The Rising of the Moon by Lady Augusta Gregory
"The Rising of the Moon" is a one-act play by Lady Augusta Gregory set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Ireland, exploring themes of nationalism, identity, and moral ambiguity. The narrative unfolds on a moonlit night at an Irish wharf where three police officers are tasked with apprehending an escaped political prisoner, seeking a reward for their capture. Central to the plot is a character known as the Ragged Man, who initially poses as a harmless song seller but gradually reveals deeper connections to the fugitive. As the Sergeant interacts with the Ragged Man, the lines between loyalty to the British authorities and sympathy for the Irish nationalist cause blur, leading to a poignant exploration of choices and identity.
The play captures the tension between duty and personal beliefs, as the Sergeant reflects on his past and considers what could have been had he made different life choices. Ultimately, the Ragged Man's true identity is unveiled, providing a powerful climax where the Sergeant must confront his own suppressed feelings towards the struggle for Irish independence. "The Rising of the Moon" serves as a commentary on the complexities of allegiance in a politically charged atmosphere, highlighting the human experience amidst the broader struggles of a nation. Readers interested in themes of nationalism and the personal ramifications of political choices may find this play particularly engaging.
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The Rising of the Moon by Lady Augusta Gregory
First produced: 1907; first published, 1905
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Protest
Time of plot: Early twentieth century
Locale: Ireland
Principal characters
Sergeant , an older police officerPoliceman X , Sergeant’s assistantPoliceman B , Sergeant’s assistantA Ragged Man , a ballad singer
The Story:
On a moonlit night on an Irish wharf, three Irish police officers in the service of the occupying English government paste up wanted posters for a clever escaped political criminal. Convinced that the escaped rebel might creep to the water’s edge to be rescued by sea, they all hope to capture him for the hundred-pound reward and perhaps even a promotion. The Sergeant sends his two younger assistants with their only lantern to post more flyers around town while, uneasily, he keeps watch at the water’s edge.
A man in rags tries to slip past the Sergeant, explaining that he merely wants to sell some songs to incoming sailors. The Ragged Man identifies himself as Jimmy Walsh, a ballad singer. When the man heads toward the steps to the water, the Sergeant stops him, insisting that Jimmy leave by way of town. Trying to interest the officer in his songs, the man sings a few ballads to the protesting Sergeant, who wants only to keep the area clear so he can catch the fleeing prisoner if he appears. The Sergeant orders the man to leave the area immediately.
The Ragged Man pretends to start toward town but stops to comment on the face on the poster, saying that he knows the man well. Interested, the Sergeant changes his mind about sending the Ragged Man away and insists that the stranger stay to furnish more information about the fugitive. The Ragged Man describes a dark, dangerous, muscular man who is an expert with many weapons, then he hints at previous murders of police officers on moonlit nights exactly like the present one.
Frightened, the Sergeant gladly accepts the Ragged Man’s offer to stay with him on the wharf to help look for the escaped murderer. Sitting back-to-back on a barrel in order to have full view of the dock area, the two men smoke pipes together to calm the Sergeant’s nerves. The Sergeant confesses that police work is difficult, especially for family men, because the officers spend long hours on dangerous missions. Accompanying the Sergeant’s lament, the Ragged Man starts to sing a traditional sentimental song about lovers and the beautiful Irish countryside. Then he begins a nationalistic ballad about a legendary oppressed old Irishwoman named Granuaile. The Sergeant stops him, protesting that it is inappropriate to sing about Irish oppression when political tempers are flaring between Ireland and England. His ragged companion replies that he is only singing the song to keep his spirits up during their dangerous and lonely watch; he then grabs his chest as if the forbidden singing is necessary to calm his frightened heart. When the pitying Sergeant allows him to continue his ballad, the man again sings about the fabled Irish martyr Granuaile, but this time he inserts the wrong lyrics. The Sergeant immediately corrects him and sings the proper line, revealing his knowledge of a rebel song even though he is supposed to be loyal to the English rulers.
