Playboy of the Western world.

Anthony 1 Tanya Anthony 31 March 2014 The Playboy and his Rival: A Comparison of Christy Mahon and Shawn Keogh in J.M.Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World  J.M Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World  is  is notorious for having sparked immense outrage and protest among Synge’s contemporary audience. Labelled the “Playboy riots”, the reason given was that “"It “"It is not against a nation that [Synge] blasphemes… blasphemes…so much as against the moral order of the universe" (qtd. in Kiberd). To this day the play still continues to surprise audiences for identical reasons. A comparison of two of the male characters in the play, the  protagonist Christy Ch risty Mahon Mah on and his polar opposite Shawn Keogh highlights these reasons. On a surface level, Shawn is simply the cowardly jester to Christy’s mock -heroic -heroic figure; the domestic and mundane to Christy’s foreign and intriguing. Further insight however reveals that these two characters are merely two sides of the same coin, and the act of comparing the pair brings to light the various unorthodox and controversial aspects of the play. Be it a matter of morality or regard for authority, both characters embody the various ways the play subverts the behavioural expectations of its audiences and society itself. In The Playboy, Playboy, the scale of morality appears to have been flipped, although none of the characters save Shawn acknowledge or seem to even notice this. From the moment he makes his entrance, Christy is given a warm welcome, made even warmer when word of his heinous act gets out. Shawn is the only one who behaves as a regular person is expected to behave. When he first sees Christy approaching in the dead of the night, covered in dirt and exhausted, Shawn is suspicious and afraid of him, whereas the other characters approach him with curiosity and even cordiality. Once Christy almost proudly informs his eager audience that he killed his father,

Anthony 2 Shawn stands alone in seeing him as “[a] bloody-handed murderer”  (Synge 1.130). The other characters on the other hand, do not perceive him as a threat, and even go as far as to suggest that Christy act as a source of protection for Pegeen Mike. The villagers’ celebration of Christy’s immoral act and even of Christy himself paints the world in which the play is set as one that is  primarily amoral. Shawn Keogh stands alone as the exception to this amorality. Unfortunately, although Shawn is the only one who appears to navigate within a normal framework of right and wrong, given his character his apprehension is passed off as comical or cowardly, instead of sensible and justifiable. The only voice of reason in the play is therefore rejected, silenced and ridiculed, not only by the other characters but even by the audience members themselves. Similarly, the two characters’  attitudes towards authority vary greatly. Be it religious,  parental or authority of the state, Christy appears indifferent towards any type of external power. Despite his use of religious expressions like “[m]ay God and Mary and St. Patrick bless you” (1.228), Christy never shows signs of penitence or fear of divine retribution for his act. Given that patricide simultaneously breaks two of the Ten Commandments – “Thou shalt not kill” and “Honour thy father and mother”- his apathy suggests that he does not even subscribe to religious  beliefs to begin with. By turning Christy into a celebrity, the villagers exhibit similar attitudes. Christy’s  labelling of the villagers as “swearing Christians”  (2.2) succinctly underlines the impious, even blasphemous nature of the locals. The residents of the village mostly invoke the name of God only when swearing, their disregard for religion thus verging on being disrespectful. Shawn on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Not only is he mindful of the rules and regulations set by religious authority, he is fearful of it. Most of the decisions he makes in the span of the play is governed by his of fear Father Riley, who is an embodiment of both religious and paternal authority. After Christy is shown to be a fraud however, the villagers start

Anthony 3 to show some regard for religious power. When Christy questions their sudden change in demeanour, Michael exclaims that “the Lord God would, maybe, bring [the villagers] ruin from the law to-day” (3.222) if they continued to allow a murderer to reside with them. The state law that Michael fearfully brings up is similarly treated as insignificant in the first half of the play. The threat of almost getting “six months for going with a dung fork and stabbing a fish” (1.173) clearly did not hinder Christy from attempting to commit the far more serious crime of murdering his father. His disregard for state authority is echoed in the villagers’ warm reception of this alleged killer. The audiences’ confusion and rage stems from the way the villagers react to Christy. When the village is under the assumption that he has committed  patricide, Christy is lauded as being brave and strong. Ironically, it is when they find out he has not murdered his father that he is persecuted. The driving factor behind finally trying to throw Christy out is not that the residents of Mayo finally see him as a heartless killer or ungrateful son, but that they are afraid they might be held accountable for harbouring a fugitive. This strange reasoning sheds light on the skewed priorities of the villagers and reveals that the village is more afraid of the people who keep the law that the people who break them. It is clear that the regard the village has toward state authority only extends to their fear of the repercussions that arise from breaking the law. The key form of authority questioned in the play is parental, or to be more specific,  paternal authority  Needless to be said, Christy holds no respect for the older Mahon. After the .

 positive reception he is given in the village he even laments that he was “a foolish fellow not to [have killed his] father in the years gone by” (1.228), yet another cause for outrage for Synge’s contemporary viewers, and incredulity for modern day viewers. Christy recounts toiling endlessly for a father who never appreciated his efforts. He also depicts Mahon as a drunkard

