At the Hawk’s Well

play by Yeats

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June 18, 2026

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At the Hawk's Well is a short play by William Butler Yeats, first performed in 1916. It is one of his "Plays for Dancers," which were influenced by Japanese Noh theater. These plays are characterized by their stylized, intimate nature, utilizing masks, mime, dance, and song.12

The play draws on Irish legend and features the hero Cuchulain. It explores themes of aging, sacrifice, and the pursuit of immortality, symbolized by a magical well guarded by a hawk. Yeats's work often incorporates Irish folklore, mythology, and a mystical worldview, reflecting his broader engagement with the Irish Literary Renaissance.21

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William Butler Yeats
…Four Plays for Dancers (1921), At the Hawk’s Well (first performed 1916), and several others.
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…Four Plays for Dancers (1921), At the Hawk’s Well (first performed 1916), and several others.
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Irish literature
William Butler Yeats
…1915 and 1920, he wrote At the Hawk’s Well, The Only Jealousy of Emer, The Dreaming of the Bones, and Calvary, published together in 1921 as Four Plays for Dancers. In the first two—and in On Baile’s Strand (1904), The Green Helmet (1910), and The Death of Cuchulain (1939)—Yeats embodies…
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…1915 and 1920, he wrote At the Hawk’s Well, The Only Jealousy of Emer, The Dreaming of the Bones, and Calvary, published together in 1921 as Four Plays for Dancers. In the first two—and in On Baile’s Strand (1904), The Green Helmet (1910), and The Death of Cuchulain (1939)—Yeats embodies…
Read More