The Rising of the Moon 

About the playwright

Lady Gregory is an Irish poet, folklorist, translator, and playwright. She contributed to the Irish Literary Revival. She played a significant role in Irish Independence through her patriotic writing that inspired the youth to fight for the motherland.

About the play

• “The Rising of the Moon”, a one-act play by Lady Gregory was composed in 1904. It was included in her book “Seven Short Plays” (1909).

• Ireland was under the rule of the British and wanted their freedom from the British. So, many people of Ireland raised their voices against the British Empire and began a movement for their motherland.

• The play takes place on a wharf in a seaport town in Ireland. This play is based on the relationship between England and Ireland. The title of the play is taken from the ballad on Shawn O’Farrell. The title of the play is a symbol of the Irish uprising against the British. There are two characters in the play- Sergeant and the ragged man. These two characters represent two opposing forces in Ireland.

• This play also presents the relationship between Ireland and England before Irish independence. It depicts various themes such as the unity of the Irish people, revolution, law, and order.

• There are four characters in the play-Sergeant, the ragged man, Policeman B, and Policeman X. There is a conflict between the sense of duty of the Sergeant and the profound feelings of patriotism of the ragged man. 

• The title phrase ‘The Rising of the Moon’ is very significant. It symbolizes the political and emotional awakening of the Irish people.

Summary

Sergeant along with Policeman X and Policeman B came to a seaport town to paste placards, containing the descriptions of a convict. The convict was an Irish patriot who had escaped from jail. The sergeant talked to Policeman B and Policeman X about how they would be criticized by their countrymen if they could arrest the convict. There were so many placards to be pasted, and Sergeant remained alone in the moonlight. So Policeman B and Policeman X went out of the place. The sergeant was so curious to arrest the convict that he would get a hundred pounds and a promotion.

In the meantime, a man appeared there and tried to move out fast, but the Sergeant stopped him and asked him his identity and destination.

The man introduced himself as a ballad singer who wanted to earn a few shillings by selling his ballads to the sailor. He started singing a song, but the Sergeant stopped him. He tried to make Sergeant remember how he had thought of making Ireland free from the British. Gradually, the Sergeant and the man came close to each other sentimentally. They shared their pipe and sat back-to-back. The sergeant talked to him about his family life. The man sang many patriotic songs again. The sergeant warned the man to stop singing.

Suddenly. the sound of a whistle was heard, and Sergeant understood that it was a signal. The man revealed his identity. They talked to each other when Policeman X and Policeman B came to meet with Sergeant. The sergeant instructed them to leave the place. Policeman X and Policeman B left the place when the man came to take his wig. The man showed his gratitude to the Sergeant and promised to remember the cooperation the Sergeant had for the man. He also promised to do so much for him after he would get Independence.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The Rising of the Moon is an –

a)One-act play b)five-act play c)two-act play d)Four-act play

2. The name of the Highland soldier in the song was —

a) Shan Van Vocht b) Granuaile c) Johnny Hart d) Shawn O Farrell

3. The Government offered 100 pounds for arresting –

a)a patriot and freedom fighter of India b) a patriot and freedom fighter of Ireland c)an officer d) a convict

4. The man hid —

a)beside the barrel b) behind the barrel c) inside the barrel d) none of the above

5. The man in the disguise of a poor ballad singer was –

a) Shawn O Farrell b) an Irish patriot who broke gaol c) a police d) Sergeant

6. Kelp means —

a) to hide b) delaying c) a woman d) a type of brown seaweed

7. The rising of the Moon symbolizes –

a)beauty of freedom b) emerging vision of the Irish National independence c)darkness d) light

8. Jimmy Walsh was a –

a)  a patriot of Ireland b) a convict c) a police d)a stranger

9. Gore refers to — (a) comrades (b) strong wind (c) blood (d) a small plan

10. Sergeant wanted to catch a patriot because he wanted to have

a)freedom b)promotion and reward c)fame d)reputation

11. A kind of court that sits from one place to another for a short time is called–

a)Gallon b)assize c)Gale d)barrel

12._________ is a name of a ballad as well as a popular soldier.

