
influences caused his poetry to become dar!er" edgier" and more concise. Although he
never abandoned the verse forms that provided the sounds and rhythms of his earlier
poetry" there is still a noticeable shift in style and tone over the course of his career.
'otifs
#rish (ationalism and "olitics
Throughout his literary career" Yeats incorporated distinctly Irish themes and issues into
his wor!. He used his writing as a tool to comment on Irish politics and the home rule
movement and to educate and inform people about Irish history and culture. Yeats also
used the bac!drop of the Irish countryside to retell stories and legends from Irish fol!lore.
As he became increasingly involved in nationalist politics" his poems too! on a patriotic
tone. Yeats addressed Irish politics in a variety of ways1 sometimes his statements are
e0plicit political commentary" as in +An Irish Airman Aoresees His ,eath"- in which he
addresses the hypocrisy of the British use of Irish soldiers in World War I. <uch poems as
+aster ')'7- and +In 2emory of va ;ore Booth and $on 2ar!iewic4- address
individuals and events connected to Irish nationalist politics" while +The <econd
$oming- and +Leda and the <wan- subtly include the idea of Irish nationalism. In these
poems" a sense of cultural crisis and conflict seeps through" even though the poems are
not e0plicitly about Ireland. By using images of chaos" disorder" and war" Yeats engaged
in an understated commentary on the political situations in Ireland and abroad. Yeats#s
active participation in Irish politics informed his poetry" and he used his wor! to further
comment on the nationalist issues of his day.
'ysticism and the )ccult
Yeats had a deep fascination with mysticism and the occult" and his poetry is infused with
a sense of the otherworldly" the spiritual" and the un!nown. His interest in the occult
began with his study of Theosophy as a young man and e0panded and developed through
his participation in the Hermetic %rder of the ;olden ,awn" a mystical secret society.
2ysticism figures prominently in Yeats#s discussion of the reincarnation of the soul" as
well as in his philosophical model of the conical gyres used to e0plain the &ourney of the
soul" the passage of time" and the guiding hand of fate. 2ysticism and the occult occur
again and again in Yeats#s poetry" most e0plicitly in +The <econd $oming- but also in
poems such as +<ailing to By4antium- and +The 2agi- 5')'78. The re&ection of $hristian
principles in favor of a more supernatural approach to spirituality creates a uni?ue flavor
in Yeats#s poetry that impacts his discussion of history" politics" and love.
#rish 'yth and $olklore
Yeats#s participation in the Irish political system had origins in his interest in Irish myth
and fol!lore. Irish myth and fol!lore had been suppressed by church doctrine and British
control of the school system. Yeats used his poetry as a tool for re/educating the Irish
population about their heritage and as a strategy for developing Irish nationalism. He
retold entire fol!tales in epic poems and plays" such as The Wanderins of Oisin 5'(()8
and The !eath of Cu"hulain 5').)8" and used fragments of stories in shorter poems" such
as +The <tolen $hild- 5'((78" which retells a parable of fairies luring a child away from
his home" and +$uchulain#s Aight with the <ea- 5')*68" which recounts part of an epic
where the Irish fol! hero $uchulain battles his long/lost son by at the edge of the sea.
%ther poems deal with sub&ects" images" and themes culled from fol!lore. In +Who ;oes
with AergusP- 5'().8 Yeats imagines a meeting with the e0iled wandering !ing of Irish
legend" while +The <ong of Wandering Aengus- 5'())8 captures the e0periences of the
lovelorn god Aengus as he searches for the beautiful maiden seen in his dreams. 2ost
important" Yeats infused his poetry with a rich sense of Irish culture. ven poems that do
not deal e0plicitly with sub&ects from myth retain powerful tinges of indigenous Irish
culture. Yeats often borrowed word selection" verse form" and patterns of ima*ery
directly from traditional Irish myth and fol!lore.