The Ragged Man slyly begins to probe the Sergeant’s memories of former days when, as a young man, the Sergeant lovingly sang several traditional Irish ballads, including “Granuaile.” Confidentially, the Sergeant admits that he has sung every patriotic ballad the Ragged Man names. The man suggests that the Sergeant and the fugitive perhaps share the same youthful memories; in fact, the escaped prisoner might even have been among the Sergeant’s close friends in their younger days. When the Sergeant admits the possibility, the man describes a hypothetical scene in which the Sergeant joins in with those former singing friends to free Ireland. Therefore, the Ragged Man concludes, it might have been fated that the Sergeant would be the pursued instead of the pursuer.
Caught up in the hypothetical scenario, the Sergeant muses that if he had made different choices—not going into the police force, not marrying and having children—he and the fugitive could well have exchanged roles. The possibility becomes so real for him that he begins to confuse his own identity with that of the escapee and imagines himself stealthily trying to escape, violently shooting or assaulting police officers. He is startled out of his reverie by a sound from the water; he suspects that the rescuers have at last arrived to carry away the fugitive.
The Ragged Man contends that the Sergeant in the past sympathized with the Irish nationalists and not with the law he currently represents. In fact, he suggests that the Sergeant still doubts the choice he made for the English law and against “the people.” Boldly singing the rebel tune “The Rising of the Moon” as a signal to the rescuers on the water and ripping off his hat and wig, Jimmy, the ballad singer, reveals that he is in fact the fugitive himself, the man with a hundred-pound reward on his head.
Startled and struggling with his previously suppressed sympathies for the rebels, the Sergeant threatens to arrest the escapee and collect the reward when his younger police companions approach. He protests that his own rebel sentiments are buried in the past. Hiding from the nearing officers behind the barrel seat the two men so recently shared, the fugitive calls on the Sergeant’s love for Ireland to keep his presence secret. Quickly hiding the fugitive’s wig and hat behind him, the Sergeant denies to his subordinates that he has seen anyone. When the officers insist that they stay to aid their superior on his dangerous watch, the Sergeant gruffly rejects their noisy offers and sends them away with their lantern.
The escaped rebel gratefully retrieves his disguise and promises to return the favor when, “at the Rising of the Moon,” the roles of oppressor and oppressed are inevitably reversed. Quickly, he slips into the rescue boat and is gone. Left musing alone on the moonlit wharf, the Sergeant thinks of the lost reward and wonders if he has been a great fool.
Bibliography
Adams, Hazard. Lady Gregory. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 1973. Brief, insightful guide to Lady Gregory’s various writings contains a biographical sketch and a chapter on each of the main areas of her work, including her plays. Includes chronology and brief bibliography.
Coxhead, Elizabeth. Lady Gregory: A Literary Portrait. London: Secker and Warburg, 1966. Uses a biographical approach in examining Lady Gregory’s writings, discussing her literary and cultural relations with other leading figures in the Irish Literary Revival.
Gregory, Lady Augusta. Lady Gregory: Interviews and Recollections. Edited by E. H. Mikhail. London: Macmillan, 1977. Selection of excerpts from memoirs, newspaper articles, and other contemporary sources provides a composite portrait of Lady Gregory’s public life and her private life at her celebrated home at Coole Park. Includes some of her remarks about the early, controversial history of the Abbey Theatre.
Hill, Judith. Lady Gregory: An Irish Life. Stroud, England: Sutton, 2005. Comprehensive biography aims to explore Gregory’s life and work in their own right, and not within the shadow of her friend William Butler Yeats.
Kohfeldt, Mary Lou. Lady Gregory: The Woman Behind the Irish Renaissance. New York: Athenaeum, 1985. Presents a full account of Lady Gregory’s life and times, using archival material to broaden the picture of her youth, though the main emphasis remains on her public work on behalf of the arts in Ireland.
Pethica, James. “Lady Gregory’s Abbey Theatre Drama: Ireland Real and Ideal.” In The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century Irish Drama, edited by Shaun Richards. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Focuses on Gregory’s involvement with the Abbey Theatre.
Saddlemyer, Ann, and Colin Smythe, eds. Lady Gregory: Fifty Years After. Totowa, N.J.: Barnes & Noble, 1987. Substantial collection of essays presents comprehensive scholarly treatment of Lady Gregory’s life and times, with considerable material pertinent to an evaluation of the overall cultural significance of her contribution to Irish literature.
Tóibín, Colm. Lady Gregory’s Toothbrush. Dublin: Lilliput, 2002. An acclaimed Irish novelist recounts the events of Gregory’s life and discusses her writing.