A comparison of "Deirdre" and "On Baile's Strand" by William Butler Yeats.

TWO SIMILAR TRAGEDIES: DEIRDRE AND ON BAILE'S STRAND Deirdre and On Baile's Strand are two plays by William Butler Yeats that incorporate a tragic vision. Both plays deal with a single tragic moment in the life of an important figure. The plays are similar in structure and style. Yeats interweaves supernatural elements in both plays -- the Shape Changers in On Baile's Strand and the circumstances of Deirdre's birth and the question of her parentage …

…to fight the harsh waves, which he sees as an image of Conchubar. Deirdre and On Baile's Strand are two plays whose outcome is based on the tragedy upholding honor. Cuchulain's honor of Conchubar in On Baile's Strand, and Deirdre's honor of Naoise and Naoise's honor of Conchubar in Deirdre. The possession of knowledge the reader has about the events of the play heighten the tragic effects found in both Deirdre and On Baile's Strand.