Symbols
The +yre
The gyre" a circular or conical shape" appears fre?uently in Yeats#s poems and was
developed as part of the philosophical system outlined in his boo! A #ision. At first" Yeats
used the phases of the moon to articulate his belief that history was structured in terms of
ages" but he later settled upon the gyre as a more useful model. He chose the image of
interloc!ing gyresGvisually represented as two intersecting conical spiralsGto
symboli4e his philosophical belief that all things could be described in terms of cycles
and patterns. The soul 5or the civili4ation" the age" and so on8 would move from the
smallest point of the spiral to the largest before moving along to the other gyre. Although
this is a difficult concept to grasp abstractly" the image ma!es sense when applied to the
wa0ing and waning of a particular historical age or the evolution of a human life from
youth to adulthood to old age. The symbol of the interloc!ing gyres reveals Yeats#s belief
in fate and historical determinism as well as his spiritual attitudes toward the
development of the soul" since creatures and events must evolve according to the conical
shape. With the image of the gyre" Yeats created a shorthand reference in his poetry that
stood for his entire philosophy of history and spirituality.
The San
<wans are a common symbol in poetry" often used to depict ideali4ed nature. Yeats
employs this convention in +The Wild <wans at $oole- 5')')8" in which the regal birds
represent an unchanging" flawless ideal. In +Leda and the <wan"- Yeats rewrites the
;ree! myth of Qeus and Leda to comment on fate and historical inevitability1 Qeus
disguises himself as a swan to rape the unsuspecting Leda. In this poem" the bird is
fearsome and destructive" and it possesses a divine power that violates Leda and initiates
the dire conse?uences of war and devastation depicted in the final lines. ven though
Yeats clearly states that the swan is the god Qeus" he also emphasi4es the physicality of
the swan1 the beating wings" the dar! webbed feet" the long nec! and bea!. Through this
description of its physical characteristics" the swan becomes a violent divine force. By
rendering a well/!nown poetic symbol as violent and terrifying rather than ideali4ed and
beautiful" Yeats manipulates poetic conventions" an act of literary modernism" and adds to
the power of the poem.
The +reat Beast
Yeats employs the figure of a great beastGa horrific" violent animalGto embody difficult
abstract concepts. The great beast as a symbol comes from $hristian iconography" in
which it represents evil and dar!ness. In +The <econd $oming"- the great beast emerges
from the <piritus 2undi" or soul of the universe" to function as the primary image of
destruction in the poem. Yeats describes the onset of apocalyptic events in which the
+blood/dimmed tide is loosed- and the +ceremony of innocence is drowned- as the world
enters a new age and falls apart as a result of the widening of the historical gyres. The
spea!er predicts the arrival of the <econd $oming" and this prediction summons a +vast
image- of a frightening monster pulled from the collective consciousness of the world.
Yeats modifies the well/!nown image of the sphin0 to embody the poem#s vision of the
climactic coming. By rendering the terrifying prospect of disruption and change into an
easily imagined horrifying monster" Yeats ma!es an abstract fear become tangible and
real. The great beast slouches toward Bethlehem to be born" where it will evolve into a
second $hrist 5or anti/$hrist8 figure for the dar! new age. In this way" Yeats uses distinct"
concrete imagery to symboli4e comple0 ideas about the state of the modern world.
Yeats is the greatest poet in the history of Ireland and probably the greatest poet to write
in nglish during the twentieth century9 his themes" images" symbols" metaphors" and
poetic sensibilities encompass the breadth of his personal e0perience" as well as his
nation#s e0perience during one of its most troubled times. Yeats#s great poetic pro&ect was
to reify his own lifeGhis thoughts" feelings" speculations" conclusions" dreamsGinto
poetry1 to render all of himself into art" but not in a merely confessional or
autobiographical manner9 he was not interested in the common/place. 5
Beteen the %oor and the Sea, The Story
of Yeats' Cuchulain
By Lawrence Bommer
BTWD TH ,%%R AD, TH <A1 TH <T%RY %A YAT<J $B$HBLAID
Arc ntertainment ;roup
at Deo/Auturarium
Long before Blster became infamous for sectarian murder and martyrs" it !new the
slaughter of $eltic warriors attac!ing one anotherJs stony forts. Raising that bloodshed to
the level of legend" un!nown bards forged the myth of $uchulain" a physically perfect"
irresistibly powerful superhero who charged into battle in brightly colored raiment and
glowing &ewelry" bristling hair shining in the sun.
