The Playboy of the Western World

The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (on the west coast of Ireland) during the early 1900s. It tells the story of Christy Mahon, a young man running away from his farm, claiming he killed his father. The play is known for its use of the poetic, evocative language of Hiberno-English, heavily influenced by the Irish language, as Synge celebrates the lyrical speech of the Irish. Characters Christy Mahon, a man who brags he has killed his father Old Mahon, Christy's father, a squatter Michael James Flaherty, a publican Margaret Flaherty, called Pegeen Mike, Michael's daughter and the barmaid Shawn Keogh, a young man who loves Pegeen Widow Quin, a widow of about thirty Philly Cullen and Jimmy Farrell, farmers Sara Tansey, Susan Brady, Honor Blake, and Nelly, village girls A Bellman Some peasants and farmers'Synopsis On the west coast of County Mayo Christy Mahon stumbles into Flaherty's tavern. There he claims that he is on the run because he killed his own father by driving a loy into his head. Flaherty praises Christy for his boldness, and Flaherty's daughter (and the barmaid), Pegeen, falls in love with Christy, to the dismay of her betrothed, Shawn Keogh. Because of the novelty of Christy's exploits and the skill with which he tells his own story, he becomes something of a town hero. Many other women also become attracted to him, including the Widow Quin, who tries unsuccessfully to seduce Christy at Shawn's behest. Christy also impresses the village women by his victory in a donkey race, using the slowest beast.