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Cover of Riders to the Sea

Riders to the Sea

by J. M. Synge (1871–1909)

  • Free to read
  • 20 min read
  • 2 chapters
  • Reading level: 5th grade

"Riders to the Sea" by J. M. Synge is a one-act tragedy first performed in 1904. Set on the Aran Islands off the Irish coast, the play depicts a family's hopeless struggle against the relentless cruelty of the sea. Maurya, a grief-stricken mother who has already lost her husband and five sons to drowning, faces the unbearable possibility of losing her last remaining son. Written in the poetic dialect of rural Ireland, this work explores themes of fate, tradition, and acceptance in the face of inevitable loss.

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  • Ireland
  • Mothers and sons
  • Drowning victims
  • Seafaring life

Read the opening

Scene

An Island off the West of Ireland. (Cottage kitchen, with nets, oil-skins, spinning wheel, some new boards standing by the wall, etc. Cathleen, a girl of about twenty, finishes kneading cake, and puts it down in the pot-oven by the fire; then wipes her hands, and begins to spin at the wheel. Nora, a young girl, puts her head in at the door.)

NORA.
In a low voice.—Where is she?

CATHLEEN. She’s lying down, God help her, and may be sleeping, if she’s able.

[Nora comes in softly, and takes a bundle from under her shawl.]

CATHLEEN.
Spinning the wheel rapidly.—What is it you have?

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Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Scene

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About this edition

This free edition of Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #994, released 1997-07-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, British Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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