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DEIRDRE AM)THE DESTRUCTION OF EMAIN MACHA: SUNGIAlY ARCHETYPES AND IRISH DRAMA by Nora F. Daly A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate S tudies in partial hiIfilment of the requirements for the degree of Mastet of Arts Department of English Language and Literature Mernorial University of Newfoundland St. John's TABLE OF CONTENTS ... Abstract ........................................................................................... 111 Acknowledgements .............................................................................. v 1.0Preface ........................................................................................ 1 2.0 The Original Deirdre ........................................................................ 4 3.0 Jungian Archetypes in the Deirdre Legend ............................................... 24 4.0 Russell's Deirdre: A Leeend in Three Acts .............................................. 42 5.0 Yeats's Deirdre ............................................................................... 59 6.0 Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows ............................................................ 74 7.0 AAerword ...................................................................................... 88 Works Cited ....................................................................................... 90 This thesis is a Iungian investigation of the ciramatic treatment of the Deirdre legend at the biith of the Irish Renaissance. At the turn of the cmhny, George Russeil (A.E.), William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge appreciated the potential cultural value of irish archetypes inherent in the story of Deirdre and the destruction of Emin Macha Though each of these dramatists interpreted the archetypal image of Deirdre in difiernt ways, their three plays emerge as socio-cuitun1 commentaries on contemporary Irish society. An archetypai investigation of these Deirdre versions elucidates each dramatists concern with the future of Irish culture, and their belief in the power ola pagan symbol to act as a beacon to guide the country in its quest for culturai unity. This paper begins with a detailed explanahon of the oldest surviving Deirdre text entitled "Longes Mac KUislenn" hmThe Book of Leinster. Also discussed is "Oidheadh Chloinne Uisnigh" hmthe Glenmasan manuscript, for this text is pivotal in the 1egend.r development. The next section is an exposition of Jung's theory of archetypes and how they apply to the Deirdre legend in geneial. Chapters three, four and five are commentaries on how Russeii, Yeats and Synge used the archetypes inherent in the Deirdre legend to Mertheir own personal agendas. I will argue that these dramatists did more than simply reintcoduce Deirdre to Dublin audiences; rather they used her archetypal image to write cautionary tales. Their plays iii demonstrate how contemporary sectarian and politicai agitation could ody lead to a modern, if metaphoric, "destructionof Emain Macha" ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express my deepest thanks to my academic advisor, Dr. Bernice Schrank, whose tenacity was matched only by her patience, particularly in the final rnonths of preparation. My thesis is dedicated to the rnemory of my mother, Margant Daly, who passed away shortly before its completion. She was, and continues to be, my muse. PREFACE Deirdre Fim appeared on the stage early in this century, but her written history goes back to The Book of Leinster, an elevmth cenniry Irish text. Deirdre made her way into a myriad of prose and poetic fom until she finally found dramatic voice in 1902 with Deirdre: A Leeend in Three Acts, written by George Russell, better known as A.E. The story of Deirdre and the sons of Usnach is archetypai in its composition - it is the story of a beautifid woman, a handsome young lover, and a jealous king. The Deirdre story cm be abbreviated as follows. At Deirdre's birth, the druid Cathbad prophesied that she would cause the exile of the sons of Usnach and the destruction of Emin Macha, seat of the kingship of ireland. King Conchubar decides, however, that Deirdre wiil be his fbture wife. She is raised in seclusion with Levarcham, her nurse, as her only cornpanion. One day, Deirdre spies Naoise, one of the sons of Umach They fall in love and elope to Alba, iogether with Naoise's brothen, Meand Ardan. Fergus, an emissary of the king and tnisted fiiend of Naoise, informs the lovers that the king has forgiven them. When they remto Emain Macha, Conchubar UsNaoise and his brothers. Deirdre's grief drives hato suicide and, in his anger, Fergus destmys Emain Madia The prophecy is fÙifUed. This paper wiil be an archetypal investigation of the Deirdre Iegend in INh drama using her dramatic adaptations by George Russell (AE.), William Butler Yeats, and John Millington Synge. These three men have been chosen because of thev importance to irish literature at the birth of the Irish Literary Renaissance. Among their many other contributions, it was these men who fïrst introduced theatre-gom to Deirdre. At the tum of the century, cultural revivai swept across Ereland. Groups such as the Gaelic League and the National Literary Society were formed to promote the growing interest in al1 things Irish. At this tirne, Lady Gregory, W.B. Yeats and Edward Mm Founded the Irish Literary Theatre in order to produce plays that would demonstrate that hland was the home of ail "ancient idealism" (Gregory 9), separate hmthe stereotypes of Ireland propomded by the English. This ancient idealisn could be found in the heroes of Ireland's pre-Christian stories and in the myriad archetypes they represented: Cuchullain is the brave hem, for example; or Conchubar, the evil king. According to C.G. Jung, an archetype is a primordial image which resides in the collective unconscious. in Jungian theory, archetypes are common among ail people and places. As such they are by their very nature, universal (Archetmes of the Collective Unconscious 3-4, hereafter ACU). They can, however, oniy be expressed through images and syrnbols, and it is here archetypes take on culnvai significance. The question lungian iiterary cnticisn attempts to answer is this: What purpose does the symboiic work of art fulnl in the psychic iife of a commuriity (Snider 1)?In the Irish agenda, the Deirdre legend hEiled two goals: on a culturd level, it supplied an icon to unite the nation. This was particularly attractive for the Anglo-Irish writers who appreciated the value of a non- sectanan enabhg myth. The second hction of Deirdre was that she inadvertently provideci the nation with a literary image of the political reality of Iteland, of Erin txying to 6ee herseif hmJohn Bull. An archetypal investigation of Deirdres adaptation on stage in the early twentieth century contains at least three layers of meaning. Fiy, it connmis the presence of archetypal imagery. Secondly, it demonstrates the poüticd and culhual usefuiness of archetypes as they are adapted to the circumstances of Ireland in the early phase of the independence smggle. Lady, it captures the personal idiosyncrasies and the aesthetic preoccupations of the three dramatists. Russell's hope was that an emulation of pre-Christian heroes could issue in the age of Ireland's new "Avatar." Years employed Deirdre as a non-sectarian culturd icon, as an aid in his cirem of an Irish "Unity of Culture," spear-headed by Anglo-uish writea like himself. Lastiy, Synge envisioned Deirdre as a "noble savage," representative of conternporary Irish peasants fighting to maintain their culturai hentage in the face of encroaching urbanism. Each of these drarnatists took the Irish archetypes inherent in the original Deirdre texts, and reinvented them to speak to the Irish people about their culnual hm. CHPmONE The Original Deirdre The basic plot of the Deirdre story is denved from two sources. The fint is "Longes Mac N-Uisiem" from the twelfth-cenniry Book of Leinster. Though evidence shows that the story had existed oraily for hundreds of years previous, this book contains the oldest Surviving record. "Longes Mac N-Uislenn" is a short text, but it outlines the principle characters and plot of the Deirdre legend. The second source for the story cornes hman episode enatled "Oidheadh Chloinne Uisnigh" contained in the fifieenth-cenniry Glenmasan manuscript. "Oidheadh Chloinne Uisnigh" offen little in the way of plot development; however, the characters of Deudre and Fergus are expandeci and it includes a greata degree of emotional depth. In this chapter, we will investigate thesa two texts as these stones taken together provide the archetypes for the subsequent