J.M. Synge as a dramatist

J.M. Synge

The Genius of the Irish Literary Revival

1. Introduction

John Millington Synge (1871–1909) was the greatest dramatist of the Irish Literary Revival and a leading figure of the Abbey Theatre. While his contemporaries were busy with politics or social problems, Synge turned his eyes to the wild, primitive life of the Irish peasantry. He brought poetry back to the stage, not through verse, but through the rich, rhythmic language of the common people.

2. The Influence of the Aran Islands

On the advice of W.B. Yeats, Synge went to live on the desolate Aran Islands. There, he observed a life that was completely different from the modern world—a life of constant struggle against the sea and nature. This experience shaped his art. He did not write about the drawing rooms of London; he wrote about the fishermen’s cottages, the tinkers of the roadside, and the mist-covered glens of Wicklow.

3. Synge’s Unique Language

Synge’s most distinctive quality is his language. He hated the "joyless" language of city people. He used a dialect based on the English spoken by Irish peasants, which was heavily influenced by Gaelic syntax. This language is full of color, wild imagery, and musical rhythm. As he famously said in his preface to The Playboy of the Western World, "In a good play every speech should be as fully flavoured as a nut or apple."

4. Tragedy and Comedy

Synge had a unique ability to blend the tragic and the comic.
Tragedy: In Riders to the Sea, he created a perfect one-act tragedy. It depicts the universal sorrow of a mother (Maurya) losing her sons to the sea. It is Greek in its simplicity and power.
Comedy: In The Playboy of the Western World, he wrote a dark comedy about a boy who becomes a hero because he supposedly killed his father. This play caused riots when it was first performed because it exposed the strange morality of the Irish peasants.

5. Conclusion

J.M. Synge died young, but his impact was profound. He proved that realism did not have to be dull; it could be poetic and wild. He gave Ireland a voice on the world stage, capturing the humor, the tragedy, and the violent beauty of Irish life.