The Playboy of the Western World

by J.M. Synge, Non Worrall (Commentaries by)

The most famous and infamous play by Ireland's best loved (and hated) playwright
The Playboy of the Western World, offended audiences when first produced in 1907, on account of its 'immodest' references to Irish womanhood and aroused a prolonged and bitter controversy, which lasted until the author's death in 1909.
In the play Christy Mahon stumbles into the Flaherty's tavern claiming to have killed his father. He is praised for his boldness, and he and the barmaid Pegeen fall in love to the dismay of her betrothed, Shawn. The Widow Quin tries to seduce him to no avail, but eventually his father, who was only wounded, tracks Christy to the tavern, and Christy attacks him again. Old Mahon falls, and the townsfold, afraid of being implicated, bind Christy, but he is freed when his father crawls inside. Christy leaves to wander the world with a newfound confidence, and Pegeen laments betraying and losing him.

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Edmund John Millington Synge (pronounced /sɪŋ/) was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre. He is best known for the play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey theatre. Synge wrote many well known plays, including "Riders to the Sea", which is often considered to be his strongest literary work.

Although he came from an Anglo-Irish background, Synge's writings are mainly concerned with the world of the Roman Catholic peasants of rural Ireland and with what he saw as the essential paganism of their world view.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I help but love Ireland? For example, how can you not love a nation that values both popular theater and “Irish womanhood” so highly that a new comedy—with “scandalous” depictions of Irish women--can cause a riot? And, no, I don’t mean a “laugh riot.” I mean a real honest-to-Jesus in-the-theatre riot that lasted over a week, featuring toy trumpets, penny whistles, rotten vegetables, stink bombs, and the summoning of the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

The premise of this once controversial play is a simple one. Christy Mahon, a young vagrant, enters an isolated pub on the coast of County Mayo and tells the locals he’s a fugitive, having murdered his own father in the family field with a single stroke of a spade. Since murderers are a novelty, and Christy tells a good story, all the widows and young girls soon fall in love with him, including the pub owner’s spirited daughter Pegeen Mike. How Christy’s tale affects his life—and the lives of those around him—is the essence of Synge’s play.

It is difficult now, one hundred and nine years later, to see what all the fuss was about. So what if one of the characters referred to the women as “standing in their shifts”? So what if the colleens are so quickly enamoured of a self-proclaimed parricide? Any kind of man—let alone a dangerous and handsome bad boy—must have been hard to find on the lonely emigration-depopulated Mayo coast.

Indeed it is a marvelous play, memorable principally for two things: the surprising sadness of its ending, and the poetic glories of its speech.

One of my favorite quotes about the Irish comes from G.K. Chesterton’s “The Ballad of the White Horse”:

The great Gaels of Ireland
are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry,
and all their songs are sad.

Sure, it is an exaggeration, but it points up one of the great truths about the Irish attitude toward life and literature: sorrow lives amidst our laughter, and, amidst our weeping, joy. And the last despairing cry of Pegeen Mike changes utterly—although it does not diminish—the laughter of Synge’s play.

To illustrate the glories of its language—as poetic and natural as the speech of the west coast of Ireland—I will give you one example. Here, in the first act, Christy speaks to Pegeen Mike of the loneliness of a vagabond on the road:

CHRISTY--And isn't it a poor thing to be starting again and I a lonesome fellow will be looking out on women and girls the way the needy fallen spirits do be looking on the Lord?

PEGEEN. What call have you to be that lonesome when there's poor girls walking Mayo in their thousands now?

CHRISTY -- [grimly.] It's well you know what call I have. It's well you know it's a lonesome thing to be passing small towns with the lights shining sideways when the night is down, or going in strange places with a dog nosing before you and a dog nosing behind, or drawn to the cities where you'd hear a voice kissing and talking deep love in every shadow of the ditch, and you passing on with an empty, hungry stomach failing from your heart.

There even more beautiful, more romantic speeches later in the play. But you will have to read or see the play yourself to find them.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synge's The Playboy of the Western World must be an Irish classic.

