The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Vol. II: The Plays (ISBN 0684857235)

Cathleen ni Houlihan and the Modern Irish Woman:
Professor David Clark and his daughter Rosalind have done yeoman service bringing Yeats' plays to those interested in reading them. Since they are rarely performed, they must be read to be appreciated. Women are given oddly distant treatment in these plays. Heroes seem confused at times while women seem compelled to help them fulfill their destinies. Heroic CuChulain of the ancient Irish tales spends his life in military service for Ulster, opposing Queen Maeve and her warriors. Yeats' language is modern, cool and elegant but lacks the emotional intensity of J.M. Synge, who was more able to grasp the rhythms in Irish speech than Yeats was. Comparing the two Deirdre plays, Synge's is richer in emotional language, more poetic than Yeats' very modern version of the Deirdre story. The power of women in both writers' work is evident; modern Irish women were the first to organize, wear uniforms and demand the vote. Maybe they were inspired by Cathleen ni Houlihan.