The Plough and the Stars

by Seán O'Casey, Christopher Murray (Contributor)

This Educational Edition of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars contains: The full playtext; An introduction to the playwright, his background and his work; A detailed analysis of the social and political events of the period; A close analysis of language, structure and characters in the play; Features of performance; textual notes expelling difficult words and references.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Irish Literature, Ireland, Classics, Fiction, Theatre

105 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

Sean O'Casey was born in 1880 and lived through a bitterly hard boyhood in a Dublin tenement house. He never went to school but received most of his education in the streets of Dublin, and taught himself to read at the age of fourteen. He was successively a newspaper-seller, docker, stone-breaker, railway-worker and builders' labourer. In 1913 he helped to organise the Irish Citizen Army which fought in the streets of Dublin, and at the same time he was learning his dramatic technique by reading Shakespeare and watching the plays of Dion Boucicault. His early works were performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, and Lady Gregory made him welcome at Coole, but disagreement followed and after visiting America in the late thirties O'Casey settled in Devonshire. He lived there until his death in 1964, though still drawing the themes of many of his plays from the life he knew so well on the banks of the Liffey. Out of the ceaseless dramatic experimenting in his plays O'Casey created a flamboyance and versatility that sustain the impression of bigness of mind that is inseparable from his tragi-comic vision of life.

He was a major Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Playboy of the Western World (1907) and The Plough and the Stars (1926), both great Irish plays, each sparked a riot at the Abbey Theatre. Could this be more than coincidence? William Butler Yeats seems to think so. Yeats, who had summoned the police for riot #1, thus admonished the rowdies of riot #2: "You have disgraced yourselves again; is this to be the recurring celebration of the arrival of Irish genius?"

Although it is difficult today to understand “The Playboy Riots,” the “Plough” riot still makes perfect sense. Three years after the end of the polarizing Civil War, six weeks before the tenth anniversary of the Easter Rising, Sean O’Casey presented a dark and dispirited view of the 1916 rebellion. He shows us how the denizens of a Dublin tenement—the “shabby genteel” and the laborers, the socialist agitators and the ne’er-do-wells—are affected by the chaos of Easter Monday 1916. The consequences range from the mere disruptive to the tragic, and—except for an excellent opportunity for looting—no benefits come to the average slum-dweller from all this revolutionizing. The fine nationalist rhetoric spouted by “The Man in the Window” (a pastiche of speeches by Padraig Pearse) seems hollow in comparison with the suffering we see these average Dubliners endure.

O’Casey knew about tenement woes, for, although he was born of a ‘good” Protestant family, it was a genteel family of the shabby kind: he was one of thirteen children, and his father died when he was six. He worked at various jobs--as newsboy, railway worker—and later became a secretary of Larkin's Irish Citizen Army. He did not begin writing seriously until his middle thirties, when he was prompted by the death of William Ashe, a hunger striker. The Plough and the Stars debuted when O’Casey was forty six.

This play has much in common with with its “riot buddy” The Playboy of the Western World: like its elder sibling, it possesses a poetic language rooted in everyday speech and the ability to shift—fluidly, seamlessly—from the sentimental to the comic to the tragic. To these valuable qualities O'Casey adds--at least in Plough—a variety of tonal effects, a scope and a structure worthy of the mature Shakespeare. In its historical sophistication and comprehensive humanity, it merits comparison with that great epic Henry IV.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seán O'Casey's play The Plough and the Stars caused a stir when it was first produced in 1926. There were riots in the streets because one of the characters in Act II, Rosie, is a prostitute. In addition, O'Casey ruffled the feathers of patriots by presenting an incredibly even-handed look at the Easter Rising of 1916. The two British soldiers who appear in ACT IV are as human as any of the Dubliners.

Several characters are associated with the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), a labor-associated military organization that lasted until 1947. The flag of the ICA was a plough and stars in a field of green.

The Plough and the Stars is the third play of O'Casey's Dublin trilogy, of which the others were Juno and the Paycock and The Shadow of a Gunman.

[HCE · Rating 4 out of 5]

one day reads>>>

it’s all fun and games romanticising revolution and singing rebel songs until you’re confronted with the horrible reality of war and death

an honest representation of the 1916 Rising and how it must have affected the common man. this play shows how conflicts can both tear people apart and bring them together. there is constant tension between a bunch of different characters, until they realise they only have each other to care for one another

beautiful read, would love to see it played some time soon. 4.5 stars

[إيم · Rating 3 out of 5]

"طوال ليلة أمس بحثت عنك لم أفكر في الخطر البعض منهم ضحك عليّ ودفعني وضربني وصرخت بأسمك.
*أووووه كيف تجعلي نفسك مشهدًا للجميع هكذا، كيف يكون شعوري عندما يقال لي أن زوجتك كانت تولول، ما ميزتك عن النساء الاخريات؟
"لا شيء لا شيء ربما ولكنك عندي أكثر من أي رجل أخر لم استطع الا أن افعل هذا، حبي لك ملأ قلبي بالجنون.




