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Cuchulain and the Old Man: Antinomies symbolized by the gyre in three plays by William Butler Yeats

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Date Issued:
1990
Summary:
The symbol of the gyre is the foundation of three plays At the Hawk's Well, On Baile's Strand, and The Death of Cuchulain. The gyre represents the relationship between Cuchulain and the Old Man, as they are each other's, antithesis and, at the same time, complement. The characters begin the cycle at opposite ends of the gyre, and the base of the gyre exerts the most positive force while the apex has the most negative. Therefore, in At the Hawk's Well, Cuchulain benefits from the influence of the gyre while the Old Man suffers from the negative effects of the same symbol. On Baile's Strand signifies change as the characters move to different positions on the gyre, and in The Death of Cuchulain a complete reversal has taken place; the Blind Man is at the base and Cuchulain is at the apex. In each play Yeats creates a geometric figure to symbolize the compelling force that the gyre exerts.
Title: Cuchulain and the Old Man: Antinomies symbolized by the gyre in three plays by William Butler Yeats.
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Name(s): Olbrys, Nancy Jane.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Peyton, Ann, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1990
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 66 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The symbol of the gyre is the foundation of three plays At the Hawk's Well, On Baile's Strand, and The Death of Cuchulain. The gyre represents the relationship between Cuchulain and the Old Man, as they are each other's, antithesis and, at the same time, complement. The characters begin the cycle at opposite ends of the gyre, and the base of the gyre exerts the most positive force while the apex has the most negative. Therefore, in At the Hawk's Well, Cuchulain benefits from the influence of the gyre while the Old Man suffers from the negative effects of the same symbol. On Baile's Strand signifies change as the characters move to different positions on the gyre, and in The Death of Cuchulain a complete reversal has taken place; the Blind Man is at the base and Cuchulain is at the apex. In each play Yeats creates a geometric figure to symbolize the compelling force that the gyre exerts.
Identifier: 14638 (digitool), FADT14638 (IID), fau:11432 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1990.
Subject(s): Yeats, W B--(William Butler),--1865-1939--Criticism and interpretation
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14638
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.