# Dan Burke — Short Plays character guide

> Dan Burke in Short Plays by J. M. Synge.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Dan, Dan It, Daniel Burke

**First appearance:** 0000-in-the-shadow-of-the-glen

## Snapshot

An old farmer and herd who lies shrouded in his own bed, testing his young wife with a black curse and a hidden stick.

## Who they are

Dan Burke is the body under the sheet in the glen cottage, an old man who cursed his wife that morning and forbade her to touch him when he died. He keeps a black stick in the cupboard for a bad wife, and he lies still through the Tramp's prayers until a whistle outside tells him Nora has gone. His feigned death is the trap at the center of the play, turning a lonely wake into a test of who will leave and who will stay.

## Relationships

### [Micheal Dara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/micheal_dara)

_family_

Dan Burke is Micheal Dara's uncle, and he exerts authority over him, often with disapproval.

### [Nora Burke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/nora_burke)

_family_

Dan Burke is Nora's husband, and their marriage is cold and unhappy, with Dan often absent or dismissive.

### [Tramp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/tramp)

_rivalry_

Dan Burke views the Tramp as a threat to his household and marriage, showing open hostility.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/dan_burke
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters