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Maurya, an old woman, is the mother of Bartley, Michael, Cathleen and Nora, and she has weathered the deaths of her husband, her husband’s father, and the rest of her sons. At this point in her life, she is beaten down by grief and hardship. Maurya’s religious faith is a mixture of Catholicism and pagan beliefs indigenous to the Aran islands where she lives. Her Catholic faith seems to be waning, although she still reflexively prays and invokes God throughout the play, and she simultaneously leans on her pagan beliefs to help understand and predict the will of the sea. By the end of the play (after the deaths of Bartley and Michael, her last two sons), Maurya seems undone, seems to give up her Catholic faith, and believes that she will soon pass away as well.
Maurya Quotes in Riders to the Sea
The Riders to the Sea quotes below are all either spoken by Maurya or refer to Maurya. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1 Quotes
“I won’t stop him,” says he, “but let you not be afraid. Herself does be saying prayers half through the night, and the Almighty God won’t leave her destitute,” says he, “with no son living.”
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In this passage, Nora is quoting the young priest to Cathleen. She explains that when the priest gave her the bundle of clothing that might be evidence of Michael’s death, he assured her that God would protect Bartley, the last living brother, because of their mother’s faith. This passage illuminates the stakes of the play’s central conflict by making clear that Bartley is the last living man in the household, and that he is in grave danger by going out on the sea. This passage also calls attention to the significance of Catholicism in the lives of the family, since Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptate
It’s a hard thing they’ll be saying below if the body is washed up and there’s no man in it to make the coffin, and I after giving a big price for the finest white boards you’d find in Connemara.
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Here, Maurya is brooding about the injustice of not having Michael’s body to bury, while simultaneously trying to persuade Bartley to stay home from his ocean voyage. Thus, her sentiment here seems both manipulative and genuine. On the one hand, she is genuinely worried that if Bartley is at sea when Michael’s body washes up, then no man will be present to build the coffin, which will leave the family helpless in the face of tragedy. On the other hand, Maurya is desperate to keep Bartley from danger and it’s not clear that she truly believes Michael’s body will wash Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequ
If it was a hundred horses, or a thousand horses you had itself, what is the price of a thousand horses against a son where there is one son only?
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This quote follows an exchange between Bartley and Maurya in which Maurya tells Bartley to stay home from a trip on the sea in case she needs his help burying Michael, and Bartley responds that Michael’s body won’t surface. Here, Maurya pivots from discussing Michael’s body to what seems to be her deeper concern: that if Bartley goes out on the sea, he will die, too. Though Bartley believes that it is his duty to support the family by going to the fair where he can buy horses, Maurya tells him here that there’s no number of horses that would Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum.
It’s the life of a young man to be going on the sea, and who would listen to an old woman with one thing and she saying it over?
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Here, Cathleen chastises Maurya for voicing her anxiety over the possibility of Bartley dying on the sea as he prepares for his voyage. Cathleen not only believes that it is unlucky for Maurya to be insinuating that Bartley will die, but she also approves of Bartley’s voyage, since she sees it as performing his duty as a young man by going on the sea to earn a living for his family. In this way, Cathleen conforms with the traditional gender norms of the islanders’ culture. However, this passage also confirms the breakdown of traditional norms in regards to age. Instead Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti solu
In the big world the old people do be leaving things after them for their sons and children, but in this place it is the young men do be leaving things behind for them that do be old.
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In this quote, Maurya ruminates on the reversal of the natural pace of life, illustrated by the young dying and leaving their belongings behind for the old to use. She is prompted to say this when she is handed her dead son Michael’s walking stick to use while walking after Bartley to give him a blessing. Bartley’s life could, according to the islanders’ superstition, depend on this blessing, and thus Michael’s walking stick is a crucial object for Bartley’s fate. Though Maurya intends the walking stick to help her save Bartley’s life, Bartley’s ultimate death suggests that the walking stick Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit
He went by quickly; and “the blessing of God on you,” says he, and I could say nothing. I looked up then, and I crying, at the gray pony, and there was Michael upon it—with fine clothes on him, and new shoes on his feet.
