When Nature Becomes the Base in Riders to the Sea: Eco-Critical Reflections on Myth and Mortality

J.M. Synge’s Riders to the Sea is a one act tragedy, set in the Aran Islands, located on the western coast of Ireland. He depicted this particular geographical area, where a traditional life-style prevails and also the community’s struggle for existence against the nature. This paper tries to explore ‘Sea’ as a force of nature over which nobody of the island has any control. Opposing the sea and opposed by the sea, are the members of the community living on the island. The nature-man conflict dominates the whole play. The symbolic meaning of the sea has been enriched through the intersections of Irish myth and folklore. The very aspect of ecological reality along with the spiritual and mythical understanding of mortality rooted in natural cycles has been delineated through eco-critical analysis that tries to address the universal character of human suffering and loss and that is in harmony with nature. This paper attempts to foster a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between humans and natural world.