Set in County Mayo during the early 1900s, Synge tells the story of Christy Mahon, traveler escaping psuedo-mysterious past and claiming he killed his father, his Da.

I think that in the context of the Irish culture exploration, this is a fundamental element. His hosts become instant admirers for his romanticism, or at least their idea of his romanticism and I think it is here that Synge delivers his message, the longing, lost nature of the Irish spirit.

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exchange between Pegeen and Shawn at the beginning of the The Playboy of the Western World establishes the village on the wild coast of Mayo as a dull and dreary place. Pegeen chides her suitor Shaneen by saying:

“It’s a wonder, Shaneen, the Holy Father’d be taking notice of the likes of you; for if I was him I wouldn’t bother with this place where you’ll meet none but Red Linahan, has a squint in his eye, and Patcheen is lame in his heel, or the mad Mulrannies were driven from California and they lost in their wits.”

Pegeen emphasizes her disillusionment with the people and maybe her own life of the village by saying “Where now will you meet the like of Daneen Sullivan knocked the eye from a peeler, or Marcus Quin, got six months for maiming ewes …..”.

The above exchange reveals Pegeen’s longing for the remarkable and exciting as against the mundane and the common place. It is no surprise when young Christy Mahon asks Michael Flaherty if his house was often visited by the police, the villagers are curious to find out what crime the young man committed. When he tells them that he killed his father, the villagers, instead of berating him, look up to him with admiration. To the villagers, Christy’s murder of his father represents a standing up against authority or the fulfillment of fantasies that they might have harbored in their own minds at different points in their lives.

During a conversation between Pegeen and Christy, Pegeen admits to the following:
“I never killed my father. I’d be afeard to do that, except I was the like of yourself with blind rages tearing me within, …..”.
The villagers see Christy as somebody who took the initiative (even if it involved the murder of his father) to change his own life.

Playboy of The Western World is not really useful in the technological age (except to provide some comfort and escapism) controlled by corporations where people are increasingly disinclined towards taking risks in their life and prefer to settle down with safe jobs. Christy Mahon’s character is inclined towards risk taking and adventure and offer pointers towards how one may escape the monotony of modern life (I am being pompous). In a country like India, the family, the corporation and religion often governs the life of an individual and may prevent the individual from fulfilling his true potential. Christy Mahon is a young man who turns his back on the dull life in the village and goes out into the world to find himself and fulfill his true potential. By assuming the role of a son who killed his father, Christy establishes his reputation as a daring young man among the villagers. But later, he uses his role as a daring young man to discover himself. Even though the play is set in the Aran islands in Ireland in a another age, its themes of adventure as a way of life and escaping a life of convention are relevant even in the 21st century.

[Javad Azadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی حیفه که این نمایشنامه انقدر مهجور افتاده این گوشه داره خاک میخوره. هیچکی از کسایی که میشناسمشون تو این فضا، نخوندتش.

«خالی بند دنیای غرب» رو از مقدمه حمید احیا برای نمایشنامه «ملکه‌ی زیبایی لی‌نین» شناختم. گویا «جان میلینگتُن سینگ» جد ادبیات نمایشی مدرن ایرلنده بوده و در واقع، تئاتر مدرن ایرلند رو به کمک افرادی مثل «ییتس» پایه گذاری میکنه. من که از نمایشنامه‌های «مک‌دونا» لذت می‌برم به خودم واجب دیدم در اسرع وقت نمایشنامه معروف جد سبک مک‌دونا رو بخونم. و الحق که واقعا درست میگن؛ رد پای سبک این نمایشنامه تو همه‌ی آثار مک‌دونا دیده میشه.

این نمایشنامه انگار یه نسخه ساده، ابتدایی و قدیمی از نمایشنامه‌های مک‌دوناس، ولی در عین حال قشنگی خودشم داشت. همه‌چیز وقتی شروع میشه که یه پسری بعد از چند روز فرار به یک مشروب فروشی میرسه و داستان کشتن پدرشو با بیل برای همه میگه. دقیقا از همینجای داستانه که «حماقت» و «وقاحت» (این دوگانه اصل مردم روستایی ایرلند توی چنین دست آثاری) شروع میشه؛ و نه‌تنها تا ته نمایشنامه تموم نمیشه، بلکه بیشتر و شنیع‌تر هم میشه. حقیقتا از این حجم از حماقت خنده‌دار و تلخ خوشم اومد. شخصیت ‌های این نمایش، جنس حماقتشون از جنس حماقت شخصیت اول فیلم The Banshees of Inisherin هستش، اما چند لول مضحکانه‌تر و فکاهی‌تر.

