The Playboy of the Western World / Riders to the Sea

by John M. Synge

Book, 1962

Publication

Barnes & Noble; Paperback; 93 pp.

Status

Available

Call number

PR 5532 .P5 1962

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Description

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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member leslie.98

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.

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LibraryThing member mahallett

a wee bit silly. hard work.

LibraryThing member Devil_llama

The story of a town that has a visitor who regales them with a story of killing his father. The town fetes him and embraces him as a truly brave human being...until someone shows up that claims to be his father. A strange and disturbing work that captures the phenomenon of transitory celebrity

well, and also looks at what happens when the crowd turns on you. Set in Ireland, the language is somewhat challenging at times, but nothing so difficult that you cannot understand the conversations. This work could still be staged today and speak to at least some audiences, and in fact, with the look at crowd psychology, it might be relevant in many venues.

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LibraryThing member pgchuis

This was not at all what I was expecting from the title. I can see that it would be funnier on stage, and the Irish dialect and vocabulary would really support the 'plot', but I mainly found it tiresome. It was also quite predictable, apart from the final twist, which I really didn't see coming.

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