Summary
The play The Words upon the Window-Pane unfolds in the parlor of a historically significant yet dilapidated Dublin boardinghouse. This venue, once a hub for Irish patriots and home to Esther Johnson—known as "Stella"—sets the stage for a séance led by Mrs. Henderson, a London-based medium, at the behest of the Dublin Spiritualists’ Association. The narrative weaves together themes of love, tragedy, and spirituality through the lens of Jonathan Swift's complex relationships and legacy.
The Setting and Characters
The play is set in a once-grand boardinghouse, now reduced to a shell of its former glory, yet steeped in history. Notable past inhabitants included Irish patriots and Stella, who shared a deep, albeit enigmatic, bond with Jonathan Swift. As the play commences, Dr. Trench, the president of the Dublin Spiritualists’ Association, and Miss Mackenna, its secretary, welcome guests for a séance.
The first arrival is John Corbet, a skeptical scholar from the University of Cambridge, working on a thesis about Swift and Stella. Corbet's skepticism ignites a conversation with Dr. Trench, who recounts his own conversion from disbelief to faith in spiritualism after attending a similar séance. Their discussion is interrupted by Cornelius Patterson, a gambler curious about spiritualism's insights into the afterlife, particularly concerning horse races.
The Ghostly Connection
Dr. Trench shifts the conversation to the house's storied past, highlighting a poem etched into the parlor window by Stella for Swift’s fifty-fourth birthday. These lines embody the intellectual and emotional exchanges between Stella and Swift—a relationship both profound and unfulfilled. As Corbet reads the faint lines, Abraham Johnson, an itinerant preacher, enters, eager to exorcise negative influences from the séance, only to be dissuaded by Dr. Trench.
Corbet and Trench delve into Swift's personal tragedies, particularly his unrequited love for both Stella and "Vanessa" (Esther Vanhomrigh), alongside his dashed political dreams. Mrs. Mallet, another participant, arrives seeking closure with her deceased husband, who appeared to her in a previous séance in the throes of his tragic drowning.
The Séance and Unveiled Spirits
With Mrs. Henderson's arrival, the séance begins, escalating into a complex spiritual encounter. As Mrs. Henderson channels Lulu, her child spirit control, the gathering hopes to contact Mrs. Mallet's husband. However, the session is soon hijacked by the spirit of Jonathan Swift, embroiled in a conflict with Vanessa. Their dialogue, revealed through Mrs. Henderson, revisits past grievances and unfulfilled love.
Vanessa confronts Swift about their thwarted marriage, questioning the true barriers between them. Swift hints at an inherited "disease of the blood," but Vanessa counters with her own vitality as assurance against such fears. Yet, Swift's intellectual pride stands as the ultimate barrier, overshadowing Vanessa's fervent devotion.
Revisiting the Past
The séance crescendos with a spectral visitation from Swift to Stella. He extols her poem, celebrating their intellectual connection as superior to physical love. Swift's recitation of the poem revives Corbet's recognition of the lines carved into the window pane. Swift's spirit prophesizes that Stella will close his eyes in death before departing, leaving Mrs. Henderson exhausted.
As the guests disperse, leaving their monetary tributes for Mrs. Henderson, Corbet lingers, wrestling with his disbelief. He admires Mrs. Henderson's performance, attributing the séance's revelations to her artistry. Corbet concludes that Swift's reluctance to marry stemmed from his foresight of a deteriorating future, which he wished to avoid perpetuating.
Lingering Mysteries
Left alone, Mrs. Henderson dismisses Corbet's assertions, claiming no knowledge of Swift. She describes the disturbing visage of the spirit she channeled, suggesting a glimpse of Swift in his later, madder years. As Corbet departs, Mrs. Henderson is enveloped in solitude, the spirit of Swift haunting her thoughts as...
(This entire section contains 620 words.)
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she prepares a simple cup of tea.
Style and Technique
The interplay between naturalistic elements and supernatural themes defines the core of The Words upon the Window-Pane, a play by W.B. Yeats that stands as a testament to his unique dramatic style. The setting and characters are steeped in the realism typical of early 20th-century melodrama, yet they serve as a backdrop for an ethereal central conflict. This juxtaposition highlights the limitations imposed by societal norms on the living, while the spirits transcend such constraints, imbuing the narrative with profound irony and depth.
Naturalism Meets Supernatural
In this play, Yeats expertly blends the naturalistic portrayal of characters with a supernatural plot, creating a unique tension. The characters resemble archetypes of Irish melodrama: a boastful gambler, a nurturing mother figure in Mrs. Mallet, and an unstable religious preacher. The play’s setting is equally grounded in the realistic tradition, akin to the naturalism prevalent in the early 1900s. This realistic foundation serves as a contrast to the supernatural events that unfold, framing the ethereal elements of the drama with what appears to be everyday normalcy.
Subversion of Naturalism
Yeats subverts the typical objectives of naturalism, which often seeks to depict individuals as products of their socio-economic conditions. In The Words upon the Window-Pane, the spectral interactions of historical figures like Swift and Vanessa, and Swift and Stella, eclipse the lives of the living characters. These spectral figures, despite their lack of physical presence, achieve a more poignant emotional reality than the living. This creates an ironic inversion where the deceased exert control over their narratives, defying the deterministic forces that bind the living characters.
The One-Act Structure’s Impact
Yeats’s preference for a one-act structure enhances the play's focus on isolated actions and intense emotional exchanges. Early on, Dr. Trench comments, "some spirits . . . go over and over some painful thought, except that where they are thought is reality." This dialogue encapsulates the layered irony Yeats employs; for him, thought transcends physical reality. By avoiding a multi-act framework, Yeats can concentrate on the spiritual and emotional depth of the spectral characters, without the need for extensive development of the living ones, highlighting the ephemeral nature of life versus the timelessness of thought and spirit.
Role of Spectatorship
The characters in the séance become spectators to the supernatural drama, underscoring another element of irony. Their passive observation mirrors the modern human experience as passive recipients of history. While Trench, Corbet, and others watch the reenactments without comprehending their full significance, the audience of the play is invited to engage actively, drawing connections between the past and the present, the living and the dead. This dual layer of spectatorship enriches the play, offering a meta-theatrical commentary on the human condition and our relationship with history.
