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トピックス
The Advent of
the Irish Dramatic Movement:
From Politics to Drama
Kaoru Imanishi
In the early stages of the Irish Dramatic
Parnell was a Protestant Wicklow
Movement, the success and the fame were
landlord who devoted himself to the
primarily due to the contributions of John
emancipation of peasants from landlords,
Millington Synge, though the key figures
and also to that of Ireland from British
were undoubtedly W. B. Yeats and Lady
rule. As he was a well-to-do Protestant, his
Gregory. At the start of the Irish Dramatic
political campaign, like Maud Gonne’s and
Movement, nobody realistically had the
Constance Markievicz’s, actually meant
thought of establishing the Abbey Theatre
revolt against his own class. Supported
in mind. It was the end product of the
by many Irish Catholics, he soon became
Movement, which started partly as a result
President of the Land League founded by
of the failure of the parliamentary efforts
Michael Davitt, a Fenian leader. Through
by politicians for achieving the goal of Irish
his parliamentary efforts, the Gladstone
Independence.
government finally passed the Land Act in
The Irish struggle for independence over
1881, recognizing “the three F’s” of Tenant-
the centuries had not been an ever-growing
rights: Fixity of Tenure, Free Sale and Fair
trend. It had ups and downs; it was tried
Rents. However, just as hopes of Home
sometimes by force and sometimes by
Rule reached a peak, they were completely
negotiation through parliamentary efforts.
dashed when Parnell’s divorce proceedings
The constitutional campaign of Charles
came out in court. This incident became an
Stewart Parnell (the leader of the Irish
ugly political scandal due to the Victorian
Parliamentary Party) was first successful
social mores and decorum. Immediately
in laying the groundwork for Home Rule;
after this, the Church authorities
his party’s main objectives were land
denounced him.
reform and legislative independence from
Parnell had been successful in uniting
the United Kingdom. Hence he supported
major different factions, such as the
land agitation as he believed it would help
Fenians and the Roman Catholic Church,
to achieve his objective of self-government
into one strong force, but the unified
in Ireland, but the bills for Irish Home
factions were split after the scandal;
Rule were voted down.
consequently political settlement became
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impossible. On top of this, Parnell’s sudden
Standish O’Grady, felt compelled to create
death confounded people who had aspired
national literature and drama in order to
for independence. Mass rallies were no
express their desire for independence. They
longer systematically organized, and the
wanted to establish their national identity
parliamentary debates produced practically
through the literary movement, part of a
no changes. Gladstone also retired three
cultural nationalist movement called “the
years after Parnell’s death and the hopes
Celtic Renaissance”.
for establishing Irish Parliamentary Home
Concurrently, a new “Young Ireland”
Rule vanished.
movement, initiated mainly by Fenians,
Because of the disunity of factions and
was gaining ground. John O’Leary, as its
the devastating course of events for Home
leader, had proved his patriotism to this
Rule, the general population of Ireland
movement in difficult social and political
became apathetic towards politics. Yet,
circumstances. It was through the personal
though the majority of them lost interest
influence of John O’Leary that a group of
in politics and in achieving independence
hopeful intellectual patriots, W. B. Yeats,
through parliamentary movements, the
George Russell, John F. Taylor and others,
nationalist movement never actually died
sought another means of achieving the
down. Edmund Curtis pointed out the new
goal of independence; they initiated a new
phase of the societal development, and
Irish literary movement. Yeats had a firm
remarked, ‘in the grand disillusionment
belief: “There is no great literature without
that followed Parnell the national cause
nationality, no great nationality without
took new and deeper channels than mere
literature.” (2)
politics.’ (1)
The literary movement was rapidly
The channel that the nationalists opted
becoming a substitute for the political
for was the intensification of an already
movement to enhance the Irish people’s
growing literary movement. It was a
spirit of independence. Yeats’s artistic
movement to draw inspiration through
aim of the Celtic Revival was to restore
delving into Irish sagas, myths and folklore
the lost Irish culture, raise the national
and Irish history. Ernest Boyd dates the
consciousness and establish national
beginning of modern Irish literature with
identity through literature and drama
the publication of Standish O’Grady’s
using Irish mythology and folklore as
two books: History of Ireland: The Heroic
materials.