"في عينيها نظرة غريبة وكأنها نظرة إلى الداخل لا إلى الخارج، وكأن عقلها فد تاه وهو حيًا في خليط مجنون من ذكريات الماضي وهي تقاوم النوم تطحن ذكرياتها وأفكارها كلها معًا في محاولة وحشية خيالية، وتصور لها أن الاشياء الميتة قد عادت للحياة وأن الحي من الاشياء قد مات"

[Sarah M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
This is the play that I'll be doing for the comparative study for my leaving cert. I found the historical and political aspects of this play quite interesting, and there were a few characters that I enjoyed studying. Otherwise, it is a somewhat disappointing depiction of the most crucial moment in Irish history.

[وائل المنعم · Rating 2 out of 5]

مسرحية ضعيفة ومزعجة لحد كبير، اعتق ان جزء كبير من قيمتها يرتبط بصلتها بحدث تاريخي قومي في ايرلندا، لم يستطع الكاتب ان ينقله لمستوى عالمي او يجرده من تفاصيله المحلية بحيث بات من الصعب على القارئ الاندماج مع العمل بشكل جيد.

[ناني ماكفي · Rating 3 out of 5]

ثلاث نجمات ونصف
استمعت لها اوديو بوك على البرنامج الثقافي
لم يكن الشريط ذا جودة عالية طبعا وهو امر مرهق للأذن
ما بدا مسرحية كوميدية في الاول انقلب لتراجيديا كئيبة
عرج الكاتب على مسائل عدة
صراع بين البروليتاريا والبورجوازية
صراع بين ايرلندا وثوارها القلائل وبريطانيا ومئات الالاف من الجنود المنظمين
صراع الطبقات
الحروب ونتاىجها المأساوية
النزعات والنعرات العرقية الخ

[Elizabeth McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

O' Casey attempts to take some of the romanticism out of nationalistic views of the Irish revolution by painting a more realistic picture of the life and struggles of average Irishmen at the time of the Easter Rising. It's an interesting critique of Irish politics and values (love of country, family, worker equality, etc.). In the end, however, it follows true to so many Irish tragedies. Perhaps it is a commentary on the state of the Irish people--they bring tragedy upon themselves through their own actions. Or perhaps this is too harsh a reading of the play--it could just be following the literary tradition of tragedy, as well. Overall, it was a quick read, but a good one.

[Orla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It isn't that O'Casey isn't a good writer. He is. He's a brilliant writer but a not so brilliant human. Some people think that doesn't matter in a play. That is doesn't matter that O'Casey thinks women are caprious and worthless, that the poor are two stupid to even understand their own plight and the rich any more so. That bravery is only fear hidden.

Of course bravery is only fear hidden. But I'll never understand why O'Casey thinks that's a bad thing.

Some people think it's only the technical skill of the playwrite that matters.

I disagree.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 3:
Sean O'Casey's classic play set in the midst of the Easter Rising of 1916. The impact of events is viewed through the eyes of ordinary people inhabiting a Dublin tenement. O'Casey's masterpiece paints a vivid portrait of a city and a nation in turmoil.

[Ahmed Yousri ataweyya · Rating 4 out of 5]

اناس صغار يتصدون لمواقف أكبر منهم

عن الحرب التي تدمر النفس اكثر مما تقتل.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotional and powerful play about the Easter Rising in 1916 and how that rebellion affected the lives of people living in Ireland and Britain. Riffing off of something I wrote for my Irish Literature class—O’Casey’s use of stage directions to bring to life and humanize the characters in this play was impeccable. He was able to emphasize the humanity of the characters beyond their dialogue (which was incredibly well written).

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this performed at the Abbey Theater in Dublin in March in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising in 1916. The play was originally performed at the Abbey in 1926 and caused riots when it was performed. The 2016 production was wonderful and I felt honored to be a part of the audience. I found the accents sufficiently difficult at the performance that I thought I'd benefit from reading the text. Luckily, the Missouri State Library was able to locate a copy for me.

The play is a wonderful critique of the revolutionaries as well as the socialist movement. The play focuses mostly on the bit players and the regular people behind the revolutionary army -- residents of a tenement where one of the residents is a captain in the citizen's army, but the bigger role is given to his wife, Nora.

Worth reading for those interested in Irish history or Irish drama.

[Isiris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Sean O'Casey play. I also went to see it in the Abbey, and was not disappointed, even though they did a somewhat modern version of it. I think that the play is trying to show that even though the Easter Rising represents hope for a better future for so many people, the characters of the play will still be poverty-stricken, regardless of who rules the country. Great play.

[Patrick\ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hard-hitting work by a hard-drinking playwriter. I give it a 3 star, but probably would give it higher if I ever saw it on the stage. I like the cadence and timber of his language - it is very good.

