002: Sean O'Casey: Plays 2: The Shadow of a Gunman, The Plough and the Stars, The Silver Tassie, Purple Dust, Hall of Healing (Contemporary Classics)

Sean O'Casey Plays 2, introduced by Arthur Miller, documents O'Casey's transition from realism to his use of expressionism and symbolism.

The Shadow of the Gunman and The Plough with Stars, two installments in the Dublin Trilogy, give a realistic look at life in the slums of Dublin. Meanwhile, The Silver Tassie, originally rejected by William Bulter Yeats (director of the Abbey Threatre), is a tragicomedy based on the cruel horrors of World War I. It shows the price which the common people have to pay for the stupidities of war. Purple Dust and Hell and Healing are also included in this volume which show O'Casey's use of expressionism and symbolism.