The Ballad of Father Gilligan MCQs & Summary [W. B. Yeats]

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman Shamil | Last updated: February 11, 2025

The Ballad of Father Gilligan is a poem by W. B. Yeats about a priest, Father Gilligan, who feels exhausted and overwhelmed by his duties. One night, after a long day of caring for the sick, he falls asleep in his chair. In his tiredness, he prays to God for help, asking to be relieved of his responsibilities.

When Father Gilligan wakes up, he learns that a parishioner, a sick man, had passed away while the priest was sleeping. Father Gilligan feels guilty and fears that he has failed his duty. However, to his surprise, the dead man’s soul appears to him and tells him that it was God’s will. The man’s soul reassures the priest that he did not need to do anything because God had already helped him.

The poem teaches about mercy, faith, and the idea that sometimes, even when we are tired and feel we’ve failed, divine help and grace are always at work. It shows the priest’s humility and his realization that he is not alone in his work.

Summary of The Ballad of Father Gilligan by W. B. Yeats
Summary of The Ballad of Father Gilligan by W. B. Yeats

Fact

Description
TitleThe Ballad of Father Gilligan
AuthorW. B. Yeats
ThemeFaith, mercy, divine help, humility, the balance between human effort and divine grace
SymbolismFather Gilligan represents faith, exhaustion, and human vulnerability; the dead man symbolizes divine intervention and peace
Published1899
Poem’s StructureBallad form, with simple language and a storytelling style
Central ImageryFather Gilligan’s exhaustion, the sick man’s death, divine mercy
Personal ReflectionYeats reflects on the nature of faith, divine intervention, and the human need for help
Philosophical IdeasThe idea that divine help is always present, even when human efforts seem insufficient

Summary of some famous poems of W. B. Yeats

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  17. To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
  18. The Dancer’s Image
  19. A Coat
  20. The Man and the Echo
  21. The Rose Tree

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