WB Yeats, whose advice JM Synge followed in exploring the Aran Islands in the remote northwest corner of Ireland in 1898, mentions that in Riders to the Sea, one finds “from the first to the last the presence of the sea”. The impression of the vast expanses of the gray and stormy Atlantic, lashing the arid Aran Islands, is so predominant in the play that many critics would consider the protagonist to be not the grieving mother Maurya, but her antagonist, the sea. Even if the sea remains off-stage, it constitutes the most formidable presence in the play. It is an elemental, fierce and brutal force against which the characters continually struggle, and from this struggle they obtain a rare quality of heroism that Synge celebrates in Riders to the Sea. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The characters in Synge's play seem engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the sea. The sea is both the preserver and the destroyer of these islanders. With negligible agricultural opportunities, the inhabitants of these islands are forced to rely on fishing as their sole means of livelihood. At the same time, violent Atlantic storms made the premature deaths of fishermen inevitable. The sea water, in the piece, not only symbolizes life and rejuvenation, but, more importantly, death. Everything – from the string that ties the package, to the color and texture of Michael's shirt to the individual details of human identity, is destroyed by the sea. JM Synge presents Maurya as an elderly, grieving mother, witness to three generations of men – her father-in-law, her husband and her sons – destroyed by the sea. Her fifth son, Michael, missing at sea for nine days, plunges her into a frenzy of grief and worry. When her youngest son Bartley decides to go to the Galway fair to sell their horses in order to overcome a financial crisis, she puts up futile verbal resistance. However, the will of the sea seems to prevail over that of humans and Bartley drowns near the shore. Synge here represents the sea in the manner of the classic concept of “sworn enemy” or destiny which makes human misery inevitable. The sea becomes the nemesis against which doomed humanity must fight, and thanks to this fight, man achieves his dignity. The importance of the sea is repeatedly emphasized through frequent references to its conditions. Catherine and Nora refer to the turbulence of the sea, worried about Bartley's planned voyage. Maurya also comments on the stormy sea, revealing his constant nervousness and tension over the safety of his sons. In fact, the sea sometimes seems to come into play indirectly. A sea breeze blows in gusts and opens the door, then seawater flows into the room as Bartley's body is brought in. Synge presented the sea in Riders to the Sea as a ruthless force that indiscriminately destroys the good and the bad. , and it reverses the natural order by eliminating the young to leave the older generation to lament. This is evident in Maurya's comment about Michael's staff: "In the big world, old people do leave things behind for their sons and children, but in this place it is the young men who leave behind them things that are old. .” Yet in their perpetual battle against the sea, the inhabitants of Aran acquire rare moral strength, heroism and stoic endurance. Bartley, fully aware of his eminent death, did not hesitate to sail to Galway. The scene props in Riders to the Sea are closely associated with the sea. Nets and oilskins go fishing.