Yeats was a leading 20th century poet and dramatist. He was a co founder of the Abbey Theater. In 1923 he won the Nobel Prize in literature. Many believe he wrote his greatest works after receiving the Nobel Prize. YeatsŽs writing is said to bridge the gap between the romantic period and the modern era. The Countess Cathleen is set during the Irish famine. The Countess sells her soul to the devil to save her tenants from starvation and from damnation from having sold their own souls. After her death, she is saved as her motives were altruistic and she ascends to Heaven. Because of its blasphemous attitudes the play provoked a great deal of controversy.