Riders to the Sea main character Maurya, an old peasant woman, standing on the coast

Riders to the Sea

by J. M. Synge

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Discuss the mixture of Greek and Irish elements in Synge's Riders to the Sea.

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Riders to the Sea blends Greek and Irish elements by incorporating Greek tragedy's fatalism and the power of natural forces, such as the sea, while setting the story in an Irish coastal village with Catholic influences. The protagonist, Maurya, reflects Greek tragic heroes through her dignified acceptance of fate, despite lacking a personal flaw that causes her downfall.

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The Greek elements apparently refer to the play’s genre, which is tragedy. Some of the similarities to Greek tragedy are the implicit fatalism, as the characters' efforts fail to prevent them from dying. The strong role of natural forces—in this case, the sea—is also a similarity. A significant difference, however, is that the protagonist is not a tragic hero. Maurya, the mother of numerous sons who have died or who die during the course of the play, is a victim of the fates but does not have a downfall caused by a personal flaw.

The Irish elements are primarily the setting, in a coastal fishing village, and the characters’ Catholicism. The strong role of the mother and the closeness of her daughters are also common features in Irish literature.

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I think that one way to approach this would be to look at the similarities between this excellent play and other Greek tragedies, such as Antigone or Oedipus Rex. The Irish influence is obvious in the setting and the way in which Catholic superstition is so evident. However, the way in which Maurya in particular has to battle to accept her fate and destiny, and the dignity with which she does this, is comparable to Greek tragic heroes at their best. Note one of her final speeches and the quiet dignity that Synge bestows upon her character:

They're all gone now, and there isn't anything more the sea can do to me... I'll have no call now to be up crying and praying when the wind breaks from the south, and you can hear the surf is in the east, and the surf is in the west, making a great stir with the two noises, and they hitting one on the other.

Maurya is truly a tragic hero in the way that she faces the vicissitudes of life and still manages to greet them with dignity and self-respect.

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