At the Hawk's Well

by W.B. Yeats

Born and educated in Dublin, Ireland, William Butler Yeats discovered early in his literary career a fascination with Irish folklore and the occult. He was a complex man, who struggled between beliefs in the strange and supernatural, and scorn for modern science. He was intrigued by the idea of mysticism, yet had little regard for Christianity. His close friend, Ezra Pound, exposed Yeats to the symbolic theatre genre of Japanese Noh drama, prompting him to write "At the Hawk's Well" in 1916. The play, based on the Cuchulain legends of Irish mythology, uses Japanese-style masks and very simple sets to achieve an abstract, stylized form. The story is set by a dried up well on a barren mountainside, guarded constantly by a hawk-woman, and watched diligently by an old man who has waited fifty years to drink from its miraculous waters and the young Cuchulain who fails to heed the old man's warnings.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Classics, Fiction, Theatre, Irish Literature

17 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

William 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

Reviews

[Emma Getz · Rating 5 out of 5]

more like william butler YEETS

I'm using this play for a final project in my medieval lit class (it makes sense trust me) but reading this play again is really interesting- Yeats was really dedicated to both Irish mythology and also Japanese Noh drama, making the work very unique and almost as much of a musical/dance performance as a drama

[Adriano Abreu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uma historia interessante mas que talvez a sua escrita poética me tenha incomodado um pouco. Não nego o talento e a criatividade deste autor que se baseia no folclore irlandês e também em mitologia.

[Sarah Alcaide-Escue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, enchanting play in verse that merges Irish mythology and Japanese Noh drama.

[S D]

A circular story. Manages to portray Cuchulain as a strongheaded idiot

[Nida · Rating 2 out of 5]

confusing, weird and underwhelming. this is a perfect example of a play that should be experienced, not only read

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

so hes not very smart….

[Edward Cheer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I fervently enjoyed Hofmannsthal's "Death and the Fool", I decided I'd read W. B. Yeat's incredibly short "At the Hawk's Well" immediately after the first play. And I didn't enjoy it that much. But this could be attributed to me not getting all the information from the play during my first play, so I'll probably re-read it sometime in the future.

I noticed a lot of symbolism with ancient cultures, and a distaste between the two characters for the great Hawk, implying some sort of disgust for the past and our older traditions as a species. Again, I only read the play once so I plan on going back again and really soaking up the details of this plays to see what Yeats is intending with his work.

[Mafalda]

Read for class.