Riders to the Sea

by J.M. Synge

Large Format for easy reading. Although from a middle-class Protestant background, Synge's writings are mainly concerned with the world of the Roman Catholic peasants of rural Ireland. He is best known for his play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots in Dublin. His experiences on the Aran islands were to form the basis for many of his plays, including Riders to the Sea. Set in a cottage on Inishmaan, it is about a man whose body was washed up on the far away coast of Donegal, and who, by reason of certain peculiarities of dress, was suspected to be from the island.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Classics, Irish Literature, Theatre, Fiction, Ireland

48 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1904

About the author

Edmund John Millington Synge (pronounced /sɪŋ/) was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre. He is best known for the play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey theatre. Synge wrote many well known plays, including "Riders to the Sea", which is often considered to be his strongest literary work.

Although he came from an Anglo-Irish background, Synge's writings are mainly concerned with the world of the Roman Catholic peasants of rural Ireland and with what he saw as the essential paganism of their world view.

Reviews

[Paula Soper · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much better could life possibly be? I get to read Irish plays and discuss them with students. Life is grand!

Riders to the Sea is a gorgeous play. The performance by Druid is superb (thanks, Zan!).

[Lies Tangalayuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this play in university but I couldn't remember the title. After intruding on Google by putting some keywords trial, I finally found it and re-read it. "Riders to the Sea" from now on will never be dismissed from my mind.

The story tells about Maurya who has lost her husband, father-in-law, and five sons to the sea. As the play begins Nora and Cathleen (Maurya's daughters) receive word that a body that may be their brother Michael has washed up on shore in Donegal, far to the north. After that, Bartley (another son) is planning to sail to Connemara to sell a horse, and ignores Maurya's pleas to stay. Maurya predicts that by nightfall she will have no living sons, and her daughters chide her for sending Bartley off with an ill word. Maurya goes after Bartley to bless his voyage, and Nora and Cathleen receive clothing from the drowned corpse that confirms it is their brother. Maurya returns home claiming to have seen the ghost of Michael riding behind Bartley and begins lamenting the loss of the men in her family to the sea, after which some villagers bring in the corpse of Bartley, who has fallen off his horse into the sea and drowned.

(raising her head and speaking as if she did not see the people around her) "They're all gone now, and there isn't anything more the sea can do to me.... I'll have no call now to be up crying and praying when the wind breaks from the south, and you can hear the surf is in the east, and the surf is in the west, making a great stir with the two noises, and they hitting one on the other. I'll have no call now to be going down and getting Holy Water in the dark nights after Samhain, and I won't care what way the sea is when the other women will be keening." (Maurya)

[Nada Khaled · Rating 2 out of 5]

إن البحر ليس بهذا السوء، أقسم لكم أنه ليس كذلك..!
حسناً، ربما يعصف بمريديه أحياناً،
ولكنه يقدرهم أحياناً أكثر..
فكم من سفينة وصلت أمنة إلي البر الأخر بواسطته ..
وكم من أرض مطمورة أكتشفت بسببه..
وكم من خيرات منّ بها علينا..!
حسناً، أنا متحيذة له قلباً وقالباً،

حتى وإن تحاملت على نفسي وأتخذت المغزى الفلسفي لهذه التراجيدية وهو أن البحر يرمز للقدر ..
فلا يمكن أن يكون هناك قدر بهذا السوء !
امرأة تفقد أولادها الخمس وزوجها -على دُفعات- .. جميعهم .. بين أمواج البحر !

حسناً، ربما في هذا مغزى قوى، ولكنى أرفض الحديث عن البحر بهذه الطريقة المفجعة !

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I loved reading plays, because the good dialog and the plot are my primary interests, not so much description, or beautiful sentences or whatever. I read Synge, but not my favorite play by a couple hundred other playwrights. Very earnest, I am sure, but three decades later I find myself recalling it as a Chekov's three sisters in Ireland, sort of thing, which is not my taste. Tom Stoppard is more my taste

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is undeniable that J.M. Synge was a very important Irish playwright of the early 20th century. These plays, especially, "Playboy of the Western World," are pivotal to Irish literature, and now, Irish culture. Any serious student of British drama, or actor should read both of these plays.
On the other hand, it may not be an ideal idea for someone that does not fall into one of those two catagories. The dialectic style is very thick, and at times difficult to understand. "Playboy," an important (and early) Irish peasant drama is beautifully writen, but for a casual reader it would probably come off as a slow read that is not all that entertaining.

Important work from cultural and recent historical perspectives, but these plays are very dated and, as I mentioned, not the most entertaining read.

[Shriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Riders to the Sea by my mother, who actually took me to the performance when I was barely ten years old. The performance still haunts me and for me, Maurya would always be that petite, black-haired girl of eighteen, artificially made older through make-up and Bartley would always be the guy, who has evolved into a much older man now and who I keep bumping into in every other wedding.

A lot of other readers would probably find Synge's writing a little difficult but I think I will personally give it a four just because of the impact the play created on me when I was little. I remember how goosebumps popped up all over my skin then and I felt it happening all over again when I read it.

