Play Analysis and Response Form

CTH 162 Play Analysis

Title of Play: Riders to the Sea
Playwright: John M. Synge
Date or period: 25 February, 1904

Alex Coy
CTH 162-01
8 September, 2016

Character List:
Maurya Mother of Nora, Cathleen, Michael, and Bartley. Nearly dying of grief from the
loss of her sons, and the eventual loss of Bartley.
Cathleen Daughter of Maurya, sister of Nora, Michael, and Bartley. With the assistance
of her sister, tries to convince Maurya to give Bartley her blessing.
Nora Daughter of Maurya, sister of Cathleen, Michael and Bartley. With the assistance
of her sister, tries to convince Maurya to give Bartley her blessing.
Bartley Son of Maurya, brother of Nora, Cathleen, and Michael. Goes off to sea in
order to sell his horse, much to his mothers dismay.
Michael Deceased son of Maurya, brother of Cathlene, Nora, and Bartley. Appears
alongside Bartley as an apparition for Maurya.
Summary:
Mauyra lives with her daughters Cathleen and Nora, and also her last living son Bartley.
All of her other sons have tragically lost their lives to the rough Irish sea, and Bartley is soon to
follow their footsteps. He plans to sell his horse at a market in Connemara, although his mother
does not want him to leave. Eventually, Bartley departs from the shore, and as Maurya watches
him off, she sees an apparition on the horse beside Bartley. She knows that the spirit she sees is
of her first son, Michael. Maurya begins to lament about the loss of all of her children, and in a
short amount of time, Bartley is brought to the shore, dead.
Themes:
One of the core themes of Synges Riders to the Sea is life and death. During the time of
the play, Roman Catholic culture was still present and had affected the lives of many families
and cultures. An example of the Catholic influence in Synges dramatic work can be seen in
Mauryas dialogue about seeing the spirit of Michael beside Bartley. Michael rides specifically
on the pale grey horse instead of Bartleys red horse. This apparition alludes to the fourth
horseman of the apocalypse according to the book of Revelation, thus forewarning of his death.
Additionally, in the early 1900s, it was common for the men of the family to go off and do
whatever it was that they had to do, be it war or selling their horses. Because of this, many men
died while working, as shown in the cases of all of Mauryas sons.
Response:
In a personal sense, I really enjoyed reading Riders to the Sea. I love reading older
drama, and to read from a culture that I have never read much literature from only made it more
intriguing. I had trouble understanding the language and dialect shown in Riders to the Sea, but
the difference in the speaking style made it seem more realistic, as if I was really hearing Maurya
lament about her deceased children.

I did not enjoy the characters Nora and Catherine, however. I was able to look at every
single main character and connect with them, except for Nora and Catherine. I could understand
why Bartley wanted to fulfill his duty as the breadwinner of the household to go sell his horse,
even if it meant dying in the process. On the other hand, I understand why Maurya would prefer
for Bartley to stay at home, because it is surefire that he will not survive the journey. Nora and
Catherine felt like they were just mediators between the two and had no relatable emotions. The
convince Mauyra to give Bartley her blessing, and that is it.
Some moments that I particularly enjoyed were the references to Catholicism. As a
Catholic, it was easy for me to pick up on Synges allusion to the book of Revelation and I found
that quite interesting. I loved how he used the Fourth Horseman, Death, to forewarn that Bartley
was going to die (although, we all know that it was going to happen anyways).