[Hend · Rating 3 out of 5]

a narcissistic and a possessive father who is envious
of his son
growing independence.
Mahon's (the father ) conviction is that Christy (the son) is and ALWAYS be a fool, liar and a dribbling idiot who is beaten into submission

he couldn't believe then that his son could be that likely man or that champion playboy
Christy's reaction to this oppression is by killing his father and fleeing after
that
till the last scene the father feel the need to control
and ask his son to come with him Home
even
after his third trial to kill him!
was Synge symbolizing for another oppression?

the cult of hero worshiping
that usually arise in defeated communities that build their own hero and unit with him.

understanding
the mentality of masses
and the Crowd psychology
make it easier to understand why would



they all (,people of the County of Mayo) regard the murder as a symbolic event ,not only this but that it was Christy 's (,the son) right to kill his father and, that it is a good thing to do
his worshipers created
a heroic action
from the murder
by the mystery and greatness they added by their description to every single detail.


only when they witnessed the murder it became a criminal action?
and they all call for his hanging.
and
the young hero has at last, overcome the impediment of parental power

and Pegeen,his lover regret and grieved that she has turned on him announcing that she has lost the only playboy in the western world
and consoling herself by her words
"
there is a great gap between a gallous story and a dirty deed

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a strange play. I think I rather enjoyed it but I wasn't expecting it to go in the directions it does. Possibly one I'd enjoy more on stage.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that it is better to see a play than to read it seems obvious. But the hearing of the play, the words, the dialogue, the accents, the intonations, that's what brings the play to life. That's especially true with this play because the distinct language and delivery is really the star of the show. So that's what I recommend if you are interested in this play, you can find a wonderful audio version on YouTube.

[Theo Logos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ain’t you a fine lad with a great savagery to destroy your Da.


My first time through Playboy of the Western World I read its script from a traditional book. Read from the page, the lyricism of its language overwhelmed me. The lilting beauty of its English rendered in the grammatical structure of Irish entranced me, and was the basis of my original 5 star rating. The plot of the play, on that first time through struck me as powerfully eccentric and far-fetched, but it disappeared into the background as merely the delivery device for the word play I was so enjoying.

This time I listened to the LA Theatre Works production of the play. Listing to a full production of the play brought its absolutely farcical nature to the forefront. Don’t let it’s classic reputation fool you — this play is a full on farce, and a mean spirited one at that. It caused riots in Ireland when originally staged, and I think I now understand why. Sure, it is powerfully funny that a bunch of villagers make a hero of a young stranger because they believe he was desperate and savage enough to commit patricide — that the men stand in respectful awe and all the young women and widows compete for his attention. It’s also amazing that these farcical stereotypes of the Irish have such a long history. I now understand how this play is both a jewel of Irish literature and an outrage to Irish sensibilities. And for all that, it’s still 5 star quality and if ye haven’t yet experienced it you should get to it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this play in anticipation of seeing it performed at the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon. I do not speak more than a dozen or so words of Portuguese (Obrigada, cafe com leite, vegetariano, etc.), so I needed the head start. Unfortunately, I am not able to comment on the dramaturgical complexities of translating a play from early 20th century Irish dialect to modern Portuguese, but I can tell you that the actors did a fine job and my husband and I enjoyed the production immensely.

As for the text itself, we read it in snippets as we made our way through Lisbon's suburbs on trains and busses. I am a huge fan of Martin McDonagh and you could certainly argue that his work must have in some way been inspired by the very modern and very dark approach of THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD. I thought of The Lonesome West frequently when reading Synge's work.

