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Similes
Key Examples in The Playboy of the Western World
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Dynamic Irish English:
First published and produced in 1907, The Playboy of the Western World belongs to the Irish literary renaissance and is written in Irish English. The linguistic conventions of Irish English govern most of the text. Synge shows the dynamic character of this dialect by creating people who speak in every kind of sentence, from short and cagey to long and florid. One example of this is Christy's dynamic style of speech. He begins by speaking in short and rather choppy sentences, but as Pegeen begins to praise him, his speech develops alongside his reputation in the little Irish town. A conversation between Pegeen and Christy in Act 1 illustrates this development:
PEGEEN. If you weren’t destroyed travelling, you’d have as much talk and streeleen, I’m thinking, as Owen Roe O’Sullivan or the poets of the Dingle Bay, and I’ve heard all times it’s the poets are your like, fine fiery fellows with great rages when their temper’s roused.
CHRISTY. drawing a little nearer to her.—You’ve a power of rings, God bless you, and would there be any offence if I was asking are you single now?
Related Themes:
