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The Countess Cathleen
"The Countess Cathleen" is a poetic play written by William Butler Yeats, one of the most celebrated Irish poets and playwrights. First performed in 1899, the play delves into themes of sacrifice, morality, and the clash between materialism and spirituality. Set in 12th-century Ireland during a time of famine, the play revolves around the character of Countess Cathleen, a noblewoman who is deeply moved by the suffering of her people. In an act of selflessness, she sells her soul to the devil in order to provide food and relief for the starving villagers. However, as the consequences of her decision unfold, she faces moral dilemmas and grapples with the true nature of her sacrifice. "The Countess Cathleen" explores profound questions about the human condition, the nature of evil, and the power of selflessness. It showcases Yeats' poetic brilliance and his ability to weave intricate themes into a dramatic narrative. The play also reflects Yeats' interest in Irish folklore and mythology, incorporating elements of Irish culture and spirituality.
60 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1892
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About the author
W.B. Yeats
2,037 books2,586 followersWilliam Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years Yeats served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honored. Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).
Yeats was born and educated in Dublin but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth, and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and those slow paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as to the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats' poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.
--from Wikipedia
Yeats was born and educated in Dublin but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth, and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and those slow paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as to the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats' poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.
--from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 17, 2019
As paradoxical as it may seem, the least autobiographical of literary works are often the most personally revealing. A change in circumstance, the adoption of a mask, allows emotion to flow freely, to be more precisely transformed into truth. So it is with William Butler Yeats’ The Countess Cathleen (1912).
Based on what Yeats believed was an Irish folktale, The Countess Cathleen tells of an Irish noblewoman who, during a time of famine, sells her soul to devils so that her people might have bread. The play is pro-nationalist, of course, and anti-landlord too (the merchants, buyers of souls, seem a lot like the landlords), but above all it is an expression of love and concern for the beautiful, self-denying countess, who represented for Yeats’ his great unrequited love Maud Gonne. who frequently exhausted her energies in devotion to Ireland’s cause.
It is not a great play, but a good play, and it has many passages of good poetry in it. The ones that stand out most, however, are the utterances of the poet Aleel, who worries continually about the Countess' health and fate, and the Countess' tender—though reserved--replies to his concerns.
My favorite is the following passage. The poet Aleel, whose hand has been wounded in the Countess' service, has just just been dismissed from her presence, as she Prepares for her great sacrifice. He asks to remain, raising his hands in supplication:
CATHLEEN. Do not hold out to me beseeching hands.
This heart shall never waken on earth. I have sworn,
By her whose heart the seven sorrows have pierced,
To pray before this altar until my heart
Has grown to Heaven like a tree, and there
Rustled its leaves, till Heaven has saved my people.
ALEEL. (who has risen)
When one so great has spoken of love to one
So little as I, though to deny him love,
What can he but hold out beseeching hands,
Then let them fall beside him, knowing how greatly
They have overdared?
(He goes towards the door of the hall. The COUNTESS CATHLEEN takes a few steps towards him.)
CATHLEEN. If the old tales are true,
Queens have wed shepherds and kings beggar-maids;
God's procreant waters flowing about your mind
Have made you more than kings or queens; and not you
But I am the empty pitcher.
ALEEL. Being silent,
I have said all, yet let me stay beside you.
CATHLEEN.No, no, not while my heart is shaken. No,
But you shall hear wind cry and water cry,
And curlews cry, and have the peace I longed for.
ALEEL. Give me your hand to kiss.
CATHLEEN. I kiss your forehead.
And yet I send you from me. Do not speak;
There have been women that bid men to rob
Crowns from the Country-under-Wave or apples
Upon a dragon-guarded hill, and all
That they might sift men's hearts and wills,
And trembled as they bid it, as I tremble
That lay a hard task on you, that you go,
And silently, and do not turn your head;
Goodbye; but do not turn your head and look;
Above all else, I would not have you look.
(ALEEL goes.)
I never spoke to him of his wounded hand,
And now he is gone.
March 11, 2021
This is a nice, little, apocalyptic play by Yeats. Two demons, disguised as foreign merchants, come to an Irish town offering the citizens, who are currently suffering through a famine, much gold in exchange for their souls. The titular Countess may just be the townspeople’s only hope...
I absolutely adored this one and would love to see a modern production of it.
This was my first play of 2021 (he says as though he reads plays all the time)...
My next book: The Rose
I absolutely adored this one and would love to see a modern production of it.
This was my first play of 2021 (he says as though he reads plays all the time)...
My next book: The Rose
January 16, 2016
This play was originally written in 1895 but Yeats reworked it repeatedly. The version I read was dated published in 1911 and was quite different from his original.
The play is set in Ireland during the awful years of the famine. We begin in the small cottage belonging to Shemus and Mary Rua and their son Tieg. Mary and Tieg are waiting for Shemus to return; he left many hours ago promising to bring home either food or money. But he comes home empty handed.
Something evil is about in the night, for Tieg had seen two owls with human faces in the bushes outside the cottage. These turn out to be demons who enter the house in the form of Merchants and offer to pay good money for souls. Shemus and Tieg are eager to accept; they feel that since God has turned away from the people, they should look elsewhere themselves. But the deal is they must go and spread the word about the two 'merchants' and their business. They agree to this and run out into the night, leaving Mary, who confronts the demons but faints when they explain what her future will be if she refuses to sell her soul.
The Countess Cathleen and her two companions Aleel and Oona had passed by earlier, on their way to her grand house. She is a sad woman, distressed over the conditions of the people and the land, and has decided to do as much as she can for them. She orders her steward to sell all of her property except for this house and use the proceeds to buy as much grain and cattle as he can, and bring them to the house for distribution as soon as possible.
But the demons are going about their business, and of course they meddle with the Countess, who decides that there is only one thing she can do to truly help the people and the country itself. Does she have the courage to do this thing? Who will win the final battle between Good and Evil, which will be triggered by Cathleen's decision? And is what the angel tells Aleel in the final scene really true? Or merely a justification for 'sin'? No wonder this play was controversial in its day.
When reading plays, I always think of how they would appear on stage. This one would be dark and dramatic, although I couldn't help but laugh a bit at the two Merchants and the water spirits in Scene 3. I am not sure I should have laughed, but the interaction between them all struck me as funny. I would like to read more work by Yeats, another of those authors who somehow managed to spend years of my life being neglected.
The play is set in Ireland during the awful years of the famine. We begin in the small cottage belonging to Shemus and Mary Rua and their son Tieg. Mary and Tieg are waiting for Shemus to return; he left many hours ago promising to bring home either food or money. But he comes home empty handed.
Something evil is about in the night, for Tieg had seen two owls with human faces in the bushes outside the cottage. These turn out to be demons who enter the house in the form of Merchants and offer to pay good money for souls. Shemus and Tieg are eager to accept; they feel that since God has turned away from the people, they should look elsewhere themselves. But the deal is they must go and spread the word about the two 'merchants' and their business. They agree to this and run out into the night, leaving Mary, who confronts the demons but faints when they explain what her future will be if she refuses to sell her soul.
The Countess Cathleen and her two companions Aleel and Oona had passed by earlier, on their way to her grand house. She is a sad woman, distressed over the conditions of the people and the land, and has decided to do as much as she can for them. She orders her steward to sell all of her property except for this house and use the proceeds to buy as much grain and cattle as he can, and bring them to the house for distribution as soon as possible.
But the demons are going about their business, and of course they meddle with the Countess, who decides that there is only one thing she can do to truly help the people and the country itself. Does she have the courage to do this thing? Who will win the final battle between Good and Evil, which will be triggered by Cathleen's decision? And is what the angel tells Aleel in the final scene really true? Or merely a justification for 'sin'? No wonder this play was controversial in its day.
