Riders To The Sea

Riders to the Sea (1904) is a one-act tragedy by Irish playwright J.M. Synge. The play is set on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. The Aran Islands form a small group of three, Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer, set far out in the Atlantic between the coasts of the Galway and Clare.

The land is poor and stony; small fields intersected by stone walls which retain this shallow soil, itself formed in part from rotted seaweed. There is no timber or turf for fuel, or grass for the horses in the winter months. Prolonged storms meant that the islands were inaccessible for long periods at a time, and lack of fishing might bring families near to starvation. They are so poor that even the animals like pigs can not find anything to eat.

The play centers on Maurya, an elderly woman who has lost all of the men in her family to the sea.

The play opens with Maurya's daughters, Cathleen and Nora, discussing the fate of their brother Michael, who has been missing for nine days and is presumed dead. Nora reveals that a bundle of clothes, possibly belonging to Michael, was found washed ashore. As the family grapples with this loss, Maurya's last remaining son, Bartley, insists on going to the mainland to sell a horse, despite the rough weather and his mother's pleas.

Maurya has a vision of Bartley riding by on a white horse, followed by Michael on a gray pony, symbolizing their impending deaths. Shortly after, Bartley's body is brought in, having been thrown from his horse into the sea. Maurya laments that the sea has taken all her sons, but finds a measure of peace, acknowledging that there is no longer anything left for the sea to take from her.

The play explores themes of fate, loss, and the relentless power of nature, highlighting the harsh realities of life on the Aran Islands. It is a poignant portrayal of a mother's grief and the inevitable cycle of life and death.

Riders to the Sea is unique in dramatic history, for it is the only one that can be described as a tragedy in the fullest sense.