a) Johnny Hart b) Johnny Walsh c) Sulmona d)Aldershot

13. The man was accused of–

a)Breaking out of jail b)killing a man c)betraying his friend d)stealing money

14. The action of the play takes place-

a)Side of the quay in the seaport town b)beside a village c)behind the parliament d)in India

15. The placard reads Dark hair, dark eyes, smooth face, height five feet –

a)five b)three c)two d)one

16. The ragged man says that he wants to stay to sell _____to sailors.

a) books b)Ballads c) lanterns d)food

17. The Man asked ________from the Sergeant.

a)a pen b)a pipe c)a lantern d) a match

18. The man wanted _______to buy a ballad because it would give him supper.

a)the officer b) the doctors c) the singers d)the sailor

19. Sergeant asked the policemen to take _______with them.

a)the lantern b)the stairs c)match d) the pipe

20.’Shamrock’ is _______.

a)a brick b)a large plant c)a patriotic song d)a small plant

21. Policeman B puts up the notice on ______.

a)the wall b)the cupboard c)the ceiling d)the barrel

22. The man in disguise introduced himself as ______, a ballad singer.

a)Patrick b)Michel c)Simon d)Jimmy Walsh

23._____ is referred to as the ‘friend of Granuaile’.

a) the Sergeant b)Johny Hart c) The ragged man d)the stranger

24. The word ‘gaol’ means ________.

a)Prison b)goal c)aspiration d)wisdom

25.Johny Hart was _______.

a)A sergeant b)A philosopher c)A great king d)a highland soldier

26. .”If I am tired, I’m used to”- _______ said this to the ragged man.

a) The Ragged Man b)Johny Hart c) The Stranger d)The Sergeant

27. Any police officer who found the man would get ______.

a) a car b)a promotion c)a light d)a piano

28. The play takes place on the side of a quay in _______in Ireland at night during the early 20th century.

a)a seaport town b)a ship c)the dry land d)a large room

29. The sergeant suspects that the man is hiding in –

a) a tree b)a fishing boat c)the underground d)the room

30. An assize is a kind of court that sits from one place to another for

a) a long period b)a short time c) always d)common people

31.The escaped rebel leader killed the Sergeant from _______with a lump of stone.

a) Killala b)Bally Vaughan c)Westminster Bridge d)Paris

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Sketch the character of the ragged man as you find him in the one-act play “The Rising of the Moon” by Lady Gregory.

Ans: The ragged man is a rebel of heroic qualities, a clever man, a true leader, a psychoanalyst, an escaped prisoner, a true patriot, and a passionate lover of his country. He can act as a ballad singer with the perfection that the Sergeant can’t suspect and detect him until he finally reveals his identity.

The ragged man succeeds in exercising his wit and intelligence in a very intimate and friendly manner to deceive the dutiful Sergeant. The charm of his lovely talks and the magic spell of his patriotic song awakens the spirit of patriotism in the Sergeant who turns himself into a friend of Ireland and allows the ragged man to escape safely.

In the one-act play “The Rising of the Moon”, the ragged man can make friends with others, so he comes out of jail with the help of friends among the jailors, and he can avoid imprisonment with the help of a Sergeant. At the end of the play, he proves to be a good human being who does not forget the help and association of the Sergeant and expresses his gratitude to the Sergeant with optimistic words.

2. Justify the title of the play “The Rising of The Moon” by Lady Gregory / Significance of the title of the play “The Rising of The Moon”.

Ans: In this play, we see that the police of Ireland under the command of the British were searching for the rebel who had escaped from jail. That rebel was determined to free Ireland from the British. He in disguise came across a Sergeant who was searching for him to arrest. That Sergeant was also Irish. The rebel by his songs, behavior attracted the mind of the Sergeant and was able to arouse the spirit of patriotism in the Sergeant who turned himself into a friend of Ireland and allowed the ragged man to escape safely.

