The Playboy of the Western World Analysis

The man-about-town of the Western World AnalysisJ.M. Synges highly controversial tinker The playboy of the Western World paused the middle-class Dublin earreach to a different portrayal of Irish countryside lifetime as opposed to the conventional perfect image they were accustomed to. Synge strongly employs the element of satire in his play, implemented as a device to shock his conventional earreach the plays lack of morals would take a shit offended the audience, so satire is equalwise used to inject humour, creating a light-hearted tragicomedy. In pages 59 62 the bearing of satire can be analysed in terms of satirising gender, worship and the demo of agricultural Ireland, in addition to how satire is present throughout the good play.Synge depicts Christy Mahon as a weak, frightened, young man at the beginning of the educe, whereas Pegeen is disposed a strong, almost masculine persona, protecting him from the Widows advances. When the Widow is introduced, the audie nce sees Christy clinging to Pegeen exclaim Oh Glory with Pegeen having to hurriedly give Christy his supper and usher him off to bed like a child. In this extract, the audience sees how Pegeen is given the protector role, exhibiting maternal instincts. In 1907, the satirising of gender roles shown with Synge giving more stance to women than men would amuse the audience, as it involutions with the traditional Irish patriarchal society. Christy is painted as the classic damsel-in-distress, with Pegeen having to fight the Widow, angrily telling her that she will not have him tormented, and he finished travelling since Tuesday was a week. Again it is evident that Christy is shying away from his expected priapic role, leaving Pegeen to defend him, am apply the audience. When the Widow pulls Christy up, as theyd best be going, young fellow so rise up and come with me, Pegeen retaliates by seizing his arm, insisting hell not stir. Christy has been compromised in terms of his mascul inity two women have physically placed their control over him, and Christy lacks the military group to disprove their control.This scene would have been very comedic, as not hardly atomic number 18 Pegeen and the Widow effectively having a brawl, a male associated activity, that Christy is helpless in the middle, like a female. Traditionally, it would have been the men who wooed the women, exclusively Synge has ignored this, with Christy being rather violently wooed by Pegeen and the Widow, eliciting laughter from the audience, who would keep the explicit use of satire highly amusing. Synge is presenting Christys essential emasculation, shown by reversing traditional gender roles. Later on in the play a scuff race takes place as D. P. Moran observes, the pursuit of physical-contact Gaelic games was used as an counterpoison to such emasculation. Christys partaking in the race shows how he used this opportunity to substantiate his gender after feeling emasculated by Pegeen and the Widow.Throughout the excerpt from p.59-62, repeated references are made to religion, many in the form of m other Reilly, the local priest. Though he is not seen in the excerpt, his presence is hold as he is partially why the Widow went to find Christy Mahon when Pegeen asks her What ails you, or what is it youre wanting at this hour of the night? the Widow replies that she was after concussion Shawn Keogh and Father Reilly below, who told me of your curiosity man, and they fearing by this time he was roaring, romping on your work force with drink. The audience would not be move by Father Reillys attitudes, as in the 1900s Ireland was a devoutly Catholic nation, as Jane Abbottsmith explains The term Irish Irelander originated to characterize the true Irishman Catholic and with Irish ancestry, learned in Irish kinlore and competent in the speaking and reading of the Gaelic language. Abbottsmith continues to remark that it was the Irish peasants, who were the traditionally pi ous, Catholic population that was well versed in Irish folklore. Though the 1900s audience would have expected the priests intervention, a modern audience would find it comedic how Pegeen being al unmatchable with Christy has prompted such a flustered reaction, suggesting Synges attitudes were fore of his time. Irish society was devoutly religious, so the audience would have been surprised at how Father Reilly is the only religious character. The other characters do not seem to incorporate religion in their personas, shocking the audience. However, the only other character to be religious would cause offence the Widow five remarks to Christ God save you mister which is highly ironic as her intentions for him are far from holy. Seeing such a scandalized, predatory character using the Lords name would have undoubtedly offended the audience. The power of the Catholic church building is a running theme throughout the play, as Synge would be witting that his audience would compare wha t they see onstage to the Churchs teachings. Therefore Synge has satirised religion to introduce the absurdity of the extreme religious views in Ireland a lack of religion in the other characters further show the audience how independent country Ireland is from middle-class conventions.The portrayal of life in the Irish countryside was undoubtedly one of the main sources of controversy in the play. The middle class audience would have had the conception of rural Ireland employing a quiet, idyllic life however Synges play disproves this, county Mayo being the antithesis to their expectations. Christy is welcomed with free-spoken arms, despite the town knowing he murdered his father. As Adrian Fraser notes, The man-about-town could be read as exploring a converse proposition a communal willingness to absorb (even glorify) those who break the last taboo against patricide. Christys glorification would greatly concern the audience, inducing outrage. By satirising countryside life, Synge was providing a social commentary on life in the isolated rural coast. However, Christy is later disgraced in the play, when the characters realise they have been deceived. When Pegeen tells of how the Widow supposedly murdered her husband, where she hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did exhaust his blood the way he never overed it, and died after. That was a sneaky engaging of murder did win small glory with the boys itself the audience would be floor that such sin runs free in the countryside. As Fraser again writes, The Playboy of the Western World is a social satire of rural life that is fantastic, grotesque, and profound. At the plays conclusion, when Christy leaves Pegeen for his adventures, the audience would find humour at the contrast amidst their futures Christy is off to live a life of excitement, whilst Pegeen is doomed to a passel of marrying Shawn and a dull life in County Mayo. The difference in their fates reinforces the plays status as a tragicomedy.Synge uses the element of satire in his play to expose to the middle class Dublin audience what life was like for the people of the countryside the plays controversy stemmed from people disliking what they saw. By satirising gender roles, religion and the idyllic conception of Irish countryside life, Synge was effectively able to annul the pastoral sentiments snarl towards them, illustrating to the middle class how independent rural Ireland was to the pretentious Dubliners. As Heidi carrier says Synge makes it quite clear to his audiences that their beloved image of the Irish country folk was a mere construction a construction eminently open to challenge, and it was precisely this dismantling of the distinctions between fiction and reality that was the source of Synges conflict with his audience.