[Itsss_a_nerdy_thing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short yet crisp . A tragedy that revolves around the conventions of life and death.

[sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

well this was way more intense than i expected

[Fedelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

In place of earlier stories about guys who go on sea adventures, this is a drama about the women who were left behind, forced to grieve the loss of fathers, husbands, and sons, and powerless to do anything about it. In place of earlier London comedies containing one-dimensional and often foolish Irish characters, and recent literary revivals with arguably over-idealized Irishness, this drama portrayed the rural poor of Ireland with a clear range of personalities and feelings as they attempt to protect others from harm and to remain dignified during tragedy.

There is interesting religious commentary as when the "young priest" remains offstage and is brushed off by the main character as knowing nothing of the sea and its dangers; and there is a bit of an apparent "gothic" element (such as the idea of ghosts and foreshadowing) in the drama that, along with the keening, is actually based on pre-Christian traditions and folklore that Synge encountered while he was visiting the Aran Islands.

One early review of the play said "we need sunshine badly." I would likely suggest that people avoid this play if they want to avoid being depressed, but some might also find it cathartic; the final lines contain a message of acceptance that some might find comforting. I would also recommend reading the edition edited by David R. Clarke (Charles E. Merrill Publishing, 1970), as it contains a large number of essays explaining the play, especially the meaning of "tragedy" and pointing out the large amount of symbolism and background that I missed while reading it.

[Viktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

heartbreaking :(

[Ariadna Cota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sin más... Muy corto y facil de leer pero tampoco es que tenga una trama super interesante.

[Aby · Rating 2 out of 5]

“deniz benden daha fazla ne alabilir ki” mi? abla biz hayatımızda deniz mi gördük irlandanın kadıköyünden dert bildirmeyin ya

[Zerin Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic one act play..



An Irish mother lost her husband and Six sons one by one for fishing.. Living near the sea-shore, their family income was fully depended on it for a long time.. In play we found Maurya mourning on her Micheal's (fifth son) death and warning Bartley (sixth) to not go to sea.. But Bartley being young,brave - without listening to his mother's words dared to go and came back as lifeless dead......

A mother's love, and pain for her children lose can only be felt by another mother...we can only pretend to do...Short read but full of emotion..

Read at least once...

[Aaron Piccirillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

“If it was a hundred horses, or a thousand horses you had itself, what is the price of a thousand horses against a son where there is one son only?”

actual rating: 2.5/5

it’s a very short play where nothing really happens and not in a good way. i wish there was more development with the characters and the conflict against with the sea but there was only a little bit of that at the end. i’m sure there is some historical significance to this show that i don’t know about but it was just a little boring. was an interesting look at the theme of death though.

[جابر طاحون · Rating 4 out of 5]

جون سينج كاتب مسرحي أيرلندي و أحد أهم أعمدة الأدب الأيرلندي مع ييتس و السيدة جريجوري و أعمالهم هي التي حجزت مكانة للأدب الأيرلندي عند عمل الثلاثة علي إدراة المسرح القومي الأيرلندي ( آبي )
المسرحية صورة لصراع الطبيعة _ في المطلق _ و الإنسان و تسليمه بالقدر . تراجيديا مختلفة عن " أجامنون " أو أوديب" التراجيديات التقليدية التي يظهر فيها البطل ضحية القدر أو تحت وطأة لعنة الآلهة .
د.ه.لورانس قال عن المسرحية :" إنها أعظم التراجيديات بعد شكسبير "

[Joudy Mohamed Kamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

*The way of writing shows so much about the writer and how he loved using the Irish accent.
*The drama it self has a really great sequence starting with the calm exposition and then the really dramatic development and at the end the climax that shows that no one can run from its own fate.
Overall i loved this book so much that i can read it one more time ❤️

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief but well-versed. There was a lot of content for a few pages. The preface overhyped it slightly. Most justified by the final sentences: “No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied.”

[Ananya M · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this play so much. it had so many themes and so many motifs and symbols all packed into a tiny little play. it had story, it had great characters and it dealt with a lot of interesting things.

[Bailey Tolentino · Rating 2 out of 5]

best when read with an Irish accent in mind

[Fumiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartbroken 💔

[Sadia Mansoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

They're all gone now, and there isn't anything more the sea can do to me..

Here's the tragic one - act play http://www.one-act-plays.com/dramas/r...

[Shivani A Pillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a play after a long time, and Synge's "Riders to the Sea" was a wonderful play to return with. A short, succinct play that manages to maintain the intensity of emotion throughout. There were so many aspects of the play that I really liked: To begin with, the dialect of the speakers particularly stood out. It made the dialogues more effective, primarily because of the novelty it presented to the non-Irish readers. Further, we find that clothing plays an important role in "Riders to the Sea", with every minute detail, including the stitches and cross-stitches becoming very sacred and valuable. The association of the Sea as an agent of Death, despite being a rather popular trope in Literature, manages to stand out with uniqueness in the play, and rather even manages to build a personality of its own. The characters, Maurya, Bartley, Michael, Cathleen and Nora, tinged with grief, are portrayed as larger-than-life, raw and real, forced to continue with their everyday existence, forced to confront reality. Maurya's relief at not having to live with the constant fear of losing a son to the Sea post Bartley's death is a strong, unique and different emotion, one that is not usually associated with mothers. By doing so, Synge converts Maurya into an unforgettable character. Also worth mentioning is the strategic utilisation of the white boards for the coffin as a metaphor for a range of things, with the most noteworthy of them being the boards as a methaphor for the ethereal, ever-changing nature of Time.