 ‘This title “The Rising of The Moon” has a symbolic meaning. Here in the title the word ‘Rising’ symbolizes getting the fulfillment of desire and the word ‘Moon’ symbolizes freedom. Just as at night, the moon perishes the darkness, in the same way, the playwright thinks that one day the darkness of bondage will get light from the rise of a revolution. So in every sense, the title of the one-act play “The Rising of the Moon” is very significant.

3. Sketch the character of Sergeant in the one-act play ‘The Rising of The Moon’ by Lady Gregory.

Ans: The sergeant is a dynamic character who changes himself from a dutiful and honest police officer to a patriot. He is Irish by nationalism, but he works against his nation Ireland under the command of the British because he has to support his family. In his early life, he also dreamed of Ireland’s freedom, but now he has been appointed to arrest a renowned patriot who leads the revolutionary movement in Ireland against the British. He is very keen to perform his duty as he knows very well that the whole country depends on the police to keep law and order.

 After the ragged man’s songs begin to rouse patriotism in Sergeant, he is torn between duty and patriotism. At the end of the play, he ignores his duty to arrest the revolutionary, loses rewards of a hundred pounds for arresting him, and supports the Irish revolutionary to free Ireland from the British. This great sacrifice makes him a genuine motherland lover who shows his love for the country more than his reward.

4. Why did the Sergeant betray his sworn duty and sacrifice the reward to allow the ragged man to go?

Ans: Lady Gregory’s play ‘The Rising of the Moon throws light on the freedom struggle of the Irish people against the British. The story of the play describes an incident in the life of a police officer who works against his nation Ireland under the command of the British because he has to support his family. He desires to get a large reward to arrest a renowned patriot who leads the revolutionary movement in Ireland against the British but gives up the reward to help the same Irish patriot.

The ragged man awakens the spirit of patriotism through his lovely talks and the magic spell of his patriotic song in the Sergeant who turns himself into a friend of Ireland and feels that the prisoner’s cause is his own. The police officer realizes that freedom is a shared dream for all Irishmen. So, he betrays his sworn duty and sacrifices the reward to allow the ragged man to go.

5. Justify the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’ by Lady Gregory as a political play.

Ans: Gregory wrote ‘The Rising of the Moon’ when Irish people were divided into two groups. Some people supported the British to obtain their own sake and they contended under the rule of the British. They thought that they did not have any need for their nation’s independence and the other group of people was very keen to obtain freedom as they could not endure the torture, and hatred of the British. They loved their nation so much that they feared their culture and identity could be lost. This group of people was called revolutionaries. So, there existed a conflict between two groups of Irish people. Gregory also thought that this revolutionary vision of political independence couldn’t be achieved if there was no national unity.

In this play, the rebel is a brave patriot who has the firm determination to carry the freedom movement and he conveys a message to every Irishman that by defeating fear, and giving up life’s luxury everyone should raise his or her voice against the tyrant British government. The Sergeant had been also a patriot in his early life but had accepted the slavery of the British for his own sake and family, and changed himself getting inspiration from the rebel who could flee away with the help of Sergeant. Thus Lady Gregory had been emphasizing the unity of the Irish people by presenting these two opposing characters and their unity to implant the revolutionary awakening among the Irish people. So this play is a perfect example of political play.

6. Write about symbolism in ‘The Rising of the Moon’.

Ans: The play ‘The Rising of the Moon’ portrays hope for freedom by using the moon as a symbol. Gregory wrote ‘The Rising of the Moon’ when Irish people were divided into two groups- one group was with the British to obtain their own sake and they thought that they were happy and contended under the rule of the British and they did not have any need of their nation’s independence and the other group was very keen to obtain freedom. They could not endure the torture, and hatred of the British and decided to fight against the British government, so they started an underground movement against the British on the soil of Ireland. The consciousness about the national necessity of political independence arose gradually in people, and their awakening and spirit for freedom are symbolized by the rising of the moon in this play.

