Write a note on the title of Riders to the Sea.

 

The title Riders to the Sea suggests that the story is concerned with the sea to some extent. At the same time, it also arouses our sense of mysticism. So, naturally, the title catches the attention of the reader, and he starts it with interest and curiosity to look for the riders. Riders to the Sea itself reveals the very elements of tragedy in it, but suspense remains as to whether the riders return or not. Concludingly, the title is relevant and striking for the play.

 

Biblical Meaning

In the play Riders to the Sea, Michael and Bartley, the two sons of Maurya, are the riders, one of whom (Michael) is dead. But if we go to the deeper meaning of the title after having a look at the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, we will realize the hidden significance of the title as mentioned in the Bible: For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tumbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing. And Mirniam sang to them:

 

"Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he had thrown into the sea."

 

So, we come to know that the riders perished into the sea with their horses because it was preplanned by God. We are not sure that Synge also thought so, but the journey of the riders is somewhat destined, which is sure, and what is realized by Maurya, who tries her best to stop the son, is that nobody can change one's fortune by peace or war; thus, Bartley does perish at the end of the play.

 

Thus, we are suggested, through the title, that as Pharaoh's riders are destined to die in the same way, Maurya's 'riders' are fated to meet their deaths in the sea. Synge has taken the subject from the Aran Islands, so he was aware of the lives of the inhabitants as well as their nature to confront the adventures of the sea, which gave them sustenance as well as relief from struggle through death. As he wrote in The Aran Islands:

"A little later, I was wandering out along the good roadway of the island, looking over low walls on either side into small flat fields of naked rock. I have seen nothing so desolate. Grey floods of water were sweeping everywhere upon the limestone, making at times a wild torrent of the road, which twined continually over low hills and cavities in the lock or passed between a few small fields of potatoes or grass hidden away in the corners that had shelter. Whenever the cloud left, I could see the edge of the sea below me on the right and the naked ridge of the island above me on the other side." He continues, "And the sea, which offers a livelihood and helps to develop admirable qualities, also brings suffering and death."

 

So, on these islands, it is the sea that determines the fate of the islanders, who are innocent, whereas Pharaoh's horsemen were punished by God for their misdeeds. Synge has touched the height of tragedy by pushing the riders into the sea without any particular reason, which remains a mystery for the reader to analyze. What is Maurya's fault? What is the tragic flaw in her character?

 

Thematic concern

The theme of human suffering and death is evoked by the title. Riders are not only Michael and Bartley, but all the male members of the family who left for the sea quite hopefully but did not come back, thus leaving the mother utterly destitute of sons. Synge says that "the maternal feeling is so powerful on these islands that it gives a life of torment to the women. Their sons grew up to be banished as soon as they were of age, or to live here in constant danger on the sea. The people live in perpetual fear of death.

 

The life of the islands begins at the sea, flourishes on the waves of the sea, and vanishes on the sea bed. Thus, the circle completes, and Maurya emerges as a truly heroic figure in her defiance of the cosmic force, which is her antagonist. She attains the tragic level of her perception of the reality of death, over which no human being has ever had control.

 

Symbolism and Imagery

Riders to the Sea The sea is personified as a villain who leads to all the disasters and misfortunes in the play, thus not only a main actor but also a chief agent in the action. The sea is a destroyer as well as a sustainer, so it is her right to call back all the people who were given life by her. But sometimes, it can be a symbol of a malignant force that seems to derive sadistic pleasure from torturing even virtuous human beings. Maurya, a flawless woman, is engaged in strife with the sea, which is impersonal and blind. Her conflict with the malicious sea gives her the unique courage to withstand it: "They're all gone now, and there isn't anything more the sea can do to me."

 

The flaw that causes her misfortunes is only that she is a mother, and her problem of life is as old as the history of human civilization itself. The two anxieties, emotional and utilitarian, are shared by the whole human race and are by no means a regional problem of any recent origin. Hence, her struggle for survival is archetypal. In the words of T.R. Henn, "of this archetypal native is man's conflict with the sea, the giver and taker of life. The islanders must be constantly aware of its menace, its moods, and its protection. Again and again, through the play, the characters speak of the tides and their significance. It is the killer of the young, the breadwinners whose lives are to be upon it. The fishermen are all its riders, mysteriously linked to the human and superhuman riders, here and in tradition. We may, if we wish, discern uneasily some connection between the red mare ridden by Bartley and the grey mare (pony) by Michael's phantasm, for one color belongs to strength and vitality, the other to the dead."

 

Summing up, we can say that 'riders' are deeply concerned with'sea', and the title is the most appropriate in any dramatic presentation.

 

Role of the Phantom Rider, Michael

The ghostly rider, Michael, whom Maurya sees riding just behind Bartley, signifies Bartley's imminent doom. It is connected with the beliefs of the Islanders that the dead man chasing the living one would lure him to death. The reader is doubtful about the drowning of Michael; even then, he shares the belief, as Maurya describes Cathleen: "I was crying at the grey pony, and there was Michael upon him, with fine clothes on him and new shoes on his feet." Thus, new clothes and shoes make us sure that Michael has entered a new world and is willing to take his brother with him too.

 

Then, in the climax, we are told that the red mare was kicked by the grey pony, thus leading to the death of Bartley. Thus, the ghostly rider, who was helped by the sea too, achieved success through a conspiracy. The ghostly rider, with another rider, perished into the sea,making the title suitable, Riders to the Sea.