Born of the sun and a mortal woman" $uchulain was an effortless and ruthless Iron Age
fighter. He could also traffic with the witches and ghosts of the %therworld 5as well as
the many mortal women drawn to him8. His e0ploits 5compiled in the '*th/century
manuscript The Boo! of the ,un $ow and later sources8 taught young $eltic noblemen a
rapacious warrior creed. If his myth was inspired by an actual !iller" it soon incarnated a
violent eraJs battle ethic.
When Ireland later faced an e?ually primitive struggle//the ')'7 Rebellion and the
ensuing civil war//it seemed right that a modern bard" William Butler Yeats" would
revive the tales of the IHound of Blster.I Yeats wrote three chronologically lin!ed one/
acts based on these legends for Lady ;regoryJs Abbey Theatre" which played a ma&or role
in re!indling interest in IrelandJs pagan past after it opened in ')>F. These wor!s are rich
with gorgeous cadenced verse that combines the force of prophecy with the pathos of an
elegy//rhapsodic" if occasionally dense and cryptic. %n BaileJs <trand" the earliest and
best !nown" premiered in ')>F9 The %nly Oealousy of mer in ')**9 and The ,eath of
$uchulain in ').)" the year of YeatsJs death. All three rarely seen poem plays have been
revived by Arc ntertainment ;roup" the companyJs ambitious first production.
%n BaileJs <trand" a portrait of a familyJs self/destruction" inevitably recalls %edipus Re0.
Bnwittingly completing a curse" $uchulain tragically agrees to circumscribe his power by
swearing an oath to obey the edicts of IrelandJs Ling $onchubar. %ne order is to fight a
young man who has terrori4ed the !ingdom. <eeing in the boy a family resemblance"
$uchulain for once resists the urge to !ill" but his oath compels him. Then reali4ing he
has !illed his own son by his lost love Nueen Aoife" $uchulain attac!s the ocean in an
ab&ect rage. :roviding tedious comic relief are the clownish antics of a Aool and a Blind
2an" YeatsJs less/than/ribald attempt to give a common touch to uncommon heroics.
In The %nly Oealousy of mer $uchulain is rescued from death by the sacrifice of his
dogged wife mer. <hown by the tric!ster Bricriu an image of $uchulainJs spirit being
seduced by a woman from the %therworld" mer agrees to renounce his love" a costly lie
that brea!s a death spell.
In The ,eath of $uchulain the hero achieves victory in battle but defeat at the hands of
the now/aged Aoife. mer defends him by slaying si0 of his enemies" but itJs too late1 his
head was cut off as a souvenir by the Blind 2an. After the death goddess 2orrigu ta!es
his spirit to the $eltic 3alhalla" YeatsJs chorus compares $uchulain to the heroes of the
')'7 battle at the ,ublin post office" where the first blood of the Rebellion was shed 5and
suddenly this saga sounds a bit li!e propaganda8.
rica Lu!eticJs )>/minute staging//with its smo!y fog" ethereal fol! music" and
impressionistic lighting//is intended to convey the ease with which the legendJs hero can
move from the real world to the spirit realm. But it would be nice if the nine actors could
manage a clean &ourney through YeatsJs ornate verse. Too many of them" including ,e&an
AvramovichJs $onchubar" founder because of a tentative" half/hearted recitation9 their
hesitation ma!es you wonder how well they grasp" let alone feel" their language.
Brian Amidei at least brings confidence to his blustering $uchulain 5if not the muscular
presence the legend demands89 his deft impersonation of the shape/shifting Bricriu is
even more accomplished. :atricia ;allagher ma!es much of AoifeJs final confrontation
with her lost hero. 2ost committed to YeatsJs imagery is ,anielle Brothers" who plays
mer from the inside out with a lyricism as lush as her lines.
