William Butler Yeats grew up within an artistic household. His father, John Butler Yeats, was a renowned painter; his brother, Jack B. Yeats, would gain even greater fame as a painter and would write a few plays; his sisters, Lily and Lolly, were printers who produced their famous brother's poetry and drama in publication form. W. B. studied painting, wrote poetry, founded a national theatre and wrote plays that varied widely in form, though symbolism always remained an inherent part of his work. While many today think of Yeats as a poet first, he considered himself a man of the theatre, first and foremost. It is likely that this part of his artistic nature loomed largest for him because it is the artistic space in which the creator, the creation, and the audience meet. As a playwright and theatrical producer, he became both personal artist and public man.

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