A critical study of the contribution of abbey theatre to the promotion of irish literature: With reference to the selected works of william butler yeats, john millington synge and george bernard shaw

Ireland faced with a general lack of interest in Irish literature and a significant decline in the literary works produced for Ireland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The poor economic condition, sectarian conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants and the heated political disputes between the then Ireland with Britain didn’t leave much room for the blossoming of literature embedded with romanticism and softer feelings. The popular literature in Ireland was heavily influenced by English culture, Modernism and materialistic elements. In the foreign theatres and on their stages, Irishmen at best became comical characters in perpetual drunken state and at worst became as indolent, lustful or dangerous figures. A circle of Celtic literary figures with W.B. Yeats leadership came together in order to remove the negative depiction of the Irish people in English literature and revive Irish literature and language through Romanticism and revival of ancient Irish legends with its heroes and heroines. They hoped to establish a national theatre that proved Ireland to be a civilized nation with proper culture which led to the establishment of The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Among these literary figures W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge and G.B. Shaw are the focus of this study due to the importance of their role in the life of the Theatre. This study also intends to evaluate the role of The Abbey Theatre in the promotion of literature through the selected works of the aforementioned dramatists and the impact of their literary works on the then Irish society. It seems due to the disagreement among the members of The Abbey, its partial dissolution, the poor economic condition and the outbreak of the World War II the Theatre was only partially successful in the fulfilment of its initial goals.