A Thematic Study of J. M. Synge's Riders to the Sea

Many scholars like Barrett H. Clark (The British and American Drama of Today) believe that Riders to the sea is not a tragedy in its real sense and it is only a picture of the Irish peasantry. Their conclusion is bases on their comparison of this one-act play with those of Shakespeare's full-length tragedies, which is, in our opinion, an unjust comparison. Our study of the play below amply demonstrates that Riders to the sea is one of the greatest Irish tragedies. In spite of its topical theme the play has universal tragic appeal. From very beginning to the end we find tragic elements in this play. The characters in this play are poor peasants living on Aran Islands, who are cut off from the modern society of Ireland. But their sufferings are of not lesser intensity than those of shakespearean tragic characters who are men and women of very high position. The central character, Maurya's sufferings and her struggle with the sea to save male members of her family arouse pity in our hearts. The death of her husband, father-in-law, and six sons is tragic and has a universal appeal. In this paper we propose to trace human struggle for survival and the hopeless submission to the uncontrollable natural forces, the sea and her vanous moods, indicating the tragic elements in the play.