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Yeats is one of the most significant poets in the English language of the twentieth century; a prominence which was acknowledged by his confirmation as Noble Prize winner for literature in 1923. One of the most remarkable things about Yeats as a writer is the breadth and variety of his work along with his continued development as a poet throughout his life. It is rare that a poet continues to produce work throughout his/her life while still maintaining their highest level of achievement through into old age. Though Yeats' reputation rests primarily on his lyric poetry, he was also a dramatist, story-writer and essayist, and he was associated intimately with the cultural and political life of his country, Ireland. While Yeats was a young man, Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, but there had been a growing movement for independence through the nineteenth century. In his early twenties Yeats became associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood, most notably with one of its leading figures, John O'Leary. His fervour was also heightened by his love for Maud Gonne, an ardent and active nationalist. During this period in his life he was developing further his interest in the supernatural and occultism, first, as mentioned earlier, through the Theosophical Society and later through the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn organisation incorporated traditional European Cabalistic Magic and astrology, which Yeats was largely drawn to. The two strands were not necessarily separate, although not always compatible but came together in Yeats' interest in Irish folklore and various schemes of Celtic mysticism.

Yeats lived through a turbulent period in Irish history, including the rise and fall of Parnell, the Easter Rising of 1916, and ultimately, in 1922, independence from Britain. His contribution to the nationalist cause was most significant in literary areas, he co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre with Lady Gregory, and remained for the rest of his life a director of the organisation, which became the famous Abbey Theatre in 1904, pioneering the so-called Irish Renaissance. His poetry also reflected his commitment to the cause of independence, initially through mythical and folkloric motifs and a celebration of the traditional culture. However, as he moved towards a more modernist sensibility, his poetry became more overtly political, and dealt with events in Ireland in poems such as Easter 1916', and the Meditations in Time of Civil War'. After Ireland

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