When reading plays, I always think of how they would appear on stage. This one would be dark and dramatic, although I couldn't help but laugh a bit at the two Merchants and the water spirits in Scene 3. I am not sure I should have laughed, but the interaction between them all struck me as funny. I would like to read more work by Yeats, another of those authors who somehow managed to spend years of my life being neglected.
March 3, 2017
(By the shadow of this cross I, eternally, weep for you)
In times of “moon rituals”, “waning crescent” and the Occult summoning, in America,….I was led to this short play; so fitting.
THE "VAPOROUS THING”; …the “IMMORTAL THING”...the ”SECOND SELF”
This is a wonderful story, in-filled with the magic and the sordid, with life and death, and the question one will always wonder about, throughout: what’s the price of a soul? Indeed, many souls.
“I WILL BARTER MINE [SOUL]”
In times of famine, some peasants resolve to trade their souls for money; yet, they have to perform some work for those devilish merchants, the soul dealers. They have to tell others to do the same.
“THERE’S NOT GOOD LUCK IN OWLS”
Nevertheless, there’s one Christian lady who’s willing to sacrifice her own life, all her assets, to save the many. She’s the Countess Cathleen. But since she herself trades her soul for money (to offer to those poor souls/bodies starving) she too will pay with death.
“YOU ARE NOT OF THOSE WHO CAST A SHADOW”.
In heaven, though, her deed will be forgiven because what really mattered was her intent/motive.
January 23, 2021
This play started brilliantly with a teenager (Teig) rabbiting on about various supernatural things going on in the neighbourhood while his mother lets everything he says wash over her head, and just concentrates on the mundane and particularly how to get some food. It feels like such a universal parent/child interaction. It soon becomes apparent that famine has hit the land, and that many of the starving peasants are prepared to do anything to put food on their table – including selling their souls to the devil. Two merchants appear, who just happen to be agents of the devil, and offer untold money in return for souls.
The hero(ine) of the story in Countess Cathleen, who (unlike many rich people in fiction or fact) really wants to help the starving peasants around her. She is then targeted by the merchants, who deem her soul to be worth much, much more than those of the peasants surrounding her. (Something that does not sit well in my liberal, egalitarian belief system – but does match up with the conditions and thoughts in Ireland at the time).
Anyway – the ending is fantastic (in all meanings of the word), and reminds me so much of the ending of “Faust Part I” with the line “Ist gerettet”.
I found the version that I had (on Kindle), rather difficult to read, as it was littered with capitals mid-sentence. But given that it was free – I shouldn’t complain. I think it must have been written in verse form, with capitals at the start of each new line.
The language is very poetic, and it reads a lot like Shakespeare – so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare and/or stories of the supernatural.
The hero(ine) of the story in Countess Cathleen, who (unlike many rich people in fiction or fact) really wants to help the starving peasants around her. She is then targeted by the merchants, who deem her soul to be worth much, much more than those of the peasants surrounding her. (Something that does not sit well in my liberal, egalitarian belief system – but does match up with the conditions and thoughts in Ireland at the time).
Anyway – the ending is fantastic (in all meanings of the word), and reminds me so much of the ending of “Faust Part I” with the line “Ist gerettet”.
I found the version that I had (on Kindle), rather difficult to read, as it was littered with capitals mid-sentence. But given that it was free – I shouldn’t complain. I think it must have been written in verse form, with capitals at the start of each new line.
The language is very poetic, and it reads a lot like Shakespeare – so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare and/or stories of the supernatural.
November 7, 2022
I’m a simple woman. I saw Yeats wrote about a poetic countess and her poet lover. I’m in.
I originally read this as a literary descendent of Dr. Faustus. Turns out it’s more Wilde than Marlowe.
I originally read this as a literary descendent of Dr. Faustus. Turns out it’s more Wilde than Marlowe.