I'd love to see this play performed in English.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playful and wonderfully irreverent, I can honestly understand why it would have been despised by certain audiences when it was published. Its central focus of a young man who is praised by a community for allegedly killing his father with a shovel is certainly one that would have been looked upon with an arched eyebrow, as it is even today. But taking the seriousness of it away (which the play itself does quite quickly) and you are left with a wonderfully rich portrayal of Irish life (albeit fantastical, and probably offensive if taken too seriously). I was recommended this play by someone who shares my love and interest in Irish history, and this certainly screams Irish yarn. I couldn't help but read the words of the characters in the stereotypical Irish brogue.

I didn't give it the full stars simply because some of the reactions of the characters seems a bit forced, and without seeing the action take place on a set, some of the transitions can be a bit jarring, taking a scene in several directions without much verbal guidance. With that said, I would love to have the opportunity to see this play acted out live. We'll see if I ever get that chance, but I'm happy to have spent the effort reading this well-crafted work.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man from a far away village appears in Flaherty's tavern claiming that he is on the run because he killed his own father. With the tale growing in the telling, the Christy becomes a local hero, attracting Flaherty's daughter Pegeen's attention…until his father shows up and is very much alive.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this play for my English Literature class. Well, let's say I didn't really enjoy this. I was not very interested in the characters and the storyline was just absurd which is something that I rarely enjoy reading.
Nonetheless, I'm very curious to see what points of this play we are going to be focusing and discussing in class.

[Jeff Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play caused riots back in the day and its celebration of the benefits of patricide might still raise plenty of eyebrows today. It took me a while to get accustomed to the mix of rural Irish dialect and poetic phrases, but there's a real richness to the language once you're properly immersed. Synge described his play as somewhere between 'comedy, tragedy, and extravaganza' which nicely sums up its constantly shifting emotional tones and dramatic registers, ultimately the work's strongest suit. It can be laugh out loud funny one moment and genuinely morose the next, veering from subtle complexities to outright farce. My one reservation is that there's some broad bits of business at the end that require too many hairpin turns to work. Or maybe they play out better by the footlights than on the page.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad that I both listened and read this play. This full cast recording by L.A. Theatre Works was excellent, but didn't include stage directions or descriptions. It is a radio play rather than an audiobook in that regard. I loved hearing the Irish accented voices but I would have missed a little of the experience if I hadn't had a print copy.

[Esdaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is in a class all of its own. The language is quite remarkable. I read somewhere that Synge directly transposed from the Irish Gaelic into English. This would explain the unorthdox use of the continuous present form where standard English would use the simple present, and the absence of the words "yes" and "no" which is characteristic of all Celtic languages, Goedelic and Brythonic, and which explains why to this day, even as usually thrid generation monolingual English speakers, Irish people tend to avoid the words "yes" and "no" ("Are you going out this evening?" "I am" "You are sweet on Fiona are you?" "I am not! Who told you that?" "Louise here" "What! I never did!" "Do you speak Irish at all?" "I do not, but my father speaks some").
The Catholic and nationalist reaction to this play is much mocked today and not without reason but from their point of vantage pious Catholics and dyed in the wool nationalists had good reason to instinctively recoil. This extraordinary play unveils the reality of what lay concealed behind the coyness of many a roisin dubh: the cruelty and exploitiveness of human nature and the all too human tendency to swim with the current, howl with the wolf pack and turning with the tide of popularity. The admiration Christopher Mahon attracts for supposedly killing his pa and the rage and disappointment upon the discovery that he had managed no such terrible act, is very funny and frighteningly perceptive from the point of view of psychology allk at the same time. No wonder both nationalists and Catholics distrusted it and probably distrust it to this day. Its truth cuts to the bone of sanctity.
A remaarkable quality of this play for me is its ability to be enormously funny without apparently having any jokes. I cannot quote to show it is funny and yet the entire situation, interplay of language and plot, is extremely funny.

It exposes much that is wrong, even mendacious about sanctity. As such this play is iconoclastic but it is also warm and human. It does not denounce and it does not preach. It does not even seek to teach and yet we learn from it. "The Playboy of the Western World" is and will ever be a strange and unique masterpiece.

