Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge
"Riders to the Sea" is a poignant one-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed in 1903. Set against the backdrop of the Aran Islands in Ireland, the drama explores themes of loss, fate, and the relentless power of the sea. The story centers on Maurya, an elderly peasant woman who grapples with the deep sorrow of losing multiple family members to maritime tragedies. As she faces the potential loss of her last surviving son, Bartley, who intends to venture to a horse fair despite a brewing storm, the tension between hope and despair intensifies.
The play intricately weaves the fabric of rural life, superstition, and the stark realities of seafaring existence, reflecting the cultural context of early 20th-century Ireland. It also highlights the emotional and spiritual struggles of its characters, particularly Maurya, as she confronts the inevitability of death and the impact of her losses. The narrative culminates in a heart-wrenching revelation that underscores the fragility of life and the profound connections between family members. "Riders to the Sea" is often regarded as a masterpiece of modern Irish drama, notable for its lyrical language and deep emotional resonance, making it a significant work in the landscape of Irish literature.
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Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge
First produced: 1904; first published, 1903
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Tragedy
Time of plot: Late nineteenth century
Locale: Island off the west coast of Ireland
Principal characters
Maurya , an old womanBartley , her sonCathleen , her elder daughterNora , her younger daughter
The Story:
Maurya, an old peasant woman, is worried about her son Michael. Her husband, her father-in-law, and four of her sons have been drowned in earlier sea accidents, leaving her with two sons, Michael and Bartley, and two daughters, Cathleen and Nora. Now Michael is missing at sea. As Maurya sleeps, Cathleen works at her spinning and makes a cake for Bartley, the younger of her two remaining brothers, to take on a trip. Bartley is planning to go to the horse fair on the mainland. Nora comes into the house with a bundle of clothes a priest has given her. The clothes, a shirt and a stocking, have been taken from the body of an unidentified young man found floating off the coast of Donegal to the north. Hearing their mother stir, Cathleen and Nora decide to hide the clothes. They plan to examine them later to see if they are Michael’s before saying anything to Maurya.
Cathleen asks Nora if she asked the priest to urge Bartley not to sail in the stormy weather. Nora says that the priest told her to trust God not to leave Maurya without any sons. Cathleen climbs into the loft and hides the clothes. When she hears her mother getting up, she pretends she has been fetching turf for the kitchen fire. Maurya scolds her for wasting turf.
Maurya asks where Bartley is, and Nora tells her that he has gone to check on the boat schedule. Moments later, Bartley hurries into the room looking for a piece of rope to make a horse halter. His mother tries various arguments to stop Bartley from going to the horse fair. She tells him that he ought to leave the rope where it is because they might need it to lower Michael’s coffin into his grave if he has drowned. When Bartley tells her it is expected to be a good fair, Maurya replies that a thousand horses cannot be worth as much as a son. Bartley continues with his plans anyway, knotting the rope into a horse halter and giving Cathleen last-minute instructions for looking after things during his absence. Bartley and Maurya leave, and Nora decides not to mention anything about the hidden clothing until Bartley returns safely.
When Maurya returns after seeing Bartley off, she sits by the fire and begins to moan and cry. Nora and Cathleen demand to know what is wrong, and she tells them that she has seen Bartley riding the red horse, with Michael, in fine clothes and new shoes, riding behind him on the gray pony. When she tried to call her blessing to them, her voice choked in her throat.
Shocked by her mother’s words, Cathleen gives in and tells her that Michael has drowned. Maurya continues to speak as if to herself, recounting her losses one by one, as other old women come into the house, cross themselves, and kneel to pray. Cathleen hands Maurya the bit of Michael’s clothing, and then Maurya knows it is true that he is dead.
They hear a sound outside and find that it is men carrying Bartley’s wet body. The gray pony had knocked Bartley down in the surf, and he had been swept out with the tide and drowned. Now Maurya realizes the finality of her loss. She will never see Michael again, and Bartley, her last son, is also dead. She says there is nothing left to threaten her now. The men prepare to build a coffin for Bartley from the white boards Maurya had earlier gotten for Michael’s burial. Maurya sprinkles the last of the holy water on Michael’s clothes in final benediction and asks for God’s blessing. She notes that no one can live forever and that one must be satisfied with a decent grave.
Bibliography
Castle, Gregory. Modernism and the Celtic Revival. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Analyzes how Synge and other Irish Revivalists employed techniques of anthropology to translate, reassemble, and edit material from Irish folk culture, using this material to combat British imperialism.
Gerstenberger, Donna. John Millington Synge. New York: Twayne, 1964. Excellent basic reference book on Synge devotes a chapter to Riders to the Sea. Points out that Riders to the Sea was the only one of Synge’s plays that did not occasion angry outbursts from Irish audiences. Discusses imagery and the symbolic use of color in the play.
Gonzalez, Alexander G., ed. Assessing the Achievement of J. M. Synge. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996. Collection of fourteen original essays offers interpretations of Synge’s dramatic works. “Tragic Self-Referral in Riders to the Sea,” by Daniel Davy, focuses on this play.
Grene, Nicholas. Synge: A Critical Study of the Plays. New York: Macmillan, 1975. Discusses Synge’s Aran experience. Provides extensive discussion of Riders to the Sea and how it differs from Synge’s other plays. Praises the economy of the play and delineates way in which props, such as the spinning wheel, the bread, the bundle, and the boards, are used for dramatic effect. Cautions against overemphasizing comparisons between the play and classical tragedy.
McDonald, Ronan. Tragedy and Irish Literature: Synge, O’Casey, Beckett. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Examines the work of Synge along with that of Sean O’Casey and Samuel Beckett, two other Irish playwrights. Describes how the Irish culture of suffering, loss, and guilt shaped their ideas of tragedy. Defines a peculiarly Irish form of tragedy by locating common themes and techniques in the playwrights’ work.
Ritschel, Nelson O’Ceallaigh. Synge and Irish Nationalism: The Precursor to Revolution. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002. Argues that Synge’s plays are deeply rooted in ancient Irish literature and that the playwright’s use of this material reflects his nationalist agenda.
Skelton, Robin. J. M. Synge. Cranbury, N.J.: Bucknell University Press, 1972. Offers a summary of Synge’s background as well as analyses of his plays, including Riders to the Sea. Supplemented with a chronology of Synge’s life and a bibliography.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The Writings of J. M. Synge. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1971. Includes a chapter on Riders to the Sea that discusses the play’s references to folklore and mythology.
Thornton, Weldon. J. M. Synge and the Western Mind. Gerrards Cross, England: Colin Smythe, 1979. Compares the views of a wide variety of critics and scholars on Synge. Provides an excellent introduction to what has been written about Synge’s work.