Anthony 4 who would either “be raging all times” (1.175) or “be locked in the asylums for battering peelers or assaulting men” (1.181). His negative depiction is void of any respect or acknowledgement of Old Mahon as a figure of authority in his life. It also seems to suggest that Christy’s murder was  justifiable, because Old Mahon did not behave the way a father should have. Not only is paternal authority therefore challenged and questioned through Christy, it is subverted by the end of the  play. The end sees a complete role reversal when the father-son duo leave with Christy  possessing all the authority and power. Christy’s declaration that he is “master of all fights from now” (3.253) goes uncontested by his father who follows “with a broad smile” (3.256). Shawn Keogh on the other hand, despite being an orphan finds a paternal figure in Father Reilly. Unlike Christy who shows nothing but disdain and resentment for his father, Shawn displays an immense respect for Father Reilly. His undeniable respect for Father Reilly even appears to be the main source of his cowardice. Whenever Shawn is told to do something he perceives as being dangerous he meekly replies “ but I'm afeard of Father Reilly”  (1.42). Although Father Reilly never physically appears in the play, he still looms over the play as a symbol of oppression through Shawn. Both Shawn and Christy are thus in different senses suppressed by paternal figures. Only Christy fights back against the oppression while Shawn accepts and even embraces it unquestioningly. Though this makes him appear constantly timid and meek, Shawn’s subservience is what is commonly expected from society, while Christy’s blatant defiance is considered immoral, as demonstrated by the audience’s rioting. The traditional concept of nature versus nurture and their varying effects on individuals is also challenged by Christy and Shawn. Under the nurturing hand-or lack of it- of the older Mahon, Christy was originally shy and meek. This demeanor is explained when the older Mahon describes Christy as being useless, weak and “the fool of men” (3.34). It is evident that Christy

Anthony 5 has spent most of his life believing himself as such, and behaving accordingly. Under the constant praise and reverence of the village however, Christy swiftly evolves into an all-rounder. He is eloquent and “a great hand at racing and lepping and licking the world” (3.33). He goes from having “the first confidential talk he has ever had with a woman” (1.167) in the beginning of the play to “the only Playboy of the Western world” (3.260). This suggests that all it took was a bit of confidence for Christy’s true nature to emerge. The contrast between the meek and unconfident Christy that enters the village and the rebellious and self-assured Christy that  blossoms during his time in Mayo puts a whole new spin on the saying “[i]t takes a village to raise a child”. In contrast, as an orphan, Shawn was not afforded the nurturing environment of a traditional family. Because of this, it is easy to expect him to be similar to the rebellious deviant Christy that dominates the second half of the play. He is however far more similar to the timid Christy in the former half, indicating that his character by nature is such. In this particular case it is Shawn that challenges behavioral expectations far more than Christy does. Although this might not be a point of contention for many members of the audience, it still remains one of the many aspects of the play that strays away from conventional expectations. Shawn also deviates from normalcy in one other area that Christy does not-gender. When it comes to gender-based behavioural expectations, Shawn exhibits more stereotypically feminine traits. For example, because he is too cowardly to check on Pegeen himself, Shawn sends the widow Quin alone at night to make sure that Pegeen has not been harmed by Christy. Furthermore, later on in the play, when the task of apprehending Christy is delegated to Shawn he shies away from this duty, getting Pegeen to handle Christy instead while he coaxes her on from a safe distance. Pegeen meanwhile fearlessly steps in to do the work the men of the village are either too afraid or too incapacitated to do. His fear when it comes to Christy is contrasted

Anthony 6 with the typically masculine dominance Pegeen shows. Being a man who shrinks away from  potentially dangerous situations, Shawn unabashedly displays what is commonly perceived as feminine traits. Christy meanwhile has femininity literally forced on him with Widow Quin and Sara trying to force him into petticoats for his own safety. He however steadfastly refuses, insisting on staying with Pegeen. In this one instance, Christy behaves as he is expected to as a man. He is sure of what he wants and is unafraid to pursue it even in the face of danger. This gender subversion is not just visible in the two young male characters. The rest of the village reflects similar unorthodox behaviour. The women of Mayo seem to be of sturdier character than their male counterparts, who spend a considerable portion of time being too drunk and incapacitated to fully take charge of the situations they land in. It is therefore ironic that Christy is called the Playboy of the Western world when he it is who is pursued by the women of Mayo, instead of doing the seducing himself. The women in the play are shown to know what they want, and are unabashed in their attempts to attain it. They display a surprising amount of autonomy and agency that is severely lacking in male characters like Shawn Keogh. This role reversal led to the play’s female characters being the target of contempt and derision because as women, “they should have been the symbol of Ireland's virtues, but did not fit the stereotype” (Tenorio 426). Due to his blatant rejection of social norms, Christy Mahon is a deviant, a rebel and ultimately, a “playboy”. On the flipside of the coin, Shawn Keogh leaves a lasting impression weak-willed law abiding coward. Although Shawn’s constant fear and law-abiding nature is  played up for laughs, his character is the closest semblance of normalcy the audience is granted in the play. Through the contrasts between Shawn and Christy, our perceptions of what is

Anthony 7 normal, moral and overall accepted are put to question, and perhaps do not emerge looking as favourable as we would like them to. Works Cited Kiberd, Declan. "The Riotous History of The Playboy of the Western World." The Guardian.  N.p., 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. Synge, J. M. The Playboy of the Western World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Bartleby. 2000. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Tenorio, Encarnación Hidalgo. "The Subversion of a Traditional Conception of Irishness?" Journal of Literary Studies 15.3-4 (1999): 425-58. 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.