# Sarah Casey — Short Plays character guide

> Sarah Casey in Short Plays by J. M. Synge.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Sarah, Sarah Angrily

**First appearance:** 0006-the-tinker-s-wedding

## Snapshot

A tinker woman who has talked her man into a roadside wedding, demanding a tin ring and a priest before the spring mood passes.

## Who they are

Sarah Casey, the self-styled Beauty of Ballinacree, sits by a stick fire at a chapel gate while Michael Byrne files at a tin ring and grumbles that she is dragging him to the priest. She wants a decent marriage to stop the dirty names and to hold her to a man she could leave for Jaunting Jim and the rich tinkers of Tibradden. Her stubborn bargain — ten shillings in gold and a gallon can for the sacrament — drives the play's early comedy and its ache.

## Relationships

### [Michael Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/michael_byrne)

_romantic_

Michael is deeply in love with Sarah and pursues her persistently, though she is often resistant and conflicted.

### [Mary Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/mary_byrne)

_family_

Mary is Sarah's mother, and their relationship is marked by tension, with Mary often interfering in Sarah's life.

### [Priest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/characters/priest)

_professional_

The Priest acts as a moral authority and occasional advisor to Sarah, though she often resists his counsel.

## In the story

### [Act I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/chapters/act-i)

Eagerly demands a wedding ring from Michael, teases him about leaving for richer tinkers, and negotiates with the priest for a cheap marriage.

### [Act II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_2_se/chapters/act-ii)

Anxious and excited about her wedding, she washes and dresses with new handkerchiefs, threatens Mary with a hammer, and desperately pleads with the priest to marry them after the can is missing.

## Links

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