[Emma Getz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play becomes more and more fascinating upon rereading it. J.M. Synge came from a Protestant, Anglo-Irish background, and wrote a play about Irish country life that shocked and offended its audiences to the point of riots- many would say rightly so. It utilizes dramatic Irish stereotypes that most Irish people were trying to fight against and was arguably pretty anti-Catholic, not to mention a pretty Anglo piece without any real Irish language. That being said, the play itself is quintessentially Irish and found itself deeply influential to the beginning of the Irish literary renaissance, predicting the ideas we know from Joyce and others. It's somewhere in between the necessary nationalism and critique that was the backbone of the literary revival movement. Also it's really fun to read.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 1 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This is the second time I have watched this comedy, in the RTVE archive. The play takes place in an Irish village and deals with the arrival of a young man who says he has killed his father and becomes the favorite of the village, until something happens that changes things, so he becomes the outcast of the village.

I couldn't understand Synge's goal on writing this play. Does he mean that the attention of the people and even woman's love can change suddenly? Or that a young man who has been demeaned by his father his whole life, when he's free of him can become the winner of several games in the village feast? Or what?

Anyway, the plot is rather immoral. I don't wonder people were outraged and protested when this play was premiered.

ESPAÑOL: Es la segunda vez que he visto esta comedia, en el archivo de Estudio-1. La obra tiene lugar en un pueblo irlandés y trata sobre la llegada de un joven que dice haber asesinado a su padre y se convierte en el favorito del pueblo, hasta que sucede algo que cambia las cosas y en consecuencia se convierte en el más despreciado del pueblo.

No pude entender el objetivo de Synge al escribir esta obra. ¿Quiere decir que la atención de la gente e incluso el amor de una mujer pueden cambiar de repente? ¿O que un joven que ha sido considerado estúpido por su padre toda su vida, cuando se libera de él puede convertirse en triunfador en los juegos de la fiesta del pueblo? ¿O qué?

De todos modos, el argumento es bastante inmoral. No me extraña que la gente se indignara y protestara cuando se estrenó esta obra.

[Abigail✧♡ the book fairy ✧♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for school, not something I would have picked up on my own as I usually don't enjoy reading plays.

[laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was just words on a page for me tbh 😁😁

but i’m a sucker for proper informal irish literature!!

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Title: On the edge of something more

This short play was written by Irish native Synge after compatriot W. B Yeats suggest he visit the Aran Islands just off the West Coast of Ireland's Galway Bay. The next landfall to the west is the new world of the North American continent. This geographic position on the fringe of the "Western World" as the knew it, plus the ironic nickname of "the playboy" for a shy runaway farm hand yields an easily misunderstood title to a play as easily misunderstood.

In fact, when first presented at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1907 it set off a riot (Google "the Playboy riots") for its sexual frankness, more a measure of the culture and language of the time and place than a condemnation of the work itself; Disney cartoons now use more direct language or more pointed puns than used by Synge here.

More lasting and the reason the play is still read, discussed, and presented on stage is what Synge was widely praised for then and now: his very ability to capture the culture and language used by the real people of the Aran Islands and the western edge of Ireland. Perhaps it was the accuracy of the capture and replay on stage before people who preferred to think they thought and talked differently that set off the disturbances in the theatre.

In the end, the story itself is a slight one. Margaret "Pegeen Mike" is the eligible young barmaid in her father's pub and Shawn the local lad who is wooing her and thinks the pursuit nearly complete, until "the Playboy" Christy Mahon comes into the bar, an outsider on the run from killing his father on their farm in a fit of anger. As an outsider, the bar patrons and local people are suspicious of him, but their suspicions are allayed by his shy tale of being on the run from patricide; the young ladies of the village are especially entranced by the new "bad boy" in town. His reputation is enhanced when he proves a good enough athlete to win most of the events in a town field day, but threatens to crash to the ground (along with his "love at first sight" engagement to Pegeen Mike) when his "dead" father appears on stage!