[Dr Janice Flux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot more context for this play now, my second time through it, and also a lot to say about bloodlust and sacrifice and being a decent person, but if I indulged, I'd be ranting through spoilers and possibly for hours, so maybe now is not the time.

[Merve Özcan Özkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bir Nora daha...
Sıkıcı ama bazen de süper olan bi oyun. İzlemek isterdim. Nette olan ses kayıtları ve oyundan çekilen görüntüler gerçekten çok hoş.
Sıkıcı demiş miydim?

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Sean O'Casey play about the Easter Uprisings.

[Eimear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiocfaidh ár lá, am I rite

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Switching between political commentary on both Ireland and labour in general through O'Caseys socialist lense and a gateway into the concerns of the Irish whose primary concerns were not political in nature, "The Plough and The Stars" captures the powder keg of Ireland in 1915 prior to the Easter Rising and that landmark week itself. The characters are at each others throats, they hold values that may as well be from other worlds. In many ways it foreshadows the civil war which followed the abortive rebellion. There is camaraderie and comrades but there is also the eternal Irish judgemental mindset, an inability to understand how others lead a life diametrically opposed to your own. Maybe this isn't a uniquely Irish problem but the Irish need to judge is intensely small minded, parochial and always harms the self more than the target. The argument in act 2 between Bessie and Mrs Brogan is a perfect representation of this, and the same act sees Peter and The Covey do the same. The lies told to justify war are the same as anywhere else but we feel they're our own, that Ireland needs blood to live and we personify our Island to justify the sacrifice of a generation of young men.

When the conflict finally comes like a river bursting its banks the losses are massive. People supposedly die heroes but it doesn't seem to accomplish anything other than heartbreak for those who loved them. Those who die of natural causes during the conflict are hardly given a second thought. At least those who may have been cruel in regular times show their true humanity during the conflict, the petty conflicts we hold against eachother in our normal days are lost in the tide of bloodshed. In the end the victors write the song, until the later conflict which created the state we Irish live in today. The spectres still loom and always will.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

O’Casey’s concern with the politics of the time are reflected in the troubles and woes of his characters. I found it striking that all the women in this play could see through all the empty rhetoric spoken by The Voice. A voice that seems to capitalise on the men of Dublin City who live in poverty and destitution. Aimless, directionless men, seeking for purpose and belonging in a country where they have next to no social status.

Jack Clitheroe is the example of such men, poor and despised by those of higher social status. It was not idealistic ideas that drove Jack, but his self-image to be more than just a poor tenement in Dublin City but a glorious leader/soldier in the Rebellion and the romantic notion of “Dying for Ireland”. His wife Nora saw through all of these misplaced sentiments and fought hard to make him stay who loved him ‘as is’.

[loumcc10 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to study this okay and not knowing anything about it I was looking forward to it. Once I began to read it I found it very slow and boring but that could be because I was reading it in school with my teacher. I found the way they spoke very hard to understand which made the pace very slow as at times I found myself going back to understand sentences. The historical and political aspect of this play was very interesting and I think the over all plot was good and the different aspect of the rising was nice !

[BecintheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They think they have pacified Ireland; think they have foreseen everything; think they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! – they have left us our Fenian dead, and, while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland, unfree, shall never be at peace!”

It’s definitely a more enjoyable play when you’re not being forced to study it for the leaving cert.

[Artemis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was better than the Yeats play, which is all I can say about it. It was certainly interesting to read a play this controversial, though it gave an honest insight in the minds of common Dubliners during the 1916 Easter Rising. Just not really my cup of tea, I finished it but did not really enjoy it, nor hate it.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

would have got a higher rating only if it wasn’t for the stereotypical depiction of gender roles here, in particular Nora’s. (Especially when women played a role in the rising on the frontline, allowed to be a member of the ICA etc…)

While I understand that he’s trying to bring about the theme of public vs private life, her character development doesn’t sit exactly right with me.

[Lenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why this play caused riots, being staged so briefly after the rising. It was quite a challenge to read due to the dialect but certainly provided another piece of the puzzle. I might get back to it since I finished in a pre-seminar rush and ran through the ending hopelessly fast.

[kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating read and I can see why it's regarded as one of his best works. Honestly, it just reminds me of Billy Elliot and Shuggie Bain and A Streetcar Named Desire, and all other working-class stories.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this since I was at high school and it always amazes me how differently you read things as an adult. This is a powerful play script, telling a snapshot of the lead up to and the 1916 Easter uprising, in Ireland, in a way more raw and meaningful than any history text could.

[Ryan O'Malley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw another reviewer say that this play did a good job taking the romance out of war and I agree with that. It is hard to challenge the heroics of a battle that means so much to your country. I would say the play suffers for its women overcome by hysteria trope.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially great having seen it performed in Dublin!