RIDERS TO THE

SEA
A SHORT PRESENTATION BY
JEANE KATHLEEN KIMM ISLA-ARCAN SWM131

Riders at a glancean overview

This is a play written by J. M. Synge which tells a tragic tale of a
mother (Maurya) who was afraid she will lose the last of the men in
her family, which already included 4 sons, her husband and father-inlaw. Now, she fears that her last two (2) alive sons, Michael and
Bartley, may suffer the same fate.
This portrays the relationship of man with nature. In the case of the
play at hand, the sea is given two (2) faces: the provider and the
destroyer.
PROVIDER Mauryas family get their daily means of food from the
seas as they are a fishing family;
DESTROYER Mauryas men have perished in sea-related accidents.

an overview (continuation)
Here, Synge offers the raw realities of life: the men must struggle for their
existence. They have to face the daily battle of life and make their living.
One of the harshest realities that faced Maurya was the impending doom of the
losing his remaining 2 sons. While it is true that there were still no proof of
Michaels death, she knew in her heart that he was dead. Her 2 daughters were
contemplating on whether they can identify his body through the clothes that
they now hide from Maurya, and indeed, it was Michaels. The only consolation
that they have is that he had a decent funeral and was blessed by the priest.
Now Maurya faces another fear, that of losing Bartley and while he set off on his
horse, she saw Michaels ghost just behind Bartley. That is why when neighbors
arrived later with Bartleys body, which according to them was knocked off a cliff
by the horse he was leading, this comes as no surprise at all. She utters a form of
acceptance and that all men can wish for is a grave for the dead.

Quotes from Riders

Maurya says,
Michael has a clean burial in the far north, by the
grace of the Almighty God. Bartley will have a fine
coffin out of the white boards, and a deep grave
surely. What more can we want than that? No man at
all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied.
Maurya is resigned to both deaths and is thankful for a decent for both
her sons.

Under the SeaThemes and

Meanings
The central or dominant theme in the play is that of fate. It
concerns of suffering of various levels.
Maurya facing the loss of 6 sons, her husband and father-in-law;
The 2 sisters, Cathleen and Nora, bearing the pain of their mothers loss;
The last of the remaining sons now risks his own life due to extreme necessity to
provide for the familys living.

Another theme evident in the play is that of the individual

against the society. While the people used to be subsisting where
they farmed, fished and wove for their own, the Industrial
Revolution changed this way of life by relying on the society.

United SeasOne-Act Play

In keeping with the rules of a one-act play, Riders to the Sea was
loyal to the three (3) unities:
Synge achieves unity of action through the unchanging situation
with the death of the last 2 sons, Michael and Bartley, as well as
with the unelaborate conveyance of Mauryas grief in losing her last
son;
The entire play happening in the quaint cottage of Maurya as well
as the continuity between scenes prove unity of place and time;
Everything that transpired as mentioned above provides a unity of
effect, elevating the entire play into a tragedy. The impact it
provides move the audience tremendously because of the
singleness of impression.

A Splash to the Seaan excerpt

From the Sailor

Every man is already faced with his own
destiny even before he was born and
which he cannot change. It is up to him to
make good of this divine gift called LIFE
Kathleen