The Well of the Saints - A Play

Book excerpt: This antiquarian volume contains J. M. Synge's 1910 play, "The Well of the Saints". It is a play in three acts that was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1905, four years before its author's death. It centres on Martin and Mary Doul, two blind beggars who have been convinced by their fellow townsfolk that they are attractive, when in actuality they are hideously ugly. After being cured of their blindness by a saint, they realise their mistakes and become disgusted by the sight of each other. Edmund John Millington Synge (1871 - 1909) was an Irish poet, prose writer, and playwright. He was an influential figure in the Irish Literary Revival and co-founded the Abbey Theatre. Many vintage texts such as this are increasingly hard to come by and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.