But what comes through to the end and down to today is the innocence of both the insular villagers and the outsiders, their desire for something more and better that must surely be somewhere out there just beyond the edge of their existence , and their fear of reaching for that more and better and losing their hard-fought existence of today, even if it is less than the more they hope for. It is that innocence and hope and fear that gives the title of the play such cathartic force when Pegeen Mike first applies it sarcastically to Christy while she still yearns with an unspoken hope that he may sincerely live up to the nickname. There is a laughter in the resolution but also disappointment and sadness that gives this play a lasting strength.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I (naively) had no idea this was a play before I read it. It was fun to read its script, although I’m certain watching the play is much more entertaining. The writing threw me off because it was very poetic and it used a lot of Irish phrases I barely understood. After doing some research I now know there was a lot of conflict surrounding the play because of its vulgar language amongst other things. I can say it didn’t feel vulgar at all; because it used Irish phrases that I didn’t fully comprehend I missed out on the rage it provoked in those who saw it in 1907. Despite that issue and the constant use of prose I was aware to comprehend the story to its extent. The pacing was common for a play; I could even say that it was fast-paced because it all had to happen within 80 pages or so. The story itself is about a boy, Christy Mahon, who enters a pub and is running from the police. He reveals he has killed his father; morality thrown aside, the villagers of County Mayo praise his courage and bravery. Synge does a wonderful job of depicting how lies may become truths and how the imaginary world may very well become reality for some. It is difficult to write a review about this play bur I liked the story, its characters and the way it talked about patricide and still manages to fall into the comedy genre. I adored Christy’s character; his shyness and his eloquence. I think he might’ve been quite a true playboy had his life been different. I was extremely annoyed by Shawn and his cowardice with anything. Synge made a great criticism of religion through him. I don’t know how much I liked or disliked Pegeen Mike, she was sassy and strong but she fell easily for lies and she changed her mind often. Aside from that, I’d recommend maybe listening to the play, as it may be more entertaining. Nevertheless, it was quite a fun, easy, and quick read that, just like every other modernist piece of writing, changed worldviews and broke tradition.

[Tom O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a stranger play than I expected. Growing up in Ireland it was always vaguely in the background as one of the famous pieces of the country's literary history. I somehow managed to translate that into worthy and probably quite dull.

The play in fact is almost surreal and certainly not dull. There are serious points made in it, with references to poverty, colonialism, social inequality and above all the claustrophobic nature of parochialism and how dangerous mob rule can be. However there are some borderline ridiculous plot twists done more or less for laughs and the piece doesn't really seem to take itself terribly seriously.

The language is at times dense, witty and sharp, mostly successfully moving between naturalistic and poetic. Overall a pleasant surprise.

[Seattle Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short play is hilarious, and I have a hard time seeing it as anything but comedy. Yes, life in Mayo was hardscrabble, but since when has comedy been the exclusive province of the rich? Judging from many other comments, I am not in the majority here, but I do not see this play as sad or harsh or some form of criticism of Irish society. It is a rousing good time. (The three-star rating is due simply to the play's brevity and simplicity. I tend to reserve four- and five-star ratings for novels or longer and more complex plays. For a small comic work, Playboy is a gem.)

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is there not to love about this play? Funny, dangerously satirical, romantic and oddly poignant, this is almost an Irish COLD COMFORT FARM it's so deft in its characterizations and sly winks at the audience. As much fun to read as it would be to watch, it's the kind of play you wish was performed more often with the caliber of talent that would really bring it to life. A must for lovers of drama and/or the Emerald Isle.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Thematically, it reminded me of R.K. Narayan's "The Guide." Both have characters in absurd situations that force them to become a person that they do not think they are. I guess, without spoilers, that about sums it up.

[Viktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

loving these Irish plays

[Hira · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most controversial but highly regarded English plays of all times, this dark comedy by the 20th century Irish playwright, John Millington Synge had provoked a week of riots when it was first staged in Dublin. The nationalists protested that Synge had slandered all of Ireland with his play while moralists were angry that he made a complete joke out of a serious matter as patricide, and casted the Irish girlhood in a negative light. Yet, today, Synge is remembered as the most important dramatist of the Irish Literary Revival, and 'The Playboy of the Western World' remains his best work, widely performed and acted in British and American theatres to this day. The story revolves around the experiences of Christy Mahon, a young man on the run after murdering his tyrannical father with a spade. He ends up hiding in a public alehouse that is located on the coast of Mayo county where a spirited young woman named Pegeen, the owner's daughter, serves alcohol and passes her days in absolute boredom like the other inhabitants of the town. The story becomes more and more absurd as the men and women of Mayo turn the self-proclaimed criminal into a hero for his murderous act and Christy feeds on their problematic adoration. The play has everything - shock, comedy, dark humour, absurdity, romance, violence and evocative, lyrical language of the Irish countryside. I was thoroughly entertained and wasn't able to predict the end.

