Maurya has had six sons in total. At the beginning of the play, however, four have died and a fifth, Michael, is suspected to be dead. Indeed, the opening stages of the play are largely concerned with whether or not Michael is still alive. A priest reports that a body has washed ashore, which is assumed to be Michael's. Maurya's sixth son, and the youngest, is called Bartley.
Maurya's husband and father-in-law have also died before the play begins, meaning that, with the absence of Michael, Bartley is left as the only man in the house. He takes up the responsibility of financially supporting the family, which includes his mother and also his two sisters, Cathleen and Nora. Later in the play Bartley dies, too, after falling from his horse and drowning in the sea.
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