Overall, J.M. Synge's "Riders to the Sea" was an immensely enjoyable read, a play that justifies its reputation.

[Rakanjana Sen · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading “Riders” I felt it is a drama for purely scholastic purposes. The story got over too soon and failed to leave the awed or brooding after taste I sort of expected. We enter a scene in the middle of the room and there is an elucidating conversation. You get a certain idea and there is the build up, but all too soon the climax comes and before I could even absorb that, the play is over.

The brevity of the play is not a problem, but I felt the dialogues lacked a certain passion and grief. I did like Maurya’s character though, and don’t at all blame her for feeling so distressed regarding her sons’ death as both her daughters seem to be nothing short of a burden and exceedingly slow witted. She had a sad life and her gloom and anxiety is natural, thus it was sad the way she was misunderstood my her daughters. The way her agony was presented with the show of a crazed, senile old woman was apt.

Now I know I am no expert, but hey I am here to give a review and here’s my review. If u are about to read this, don’t buy it, get a free e-book or borrow from a library and then if you think u like it, buy it.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3½ stars and 4 stars for the full cast LibriVox recording (the last play in a collection of one act plays found here).

I read this extremely short one act play (contained in the book Five Great Modern Irish Plays) while listening to the LibriVox recording. The Irish voices of the cast helped bring the play to life for me. The play itself is very sad, about a woman who loses her last remaining son to an accidental drowning just the day after another son's body has been identified.…

This play stands up well to reading (as opposed to seeing a performance).

[Zohour · Rating 2 out of 5]

امتلكت هذه المسرحية بطبعتها المترجمة عن طريق دكتورة الشعر د. منيرة المهاشير
/
هذه القصه تعلمنا ان الاقدار حاصله ولاسبيل لمجاهبتها ، وانه لابد من الإستسلام لها . موريا المرأة الاربعينيه التي فقدت ابنائها الاربعه ، زوجها وابيه غرقاً .. تظهر كعجوز مسنه من شدة الأسى علي فقدان من احبتهم ، واثناء المسرحيه تفقد خامس ابنائها بارلتي لتبقي وحيده مع ابنتيها كاثلين ونورا ...
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البحر في القصه يرمز للقدر .. يعيش ابطال المسرحيه علي شواطئ ايرلندا ومجبرين علي ركوب البحر وكأن التهام البحر لبارلتي ومايكل والبقيه كالتهام القدر لحياتهم وحلول المصيبه علي امهم .
الاعتقادات المسيحيه تبدو جليّه حين يأخذ بارلتي قميص المتوفي ميشيل وحبله وكأنه ياخذ نفس القدر من اخيه ..حيث يعتقد المسيحيون ان الموتي ينادون او يختارون اخرين للموت معهم

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I didn't read this particular edition of the play.

I think Riders to the Sea is good, but I would prefer to see it acted rather than to read it. I feel like a lot of the play depends on the emotions of the actors, the performances, and I struggled to get a good sense of how the emotions would play. Also, based on the introductory material I read, the play has a strong element of atmosphere and foreboding, which of course is not felt when one is reading (though one can get a sense of the foreboding, there is a distinct difference between the foreboding of a reader and the experience of live theatre).

[Nishachar Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this vast universe, we try to survive depending on somebody or something. Ultimately, we find that we lose whom we took as our means to survive, means to live. But is our life meaningless without our loving persons? Absolutely not. We try to live again. We are to be satisfied and happy, with what is destined for us. In the same manner, the tragic character Maurya utters the truth of our fate and says in the concluding speech of the play: "No man can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied."

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

actually, i finished this book three years back but forgot to add in the booklist. yes, memory deceives. i suddenly reminded of this play while reading joyce's "ulysses" where there is a character called synge. memory does the trick. and, i reminded of the book, suddenly. *grins*

p.s. i am so much thankful to "ulysses" for many reasons. this is one of them, to say the least one. *grins*

[Munem Borno · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the big world the old people do be leaving things after them for their sons and children, but in this place it is the young men do be leaving things behind for them that do be old."

Maurya's this uttered line perfectly capture the meaning of this one-act tragedy, which is about struggling individuals that live by the sea.

Man endures through birth, hope, and death. That is the takeaway.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time with the dialect but the sense of loss and anguish was palatable. It is only 18 pages long. I found his The Aran Islands compelling and equally tragic. It is a play that stays with you. I am longing to hear it (or see it performed) rather than read it.