Purgatory by William Butler Yeats

MAIN SUMMARY

Purgatory by William Butler Yeats

The play “Purgatory” is a religious play that was written by Irish writer William Butler Yeats. There are four main characters: two are real people, like the old man and his son, whereas the other two are ghosts of the old man’s father and mother.

When the play starts, we find two characters standing in front of an entirely ruined house. Among them, one is the father, an old man, whereas another is his son, a young boy. Pointing towards the house, the old man describes the past of the particular house. According to the old man, the particular house used to be occupied by his mother and her husband. The old man’s mother was a rich woman who owned the house and a lot of property. The father of the old man later turned out to be a drunkard and gambler. Due to his drinking and gambling habits, he emptied everything that his mother had owned. The mother of the old man died while giving birth to him. His father continued his misdeeds, which at last resulted in the complete destruction of the house. Because of the fear—the fear of his son becoming greater than him—he did not send him (the old man) to the school. When the old man was sixteen years old, his father burned down the only house of his mother. The situation created anger within the boy. As a result, the father was killed by his son with a knife. The boy left the place and became a peddler.

The old man tells his son that the night is the anniversary of his mother’s wedding. As he finishes telling his son about the past, a shadow appears, which the man can only see. A little later, the old man sees the ghost of his father in a groom's get-up. When they (the ghosts of the old man's father and mother) proceed towards the room, the old man objects to the way they go inside. The son of the old man thinks of his father as mad. After the incident is over, the boy talks about the property. The boy wishes for a fair share of money from the old man. But the old man denies giving him his share. As a result, the boy tries to grab a money bag from the old man. A quarrel starts between them. They struggle for the money, which is scattered on the ground. The boy threatens to kill the old man. In the meantime, the figure of the old man’s father appears at the window. The old man stares at him and kills the boy with his knife in anger. Then the light in the window goes off. The stage is darkened, and the bare tree appears “like a purified soul” in the white light. The old man at the tree cries and explains why he has murdered in his life. He wants to put an end to the chain of violence. After killing his son, he becomes quite confident about breaking the cycle of violence.

At last, he looks at the bloody knife and cleans it. Then he begins to pick up the money scattered on the ground. In the meantime, he hears the hoofbeats of the dead spirit and sadly thinks that the consequence has not come to an end. He laments that he has killed his father and son without any obvious purpose. This indicates that the mother is still suffering in purgatory. The old man is disappointed and realises that the dream of the dead woman can’t come to an end. He cries out to God with a strong prayer to release his mother’s tormented soul from purgatory.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Purgatory by William Butler Yeats

Why did the old man kill his own son and his father? Explain how this drama is connected with religious belief.

Answer:

The old man killed his own son and his father to end the chain of violence. Many years before, he had killed his father because he had done various misdeeds. His father had emptied all the wealth of his mother. His father had even burned the only houses in which his mother and he lived. The old man’s mother had died only because of his father’s misdeeds. The old man’s father hadn’t sent the old man to school. Due to all these reasons, the old man killed his father when he was 16 years old. Later on, when the old man’s son became 16 years old, he thought that the cycle of violence would be repeated. He had a kind of fear about his son. He found out the same revolt in his son as he had done with his father at one time. To end that crime cycle, he killed his son too.

In this drama, the old man is fearful about the future consequences. He feels that his mother’s restless soul is still tormented in purgatory (a place between heaven and hell). He wants to release the tormented soul of his mother. To fulfil his desire, he ends the chain of violence by killing his son. This drama stands on the basis of religious beliefs. Many things related to heaven, hell, purgatory, the soul, etc. are mentioned in this drama.

Interpret the play ‘Purgatory’ from any perspective you like.

