Classic Play Summaries: Yeats and Shaw Dramas

The Land of Heart's Desire by W.B. Yeats (1894)

The play opens with the line: "Has lain up in the thatch these 50 years…"

Maurteen is talking to the priest about a book. His father told him that his grandfather wrote it and killed a heifer for its binding.

According to ancient legend, the fairies on Midsummer Eve possess a strange, unusual power over mortals. On this night, they sometimes even steal away the fairest mortals to become their brides. It is with her head full of such fancies that Mary comes to the peasant home of Shawn Bruin as his bride. She is interested in reading a book of legends and is greatly fascinated by the tale of Princess Edain.

Shawn's parents, Bridget and Maurteen, fall to discussing the fairies, and Mary is warned of the dangers. Mary permits a little child whose singing fascinates her to enter the kitchen. But presently, by various signs, they realize that the child is not of this world. It is only after Father Hart has removed the crucifix, however, that she is free to work her spell on Mary's soul. With song and dance, she fascinates the girl while the peasants gather around Father Hart in abject terror. In the absence of the crucifix, the priest is powerless to save her, and the spirit of another mortal is lured away to The Land of Heart's Desire. Only Mary's lifeless white body is left to the grieving Shawn.

Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw (1893)

From Act 3, a memorable line: "Ha! ha! ha! ha! Go it, little missie, go it…"

This section describes a conversation between Vivie Warren and Crofts. When Vivie and her mother, Mrs. Warren, arrive, Vivie has a chance to speak with Frank Gardner and tell him that she has come to an understanding with her mother. Vivie also speaks with Crofts, who offers a marriage proposal, which she naturally rejects. Crofts's offers of money and security are not particularly attractive to a person like Vivie, who wants to hold her own. Vengefully, Crofts reveals to Vivie that her mother is still involved in the business of prostitution, trafficking other girls for profit. Moreover, Crofts was her business partner. He also reveals to Vivie and Frank that they are half-siblings, with the Reverend Samuel Gardner being Vivie's father.

On Baile's Strand by W.B. Yeats (1903)

A line from the middle of the play: "…Nine queens out of the country under wave…"

This section summarizes a conversation involving Cuchulain.