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In returning to the cottage, a terrified Maurya recounts a vision of Michael’s ghost riding on the gray pony behind Bartley. She had gone after Bartley to give him the blessing that she had failed to give him before he left home, but when the time came, the vision prevented her from speaking. The implication here is that the pull that the dead have on Bartley, combined with the destructive will of the sea, overpowers God’s protection and makes Maurya mute. Maurya and Cathleen accept without hesitation that this vision is a prophecy of Bartley’s death, even though this logic Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Mole
There does be a power of young men floating round in the sea, and what way would they know if it was Michael they had, or another man like him, for when a man is nine days in the sea, and the wind blowing, it’s hard set his own mother would be to say what man was it.
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This passage follows the entrance of old women in mourning into the cottage. Nora and Cathleen had heard a cry on the seashore, yet Maurya remained oblivious to her surroundings until the old women entered. She asks Cathleen if it is Michael, and wonders how she would even be able to identify his body if it is indeed his. There are so many young men continuously dying on the sea and being rendered unrecognizable by the salt and the surf that they often cannot be sure of whose body is found. This echoes Nora and Cathleen’s previous grief that the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Ex
It isn’t that I haven’t prayed for you, Bartley, to the Almighty God. It isn’t that I haven’t said prayers in the dark night till you wouldn’t know what I’d be saying; but it’s a great rest I’ll have now, and it’s time surely.
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At this point in the play, Bartley’s death has finally been revealed and his body has been brought by townspeople into the family’s cottage. Maurya utters this quote as she sprinkles Holy Water over Bartley’s body and lays Michael’s clothes over his feet. Though the young priest assured the family that Maurya’s prayers should have been enough to save Bartley, God has failed to protect Bartley and the rest of the men in the family from the sea. Despite this, Maurya still clearly retains some Catholic faith since she uses Holy Water to anoint Bartley’s body. Regardless, though, the play Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferend
Michael has a clean burial in the far north, by the grace of the Almighty God. Bartley will have a fine coffin out of the white boards, and a deep grave surely. What more can we want than that? No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied.
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Delivering the very last lines of the play, Maurya finishes performing rites over Bartley’s body and accepts the manner of burial that each of her sons will receive: Michael has been given “a clean burial” in the sea and Bartley will have “a fine coffin out of the white boards.” This acceptance comes despite the fact that Maurya is only able to give one of her sons the traditional burial, since Michael’s burial was chosen by God and by the sea. In asking, “What more can we want than that?” Maurya illustrates the helplessness of herself and her community. They Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti sol
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Maurya Character Timeline in Riders to the Sea
The timeline below shows where the character Maurya appears in Riders to the Sea. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
...dough and spinning thread when Nora, her younger sister, asks the whereabouts of their mother Maurya.
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After Cathleen tells her that Maurya is lying down, Nora presents a bundle that the young priest has given her containing...
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Hearing Maurya stirring in the other room, Cathleen hides the bundle in the turf-loft and throws turf...
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...for the rope, which Cathleen had hung up to prevent the pig from eating it. Maurya attempts to keep Bartley from taking the rope, as they might need it if Michael’s...
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...horse, he instructs Cathleen on taking care of certain chores once he is gone, though Maurya is skeptical that Cathleen could do either. Maurya questions how she and her daughters will...
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Maurya despairingly cries out that she will have no son left her by nightfall, and Cathleen...
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With Maurya gone after Bartley, Cathleen and Nora have their chance to look through the bundle. Cutting...
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Cathleen hears Maurya coming back up the path, and decides that they will not tell her about the...
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Maurya tells her daughters that as she tried to say “God speed you” to Bartley, the...
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As Maurya, grief-stricken and oblivious to her surroundings, recounts the ways in which her sons, husband, and...
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...have gathered in the cottage begin to keen. As she anoints Bartley with Holy Water, Maurya speaks aloud to herself of how “there isn’t anything more the sea can do to...
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