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The Whole Man”: a Discussion of the Influence of Aspects Of “The Whole Man”: A Discussion of the Influence of Aspects of the Occult and of German Philosophy on Yeats’s Dramatic Theory and Performance Name: Aibhlín Ní Dubhghaill Student Number: 0818379 Award: PhD Institution: Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick Supervisor: Dr Eugene O’Brien Submitted to the University of Limerick, May 2014 i “The Whole Man”: A Discussion of the Influence of Aspects of the Occult and of German Philosophy on Yeats’s Dramatic Theory and Performance ii Abstract This thesis will attempt to set out the core elements of the dramatic theory of William Butler Yeats. He had worked on this for many years, attempting to create a theatre in which unity of Image on stage would lead to a sense of Unity of Being in the audience, which, in turn, would lead to a form of Unity of Culture in society at large. The thesis will examine the core disciplines and areas of epistemology which influenced Yeatsian dramatic theory. Initially, it will look at his pagan or neo-pagan sensibility, as expressed through his belonging to numerous magical societies, and his involvement indifferent areas of pagan, occult and esoteric knowledge such as Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy and The Golden Dawn. The second chapter will examine his reading of German Philosophers and thinkers such as Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Friedrich Schiller. It will also address the strong influences of different aspects of the thinking of these philosophers on his dramatic theory. The influence of the psychoanalytic work of Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund Freud will also be briefly adumbrated. The third chapter will set out the dramatic theory itself, and the different uses of language, ritual, staging and masks that Yeats used to try to create his theatre of art. It will also trace the influences of pagan thought and philosophy on the theory itself. In the final chapter, a representative selection of plays will be analysed in the light of the dramatic theory: On Baile’s Strand; The Green Helmet; The Shadowy Waters; The Hourglass; At the Hawk’s Well; The Player Queen; The Cat and the Moon and The Herne’s Egg. In this chapter the syncretic and dialectical influence of the performances on the theory, and of the theory on the performances, will be analysed. iii Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis represents my own work and has not been submitted, in whole or part, by me or another person, for the purpose of obtaining any other qualification. Signed: _____________________________________ Date: ____________________________________ iv Dedication I dedicate this work to Ellie Malone whose example I try to follow, and to Seamus Doyle who shared his love of the written word with me. Their egalitarian and liberal approach has influenced me in every way both first hand through themselves and latterly through their children, particularly Paddy. The influence of these two extraordinary people I have never taken for granted and will be eternally grateful for. v Acknowledgements I want to acknowledge and thank Dr Eugene O Brien for the continued support, help and patience he has shown me, for allowing me my space and autonomy, for his open-minded and objective approach to my work and my own idiosyncratic nature. I want to thank Professor Charles Armstrong for his encouragement, his kindness, his knowledge, his constructive critique and helpful insight which improved this work. Similarly, I also want to thank Dr John McDonagh for his kindness, suggestions, help and idiosyncratic comments which were of great benefit to me. I want to thank, Paddy Doyle and Tina Doyle for putting up with both me and Yeats and in general giving me space and support. Thanks to Kathleen Dunne for supplying me with coffee during study-breaks when needed and for her continual interest in my work. I want to acknowledge the endless support, hot tea and drinks supplied by Catherine Doyle and Maggie Hutchinson which helped maintain my life-balance and sanity and would similarly thank Deirdre O’Shea for her support and endless supply of coffee. I want to thank Ann-Marie Downey for her trips to Inisteoige, and Paula Murphy and Joanne Sainsbury for being there when needed. I want to acknowledge and thank Dr James Heaney and all the staff of St Patrick’s College, Carlow; without Carlow College, I would not have ended up at this point, James for his open-minded supervising of the original version of this work, for continually challenging and questioning me, for allowing me to write what I wanted to say and allowing me to do so my own way. Additional thanks to Dr Noel Kavanagh who introduced me to the philosophy that became such a major part of this work, though at vi times I cursed him for it. I particularly want to acknowledge Carlow College as a whole, as a collection of lecturers and support staff who are perpetually fair, approachable, and objective and more importantly the lecturing staff who encourage an inter-disciplinary ethos which pervades the humanities department, This ethos is evident in my work and this research would not only be poorer but perhaps not exist at all if were not for that ideology. vii Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iii Declaration .................................................................................................................. iv Dedication ..................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... vi Contents ..................................................................................................................... viii Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One .................................................................................................................... 60 ‘Seeing with Internal Eyes’: Yeats and the Occult ......................................................... 60 Paganism ..................................................................................................................... 61 Freemasonry ............................................................................................................... 71 Rosicrucianism ........................................................................................................... 75 Theosophy .................................................................................................................. 78 The Golden Dawn ....................................................................................................... 82 Chapter Two ................................................................................................................... 92 ‘Transcending and Creating Forms’: Yeats and European Philosophy .......................... 92 Schiller ........................................................................................................................ 95 Schopenhauer ........................................................................................................... 103 Magic and Ritual ...................................................................................................... 116 Nietzsche .................................................................................................................. 119 Freud, Jung and Psychoanalysis ............................................................................... 130 Chapter Three ............................................................................................................... 144 ‘Continually Varied Music’: Yeats’s Dramatic Theory ............................................... 144 The Self .................................................................................................................... 156 The Anti-Self ............................................................................................................ 159 Sexualised Anti-Self ................................................................................................. 161 Gender ...................................................................................................................... 167 Conception of Art ..................................................................................................... 171 Duality ...................................................................................................................... 173 Character/Personality ............................................................................................... 175 viii Rosa Alchemica ........................................................................................................ 180 The Tables of Law .................................................................................................... 190 Theatrical Unity ........................................................................................................ 194 Theatre as Ritual ....................................................................................................... 199 The Mask .................................................................................................................. 200 Chapter Four ................................................................................................................. 210 ‘The Theatre Grows More Elaborate’:
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