The story is inspired by the lives of the "doom-eager"[6] Brontë sisters: Emily, Charlotte and Anne and the women's struggle for self-fulfillment within the era's limitations of convention and tradition.
[7] Some viewers also interpret the ballet as the tale of a love triangle, perhaps the one at the heart of Wuthering Heights, or one involving Emily or Graham.
[11] Props weighted with symbolism, a transparent goblet, a pair of phallus-like chess pieces and a large conch shell, are moved about the scene with "an air of mystic ritual.
"[12] The original cast members were: Although it was well-received from its debut, Deaths and Entrances initially baffled both audiences and critics.
The New York Times' John Martin, who had closely followed Graham's career[13] wrote, "At first seeing, it is perfectly safe to say that not a single spectator can honestly report that he knows what the work is all about," but added "he must acknowledge that it is gripping and emotionally moving.