“Riders to the Sea” by John Millington Synge
When we produce something about the play, we must focus on specific words. This play is a
tragedy; it reflects a tragic view of humanity. Men’s place in this universe is in nature which
place a hostile role and which is the power of everyone. Nature is in a way the protagonist in
the play i.e. the main actor, and inevitably victorious; yet, it is not something alien [strange], but
something to which man has grown so akin [familiar] that his familiarity with its ways takes all
astonishments and all horror from his fate.
In this play, hostile nature is presented by the sea which provides their livings, but at the same
time swallows them and takes them to death. The sea becomes then a paradox. Here is the
conflict between young men and the sea. We might consider the sea (nature) as one of the
character because the sea has killed five of the protagonist Moreya. Nature seems to come
victorious in this play and then everyone has nothing to do about that. Although the case is like
this, men and nature are hostile, but because man has grown familiar with this nature, so there
is an akin relationship between them. This familiarity with nature however has taken away all
feelings of horror and astonishment from them.
The play opens with a real setting [indicating reality / stage directions]; there is nothing of
fantasy or dream. This is all realistic. The play begins with a tension; the girls are talking in
whispers so their mother doesn’t hear them. The talking about the bundle arises excitements
in three ways… The play begins with an ambiguity which arose our curiosity. All great places
begin with an ambiguity in order to raise the curiosity of the audience. Then, the elements of the
drama must be introduced to us. The mother is characterized [she is lying down, God help her
because there is a disaster to be revealed]; she is a woman to be pity...