Below is an excerpt from the reactions of the Irish press when it was first performed. It added to my overall enjoyment of the classic comedy. ;)

“The blood boils with indignation as one recalls the incidents, expressions, ideas of this squalid, offensive production, incongruously styled a comedy in three acts . . . No adequate idea can be given of the barbarous jargon, the elaborate and incessant cursings of these repulsive creatures.” - The Freeman's Journal

[The Nutmeg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear me.

I...don't know what to think of this one. It was enjoyable I suppose? But I would never consider it a comedy in the true sense of the word, subtitle or no subtitle. None of the characters really endeared themselves to me, and the ending was...odd. And while the whole premise of a town losing its head and heart to a young man because he killed his father was...kind of funny, but in a pretty dark way.

I dunno. Not my cup of tea.

(Read for school.)

[ivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

babess loove when men kill their fathers !!

[girlypop brownie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christy Mahon is the "ironic hero" in Synge's play, The Playboy of the Western World. Christy comes to the public house in Mayo, where he meets Pegeen, to find refuge. We learn his story: He killed his so called terrible father and buried his body in his corn field. He then ran away to avoid the authorities and find a safe place to hide out until it all passed over. When he meets Pegeen and all the people of Mayo, they are aroused by his story rather then appalled. They find his story of murder and betrayal of his own father intriguing and they celebrate him for it. He gets hired as a pot boy and is given a place to stay, work and most importantly hide out. Quickly he becomes the talk of the town. The ladies love him and swoon over him. Yet he only has eyes for one, Pegeen Mike.
Pegeen, daughter of the man who hired Christy, is not your average righteous Irish woman. Instead, she is a very strong minded, quick witted woman who is arranged to marry Shawn Keogh. Pegeen refuses to marry Shawn though, mostly because he is a complete coward. She obviously dominates him. Due to this, very shortly after meeting, Christy and Pegeen fall in love. Pegeen softens up and we see a kinder side of her, rather than her usual aggression that we see when she speaks with Shawn. Her kind side only lasts until we find out that Old Mahon, Christy's father, is still alive. He walked for 10 days, badly bruised on his head from Christy's attempt to kill him, and arrived in Mayo to look for him.
Although there are a few independent characters in the Playboy of the Western World, like the Widow Quin and Pegeen when she challenges male authority, most act according to social conventions. Shawn Keogh is the most conservative member of the community, refusing to step outside the boundaries set by the Catholic Church. He will not marry Pegeen until he has permission from the Vatican to do so, and he even refuses to be alone with her in fear of the Church's disapproval. Although most in the community consider Shawn's conservatism a mark of cowardice, they follow certain social standards as well. All consider Christy a hero since their community considers this type of rebellion praiseworthy.
In the end, though, Christy has the last laugh - by "daring to dream" that he could destroy authority, he starts a chain of events that lead to his genuinely managing to destroy his father's power over him - I believe that the play's ending asserts the triumph of fantasy, imagination and language over convention and repression. In the end Pegeen and the others are stuck with their old lives, while the father and son go off to start a new one - based on storytelling.
The Playboy was the centre of fierce controversy when it was first staged in Dublin. This also signifies the crucial issue of an artist’s freedom of thought and expression and is an implicit recognition of the power of theater to subvert traditional morality.
There are several factors that account for the riots: The accusation of Synge for slandering Irish image, for too much usage of “bad language” in the play, also Oscar Wilde’s arrest a few years earlier had made Irishmen more sensitive to their country’s good name since the play glorified a patricide and loved by the entire community.