In the play, The Rising of the Moon, Sergeant was an Irishman in the service of the British government in Ireland and the ballad singer was ready to die for his nation. At the end of the play, the sergeant and the ballad singer share the same pipe and come to the level of sentimental unity and national unity. Hence, this emerging unity is symbolized by the rising of the moon. So, the rising of the moon is the symbol of the emerging vision of all the Irishmen who wanted to free their land from the clutch of British Tyranny.

7. How is the Moon significant in the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’?

Ans: In the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’ Lady Gregory utilizes ‘the Moon’ to enrich all the Irishmen with a ray of hope for freedom. All the actions of the play take place in the presence of the Moon which perishes the darkness. So the rising of the Moon represents the rising of the revolution which will end the British persecution.

The Moon also symbolizes the emerging national and sentimental unity for freedom and awakening of the people as it is in the title phrase with the word ‘rising’. At the end of the play, the ragged man talks about the Moon again when he aspires, “With the small rise up and the big fall down…When we all change places at the rising of the moon.” Through this speech, the ragged man conveys a message that as the moon gives the light in the darkness, the darkness of bondage will get light from the rise of revolution. So the entire play portrays hope for freedom by using the moon as a symbol.

8. Write the significance of songs in ‘The Rising of the Moon’.

Ans: In the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’, all the songs of the ragged man planted seeds of nationalism and patriotism in the heart of Sergeant. These songs told Sergeant about the previous glory of Ireland and made him recall its pathetic scenario under British rule. Addressing Motherland he said how the British polluted the soil of Ireland by singing his songs. So he sang, “The song she sang with a mournful air, I am old Granuaile. Her lips so sweet that monarchs kissed…”. All of his songs indicate the poor condition of Ireland in terms of social equality and national identity, which not only makes these songs politically important but also historically significant.

9. Describe the significance of the end of the play The Rising of the Moon.

Ans: At the end of the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’ the Sergeant ignores his duty to arrest the ragged man, supports him to free Ireland from the British, and loses a reward of hundred pounds for arresting him. Though the Sergeant and the ragged man are the two opposing characters, the Sergeant turns himself into a friend of Ireland and feels the prisoner’s cause as his cause. He comes to the level of sentimental unity with the ragged man and betrays his sworn duty to serve his motherland.

The play ends with the sacrifice of the Sergeant along with a promise from the ragged man that he will do his best for the Sergeant when Ireland becomes independent, The similar mission of the Sergeant and the ragged man emphasizes unity which is the major weapon of Irishmen against the British tyranny.

Exercise

 A. Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence:

1. Who was the Sergeant?

2. Who thanked the sergeant at the end of the play?

3. How was the height of the ragged man?

4. Where did the ragged man want to sit and Why?

5. Why did the ragged man wait at the end of the play?

6. Why did the policeman carry a bundle of placards?

B. Answer each of the following questions in not more than 80 words each:

1. Evaluate the Political importance of the play ‘The Rising of the Moon’ by Lady Gregory.

2. Why did the Sergeant betray his sworn duty and sacrifice the reward to allow the convict to go?

3. How did the ragged man look? How did the ragged man describe himself to Sergeant? What is meant by the phrase “small rise up and big fall down”?

4. Sketch the character of Sergeant in the one-act play ‘The Rising of The Moon’ by Lady Gregory.

5. Sketch the character of the ragged man as you find him in the one-act play “The Rising of the Moon” by Lady Gregory.

6. “All the world’s against the poor!”-Who said to whom? What did the speaker want to do? Why did the Sergeant not allow him to go from there?

7. Write about symbolism in ‘The Rising of the Moon’.

Textual Grammar

C. Do as directed:

1. The ragged man said, “When I saw a man in trouble, I never could help trying to get him out of it.” (Change the Narration)

2. There’s a flight of steps here that leads to the water. (Split into two sentences)

3. Policeman B said, “Would the barrel be a good place to put a notice up? (Change the Narration)

4. I didn’t tell you to go that way. I told you to go back. (Join into Simple sentence)

5. It’s a pity I had no chance of seeing him before he broke out of jail. (Correct the errors)