Answer:

The play “Purgatory” by W.B. Yeats suggests that punishment for sin is necessary for renewal and growth. The main character in this play is an old man who is haunted by his sin. In the past, his father had destroyed his house and the life and property of his mother. He was a drunkard and gambler, and he spent money on women. So the old man had killed his father with the knife when he was sixteen. Then he burned the dead body. Later, he became a peddler. The old man tells the entire story to his son in front of that burned house. There, the old man even sees the image of his dead parents and their lovemaking on wedding night. Later, the boy fights with the old man for money. The old man thinks that the boy is the consequence of his sin and kills him with the same knife that he used to kill his father. But by the end, he still imagines that his mother is suffering in purgatory.

Theme: According to William Butler Yeats, the main theme of this play is that if the father engages himself in a criminal act, it will be repeated by his son in an endless cycle of violence. Crime keeps on moving from generation to generation.

What is the main reason behind killing the boy?

(Or) – What is the old man’s motive in murdering the boy?

Answer:

The main reason behind killing the boy is that the old man becomes so fearful about the chain of violence. He believes that the crime of the father will be repeated by his son. He does not want his son to be a murderer in the future. He wishes to end the chain of violence. He thinks that the murdering tradition will go on from generation to generation.

Why did the old man punish the boy? (Purgatory)

Answer:

Here in this play, we find criminal acts done by the old man. The old man seems so brutal. He killed his father at the age of sixteen. After that crime, he became a peddler. Many years passed. He happened to reach the same place where he had committed a murderous act. He related the story about his past to his son, just in front of his burned house. After that, they got involved in the fight. The old man punished the boy because he found some hints of revolt within him. He thought about his revolt against his father and became so fearful about the chain of violence that would be repeated by his son too. This very concept made him feel fearful, and he punished the boy.

Sketch the character of an old man.

Answer:

In this play, the old man is haunted by his sins. In the past, his father had destroyed his house and the life and property of his mother. He was a drunkard and gambler who spent money on women. So, the old man killed his father with a knife when he was sixteen. Then he burned the dead body of his father. Later, he became a peddler.

The old man tells the entire story to his son in front of that burned house. There, the old man even sees the image of his dead parents and their lovemaking on the wedding night. Later, the boy fights with the old man for money. The old man thinks that the boy is the consequence of his sin and kills him with the same knife that he used to kill his father. So finally, he kills his son to end the chain of violence. According to him, crime would go on from generation to generation. After killing his son, he becomes quite confident about breaking the cycle of violence. But finally, he repents of his misdeeds. He cries out to God with a strong prayer to release his mother’s tormented soul from purgatory.

“We are always punished for our sins” Elaborate this statement.

Answer:

This statement is right. This statement presents the reality of life. Nobody can get an excuse for his or her crime. The punishment for committing a crime is certain. If we commit a sin or crime, we will surely get punished for it. People mainly talk about the punishments for sinners only after death, but I think it is completely wrong. The reality of life and death is somewhat different. Nobody knows about heaven and hell, as well as the later punishments. These things are only the false beliefs of the people. But reality itself shows its result. There is no such place for punishment as heaven or hell. People get punishment here on this earth in their lifetime. After death, there is no punishment at all. People get punishment on earth for their sins or crimes. The punishment of the old man can be taken as the best example. The old man gets punished in his lifetime. He loses everything and finally repents for his misdeeds.

Explain how “Purgatory” explores the relation of human life to supernatural forces.

Answer:

The play “Purgatory” explores the relation of human life to supernatural forces. Here in this play, a concept has emerged that when a person dies, his or her soul parted from the body first. After that, the soul reaches the place called purgatory between heaven and hell. To reach heaven, his or her soul must be purified there. After crossing purgatory, there is freedom, painlessness, and real life. Then the soul goes to heaven and gets the divine quality. The soul in purgatory suffers and is tested for new life.

Discuss the relation between the father and the son in the play “Purgatory”.

Answer:

In this play, both the father and the son have a weak relationship. Both of them are so greedy and selfish. The father of the boy has committed lots of crimes in his lifetime. He burned his house and killed his father at the age of 16. In this play, we can see that the boy tries to kill his father for being selfish. He wants to have a share of money from his father. When the father denies giving money to the boy, the boy attacks him in anger. Finally, the father kills his son to end the chain of violence.

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