A small but constant problem is the setJs clashing cloth pieces" the clutter of which
impedes the action and the scene changes.
A man came slowly from the setting sun"
To mer" raddling raiment in her dun"
And said" II am that swineherd whom you bid
;o watch the road between the wood and tide"
But now I have no need to watch it more.I
Then mer cast the web upon the floor"
And raising arms all raddled with the dye"
:arted her lips with a loud sudden cry.
That swineherd stared upon her face and said"
IDo man alive" no man among the dead"
Has won the gold his cars of battle bring.I
IBut if your master comes home triumphing
Why must you blench and sha!e from foot to crownPI
Thereon he shoo! the more and cast him down
Bpon the web/heaped floor" and cried his word1
IWith him is one sweet/throated li!e a bird.I
IYou dare me to my face"I and thereupon
<he smote with raddled fist" and where her son
Herded the cattle came with stumbling feet"
And cried with angry voice" IIt is not meet
To idle life away" a common herd.I
II have long waited" mother" for that word1
But wherefore nowPI
IThere is a man to die9
You have the heaviest arm under the s!y.I
IWhether under its daylight or its stars
2y father stands amid his battle/cars.I
IBut you have grown to be the taller man.I
IYet somewhere under starlight or the sun
2y father stands.I
IAged" worn out with wars
%n foot. on horsebac! or in battle/cars.I
II only as! what way my &ourney lies"
Aor He who made you bitter made you wise.I
IThe Red Branch camp in a great company
Between woodJs rim and the horses of the sea.
;o there" and light a camp/fire at woodJs rim9
But tell your name and lineage to him
Whose blade compels" and wait till they have found
<ome feasting man that the same oath has bound.I
Among those feasting men $uchulain dwelt"
And his young sweetheart close beside him !nelt"
<tared on the mournful wonder of his eyes"
ven as <pring upon the ancient s!ies"
And pondered on the glory of his days9
And all around the harp/string told his praise"
And $onchubar" the Red Branch !ing of !ings"
With his own fingers touched the bra4en strings.
At last $uchulain spa!e" I<ome man has made
His evening fire amid the leafy shade.
I have often heard him singing to and fro"
I have often heard the sweet sound of his bow.
<ee! out what man he is.I
%ne went and came.
IHe bade me let all !now he gives his name
At the sword/point" and waits till we have found
<ome feasting man that the same oath has bound.I
$uchulain cried" II am the only man
%f all this host so bound from childhood onRI
After short fighting in the leafy shade"
He spa!e to the young man" JIs there no maid
Who loves you" no white arms to wrap you round"
%r do you long for the dim sleepy ground"
That you have come and dared me to my facePI
IThe dooms of men are in ;odJs hidden place"I
IYour head a while seemed li!e a womanJs head
That I loved once.I
Again the fighting sped"
But now the war/rage in $uchulain wo!e"
And through that new bladeJs guard the old blade bro!e"
And pierced him.
I<pea! before your breath is done.I
I$uchulain I" mighty $uchulainJs son.I
II put you from your pain. I can no more.I
While day its burden on to evening bore"
With head bowed on his !nees $uchulain stayed9
Then $onchubar sent that sweet/throated maid"
And she" to win him" his grey hair caressed9
In vain her arms" in vain her soft white breast.
Then $onchubar" the subtlest of all men"
Ran!ing his ,ruids round him ten by ten"
<pa!e thus1 I$uchulain will dwell there and brood
Aor three days more in dreadful ?uietude"
And then arise" and raving slay us all.
$haunt in his ear delusions magical"
That he may fight the horses of the sea.I
The ,ruids too! them to their mystery"
And chaunted for three days.
$uchulain stirred"
<tared on the horses of the sea" and heard
The cars of battle and his own name cried9
And fought with the invulnerable tide.
William Butler Yeats