The Dramatic Form and Riders to the Sea - Assignment Example

Riders to the Sea Riders to the Sea The use of dramatic form to understand works of literature is an important step because it highlights conversational techniques of comprehending issues. This is apparent in the play Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge. It, thus, is imperative to note the qualities that make drama a unique literary form in relation to the aforementioned play. For example, the playwright employs tragedy as a major theme in narrating the predicament of Maurya and her children namely Bartley, Nora, and Cathleen.

Through the creation of human conflicts as a definite literary theme, the play attempts to question the will of individuals in life (Berlin, 2012). Alternatively, the drowning of Bartley is an indication of the troubling conditions that humanity has set upon himself of cruelty and suffering. Another interesting feature of drama in the play Riders to the Sea involves the controversies that create disharmony and doubts between characters. In play, a young priest attempts to contradict the views held by Maurya concerning the fate of her lost son.

The priest, therefore, is a dramatic symbolism of the hypocrisy of religion during periods of doubts and hopelessness. Consequently, his decisions heighten the drama by setting off an anticlimax of searching for Michael’s body in the shores of Donegal. On the other hand, characterization in the play is an element of dramatic forms critical in highlighting the major themes of play. The protagonist, for instance, is cast as bereaved mother who has lost four sons because of the sea. Overall, a conflict is necessary to create for drama to thrive.

Reference Berlin, N. (2012). The Secret Cause: A Discussion of Tragedy. Mason, OH: SAGE.