ENGLISH PAPER 2 NOTES
The Playboy of the Western World
1996
B.2
“For all the poetic talk of love in the
play, it is realism that triumphs in the end”.
Discuss
this statement, supporting your answer by quotation from or reference to The
Playboy of the Western World.
The poetic talk of love in this play is used mostly by Christy, who has “Such poet’s talking and such bravery of heart”. From his arrival he becomes infatuated with Pegeen, who he describes as a “love-light of the star of knowledge” with “words would put you thinking on the holy Brigid speaking to the infant saints.” His lyricism is instantly dispelled by the Widow Quin’s comment “a girl you’d see itching and scratching and she with a stale stick of poteen on her from selling in the shop”. This pattern of poetic talk of love triumphed over realism is the one which the sequence of events follows.
The main love-scene in the play occurs in Act 3
when Christy proposes to Pegeen. His
language is poetic and passionate.
“It’s then yourself and me should be pacing Neifin in the dews of night,
the times sweet smells do be rising, and you’d see a little, shiny new moon,
maybe, sinking on the hills.” Pegeen’s
reply is equally romantic. “And myself,
a girl, was tempted often to go sailing the seas ‘till I’d marry a Jew-man,
with ten kegs of gold, and I not knowing at all there was the like of you
drawing nearer, like the stars of God.”
This scene is shadowed by its unromantic setting – a shebeen – and the
knowledge that Old Mahon is close at hand, ready to dispel Christy’s heroic
image. The romanticism is shattered by Michael
James’ appearance and the grotesque realism of his language, “Six men,
stretched out retching speechless on the holy stones” and the earthy
materialistic sentiments of his blessing on the marriage “a score of grandsons growing up little
gallant swearers by the name of God.”
Pegeen’s relationship with Shawn ob the other hand
is dominated by realism. From the
beginning of the play their behaviour towards each other is stilted and Shawn
comments “Aren’t we after making a good bargain, the way we’re only waiting
these days on Father Reilly’s dispensation from the bishops, or the Court of
Rome”. Shawn’s language is realistic
and earthy. He has none of Christy’s
“poet’s talking”. Widow Quin dryly
comments “It’s true all girls are fond of courage and do hate the like of you”
while Pegeen’s verdict is “it’s sooner on a bullock’s liver you’d put a poor
girl thinking than on a lily or the rose”.
Shawn’s materialistic defence only incriminates him further. “And have you no mind of ... the drift of
heifers I am giving, and the golden ring.”
He himself believes that he is no match for Christy’s heroism and tries
to bribe Christy to leave the country in exchange for material goods.
It is Shawn’s realistic way of life that triumphs
over Christy’s romantic proposal. When
Old Mahon reappears and foils Christy’s heroic image as a murderer, Pegeen
wants nothing further to do with him.
Christy opts instead to spend the rest of his life travelling the countryside
telling stories. Although Pegeen laments
her loss she has rejected him in favour of “the stale stink of porter”. Thus realism has triumphed over the poetic
talk of love.
