The
Rising of the Moon by
Lady Gregory (Questions
with Answers)
Unity
among the Irish people in The Rising
of the Moon.
Lady
Gregory’s The Rising of the
Moon is an explicitly political
play dealing with the relation between
England and Ireland trying to fight
for freedom from English rule. The history
of English domination of Ireland is
very long. Lady Gregory presents characters
who are torn between duty and patriotism
and are ultimately united together as
Irishmen through the folklore, myths
and songs which they share as a nation.
The thought of being the citizen of
a country takes precedence over one’s
feelings of duty towards a foreign nation.
Patriotism is the unifying force among
the people.
The Ballad Singer (Rebel) and the Sergeant
are the major characters through whom
the issue of unity among Irish people
is explored. Though the sergeant is
on the look out for the rebel he doesn’t
forget that he himself is an Irish citizen.
In the beginning he is prepared to track
down the rebel because he is a sergeant
and his duty to England demands that
he should be loyal. Since he is also
a bread winner of the family the reward
of $100 will be a great help for him.
However, as the play progresses his
sympathy towards the rebel increases
and he then allows the rebels to escape.
When the ballad singer misses certain
words and phrases, the sergeant fills
in the gaps. The sergeant now feels
more as an Irishmen than as the duty
officer. His sense of duty towards England
gets slackened and the feeling of nationality
is so overwhelming. He is reminded of
the days when he was like the rebel.
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