March 5, 2016
Hmmmm Ireland as a savior-and a woman(!)- selling her soul to the devil? Too much for society to bear at the time. The play unmasks the destitution and despair of the main labour force of the country, the peasants, and can be read as harsh criticism against religion.
February 4, 2026
Irish play from folklore
This was a play by the author inspired by Irish folk tales. Set in Ireland during the famine, a Countess will do anything to feed her people even if she must sell her sole. At the end of the play the author relates how the play was received in Dublin in 1899. Very interesting and worth a read.
This was a play by the author inspired by Irish folk tales. Set in Ireland during the famine, a Countess will do anything to feed her people even if she must sell her sole. At the end of the play the author relates how the play was received in Dublin in 1899. Very interesting and worth a read.
March 11, 2024
2.5/5
definitely one of the plays ever
definitely one of the plays ever
September 19, 2024
2.5/5
It’s definitely a play that exists
It’s definitely a play that exists
March 12, 2025
Pas facile à comprendre pour un non-natif parce que c'est en vers et ça s'enchaîne très vite, mais intéressant que l'histoire lie la religion et le folklore irlandais, avec pour contexte historique la Grande Famine
February 8, 2023
Sorry WB Yeats I know I visited your grave but this book was not a vibe.
January 19, 2022
4 stars for careless, typo-ridden transcription. Still worth it, good play.
October 13, 2025
In het Nederlands, vertaald door A. Roland Holst in 1941
March 27, 2023
4.5*
Lots of Yeats’ personal life shines through this.
Lots of Yeats’ personal life shines through this.
June 29, 2018
She sold her soul to some merchants in trade for the souls of the peasants. Yippidy-do-dah. I was unmoved by her death in the end.
Oh, spoiler alert. She dies in the end.
This was not the poetry I expected from a poet. It's a play. Not a poem. And not even a good play.
Oh, spoiler alert. She dies in the end.
This was not the poetry I expected from a poet. It's a play. Not a poem. And not even a good play.
Want to read
June 23, 2010We really own this as part of an omnibus: 0140480544
October 29, 2011
Ah, Willie, thanks for a great read.
I still think this play should be performed in front of the Business Department building (the old English Department building).
I still think this play should be performed in front of the Business Department building (the old English Department building).
March 8, 2024
The Countess Cathleen is an interesting play of one act about two merchants (actually, demons in disguise) who purchase people's souls for a great lump sum of gold (kroners) during a heavy famine that strikes Ireland in the middle ages. It's written in verse and I enjoyed it. The themes here are reminiscent of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, albeit the criminals and the victims are all baser here. The major theme of the play is that people will always make mistakes, seemingly because they are in need, but really, because they are base, and it is important to forgive such baseness of people.
November 18, 2019
The Countess Cathleen
An Irish play from the folklore by W.B. Yeats
The battle between Good and Evil with its Irish spin, evil merchants buying human souls and a ruler selling his peasants souls for his/hers.
Not that bad for an old play.
Did not like it that much though, not impressed!
An Irish play from the folklore by W.B. Yeats
The battle between Good and Evil with its Irish spin, evil merchants buying human souls and a ruler selling his peasants souls for his/hers.
Not that bad for an old play.
Did not like it that much though, not impressed!
June 1, 2020
Irish Faustian verse play by the esteemed Yeats: it twists the Faustian bargain with the virtue charity to some interesting effect.
September 20, 2020
A strange mix of Christian piety and Irish mythology. The text might warrant revival in a re-envisioning of the style and characters.
December 17, 2020
Forgettable.
September 26, 2021
This is my first read from Yeats' work. The Countess... explores territory of good and evil and weighs the value of intention, which seems to be novel territory.
November 5, 2023
2.5
Too many owls
Too many owls
March 11, 2025
actually need to see this staged right this second
March 17, 2025
Such a good anti-market whimsical play
March 4, 2026
Angels and demons fight, very cool 👍
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews