Death and Transformation in William Butler Yeats’ Drama

The article analyses the motifs of faith, sacrifice and transcendence as well as a variety of methods in which they are represented in the dramatic works of W.B. Yeats. The article also tackles the difficult theme of creating national myths through dramatic and political activity that Yeats was so keen to engage with. Additionally, Wąchocka discusses the mythological imagination in Yeats’s drama in the context of the Celtic mythological tradition, pointing to how certain motifs and subjects (especially lives of gods and heroes) find their way into his plays. Wąchocka pays particular attention to the irrational, subconscious elements in Yeats’s work, identifying a variety of traditions he was drawing his inspiration from. The article also discusses the topic of reincarnation, and the theme of return to life of Yeats’s heroes, and interprets images and symbols used to represent them