Abstract
The end of the ninetieth century, Ireland has been marked by the will of William Butler Yeats. Lady Augusta Gregory and Edward Martin had to perform in Dublin Celtic and Irish plays. This aimed at "bring[ing] upon the stage the deeper thoughts and emotions of Ireland [?] which [was] not found in theatres in England." The play, Cathleen Ní Houlihan, illustrates perfectly Yeats' intention of raising even higher the Irish spirit. This "transparent nationalist allegory" emphasizes two main aspects. On the one hand, I will try to show to what extent ?Cathleen Ní Houlihan' embodies Ireland through symbolic elements and references and on the other I will deal with the inter-textual implied by the symbolism in the text. The play Cathleen Ní Houlihan by W.B Yeats stages the eponym character who tells the family her sad tale, interspersed with songs about famous Irish heroes that had given their life for her.
