Summary of Riders to the Sea
"Riders to the Sea" by J.M. Synge is a one-act tragedy set in the Aran Islands. The story is about an old mother named Maurya. She lives on an island with her two daughters, Cathleen and Nora. She has already lost her husband and four sons to the sea.
Her son Michael is also missing. The daughters find Michael's clothes from the young priest, but they hide them from their mother. Her last son is Bartley. The family is very poor and needs money. Bartley wants to go to the Galway Fair to sell horses. Maurya tries to stop him because the sea is rough and dangerous. However, Bartley is the only man left in the house, so he does not listen and he leaves.
Maurya goes to the spring well to give him bread and a blessing. There, she sees a ghost of Michael following Bartley. She knows this is a sign of death. Soon, villagers bring Bartley's dead body home. He fell into the sea and drowned. In the end, Maurya accepts her fate. She sprinkles holy water on the body. She says the sea cannot hurt her anymore because she has no sons left to lose. She finds peace in her sadness.
Comments
Post a Comment