Cuchulain and the Old Man: Antinomies symbolized by the gyre in three plays by William Butler Yeats

The symbol of the gyre is the foundation of three plays At the Hawk's Well, On Baile's Strand, and The Death of Cuchulain. The gyre represents the relationship between Cuchulain and the Old Man, as they are each other's, antithesis and, at the same time, complement. The characters begin the cycle at opposite ends of the gyre, and the base of the gyre exerts the most positive force while the apex has the most negative. Therefore, in At the Hawk's Well, Cuchulain benefits from the influence of the gyre while the Old Man suffers from the negative effects of the same symbol. On Baile's Strand signifies change as the characters move to different positions on the gyre, and in The Death of Cuchulain a complete reversal has taken place; the Blind Man is at the base and Cuchulain is at the apex. In each play Yeats creates a geometric figure to symbolize the compelling force that the gyre exerts.