At the Hawk's Well facts for kids

At the Hawk's Well is a short play by William Butler Yeats. It was first performed in 1916. It was published in 1917. This play is one of five by Yeats. They are all based on stories about Cuchulain. He was a famous hero from ancient Ulster in Irish mythology. This play was also special. It was the first English play to use many ideas from Japanese Noh Theatre.

Play Style and Design

This play is very different from typical plays. It uses a special style that is not meant to be super realistic.

• Stylized: This means things are shown in a special, artistic way. It's not like real life.
• Abstract: The play uses ideas and feelings more than exact details.
• Symbolic: Objects and actions often represent bigger ideas.
• Ritualistic: It feels like a ceremony or a special event.

Stage and Costumes

The stage for this play is very simple. It's just an empty space. There is a wall with a patterned screen behind it. The only props are two pieces of cloth. One is black with a gold hawk design. The other is blue to show a well.

The actors wear simple but striking costumes. The two main characters wear masks. Other actors have their faces painted to look like masks. The actors move like puppets. Music plays throughout the show. It uses a drum, a gong, and a zither.

How the Play is Written

The play is written in verse, like a poem. It begins and ends with musicians speaking. They share their thoughts and explain things. They speak alone and together as a group. The main part of the play is a short story. It has only three characters.

Characters

• Three Musicians
• The Guardian of the Well
• An Old Man
• A Young Man

What Happens in the Play

The story takes place on a lonely mountainside. There is a dried-up well there. A woman who acts like a hawk guards this well.

The Old Man's Wait

An old man has been camping by the well for fifty years. He is waiting to drink its special water. People say the water can make you live forever. But the water only rises sometimes.

Cuchulain Arrives

Then, Cuchulain arrives at the well. He has heard stories about the water. He believes it can give him immortality. The Old Man tries to warn Cuchulain. He tells him about his own wasted life. He explains how he always missed the water. Once, he fell asleep just when the water appeared.

The Hawk's Influence

But Cuchulain is determined to stay. He is sure he will drink the water. They talk about a hawk that attacked Cuchulain earlier. The Old Man says this hawk is a magical being. He believes it brings bad luck, making people restless and violent.

Suddenly, the Guardian of the Well seems to go into a trance. She starts to dance like a hawk. Then she leaves the stage. As she goes, the well water begins to bubble up.

Missed Opportunity

Cuchulain chases after the Guardian. But he cannot find her. When he returns to the well, the Old Man tells him he missed the water. Cuchulain doesn't seem to care. He rushes off again. He wants to fight the warrior women the Guardian has called. He ignores the Old Man's pleas to stay with him.

Main Ideas in the Play

The play explores many important ideas:

• Choices and Who You Are: How the choices you make shape your identity.
• Fate and What's Meant to Be: Whether your life is already planned out.
• Old Age and Youth: The differences in how older and younger people see life.
• Real vs. Magical: The difference between the natural world and the supernatural. Also, between physical things and spiritual ideas, and living forever versus dying.
• Inner Struggles: How people deal with their own thoughts and feelings.
• Thinking vs. Acting on Impulse: The conflict between being logical and acting on sudden feelings.
• Being a Hero: What it means to be brave and heroic.
• Change and Growing: How people and situations can change and transform.

Other Facts

The Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo, Ireland, was built in 1982. It was named after this play.