Period in 1878, and History of Ireland:
Yeats, “The Great Founder” as Sean
Cuchulain and his Contemporaries in
O’Casey called him, set up and promoted
1880. These two works helped Irish writers
the National Literary Society in London in
to come to terms with the ancient Irish
1892. He wanted to produce a completely
literature. Intellectuals, influenced by
new style of drama which was a revolt
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against realism. Then he formed in Dublin,
funding. Lady Gregory encouraged him,
a sister organization to the National
saying that she would either collect or
Literary Society of London. Douglas Hyde
provide the necessary funds.
became the president of the society and
Yeats wanted to recreate the forgotten
he gave a memorial lecture titled ‘The
Irish cultural heritage through poetry
Necessity for De-Anglicising Ireland’ as
and drama. He hoped to use literary arts
an inaugural address. His argument was
as an expression of ancient and original
to preserve and revive all that was best in
Irish psyche. He also started to establish
Irish language and culture.
a literary theatre where his mystic and
At this time Yeats published his play
intellectual plays would be performed.
The Countess Cathleen . While the London
He wrote his ideas in “The Reform of the
society was founded for intellectual and
Theatre”:
social affairs, the Dublin society was for
publishing books, holding open lectures
We have to write or find plays that will
and discussion sessions with distinguished
make the theatre a place of intellectual
figures on Irish history or on contemporary
excitement. . . . If we are to do this we must
Irish political and social problems. Maud
learn that beauty and truth are always
Gonne, who single-handedly created
justified of themselves, and that their
a national lending library network in
creation is a greater service to our country
Ireland, had concurrently been trying to
than writing that compromises either in
rediscover Irish nationhood through Irish
the seeming service of a cause. . . . Such
literature and myth.
plays will require, both in writers and
Yeats’s energy had always been spent
audiences, a stronger feeling for beautiful
on establishing an Irish theatre as a home
and appropriate language than one finds in
base from which to promulgate Irish
the ordinary theatre. (3)
culture. After he was acquainted with
Edward Martyn, Yeats was introduced to
Yeats wrote many verse plays for his
Lady Gregory and George Moore through
Irish Dramatic Movement, but his plays
Martyn who had written two plays, The
were symbolical and sometimes too
Heather Field and Maeve . Lady Gregory
enigmatic for the audience. Hence, his
thought it was a pity that they had no Irish
plays could not attract large audiences as
theatres where Irish plays could be staged.
Synge’s. It was almost by chance that Yeats
Yeats had the idea of a literary theatre
met Synge in Paris; this meeting was a
for some time, and it began to take shape
crucial incident which had a tremendous
strongly in his mind. However, Yeats knew
effect on the future of the Irish Dramatic
the difficulty in establishing an Irish
Movement: the first meeting of Yeats
theatre for Irish drama due to the lack of
and Synge in 1896. Yeats gave counsel to
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Synge, just after coming back from the
only for the last seven years of his life
Aran Islands himself:
under the shadow of death.
The formation of the Irish Dramatic
I said, ‘Give up Paris, you will never
Movement in the midst of the Irish Literary
create anything by reading Racine, and
Renaissance accidentally coincided with
Arthur Symons will always be a better
the centenary year of Wolf Tone’s revolt
critic of French literature. Go to the Aran
against British reign in 1798. Patriotic
Islands. Live there as if you were one of the
feelings were reawakened by Arthur
people themselves; express a life that has
Griffith, the founder and third leader of
never found expression.’ I had just come
Sinn Féin. Although Yeats’s aspiration
from Aran and my imagination was full of
was basically the same as those whose
those grey islands, where men must reap
political aim was Irish independence,
with knives because of the stones. (4)
the approach to the aim was different.
Yeats’s Irish Dramatic Movement gathered
Synge recorded his experiences minutely
literary people around him, and they tried
in his journals. Synge made direct contact
to rediscover Irish cultural heritage in
with the people of Aran while living there,
mythology and folklore untainted by the
and dramatized the folklore he had directly
English.
heard from them.
His recognition of mortality through
Notes
the experience of his physical ailment
1. Edmund Curtis, A History of Ireland
from incurable disease resulted in his
(London: Methuen, 1950), p. 388.
melancholy and pessimism. His own
2. James Hogg (ed.), Poetic Drama & Poetic
physical problems and his experiences
Theory (Salzburg: Universität Salzburg,
in the Aran Islands were linked together
1981), p. 39.
and helped him to formulate the original
3. See Francis Bickley, J. M. Synge and
themes of his plays. He recorded the fear of
the Irish Dramatic Movement (London:
death among the country folk he met in the
Constable and Company, 1912), p. 68.
Aran Islands in his Journal, which might
4. W. B. Yeats, Essays and Introductions ,
have been the resonance of his own fear
of death. The desolate life of the people of
Aran and Synge’s dark and ironic view of
life combined to help him to formulate his
problem plays, such as In the Shadow of
the Glen, Riders to the Sea and Deirdre
of the Sorrows . His active period as a
dramatist lasted a relatively short time:
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(London:Macmillan,1961) p. 299.