The Playboy of the Western World
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Act 1 Act 2 Act 3
Themes
All Themes Heroism The Power of Language Authority
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Christopher “Christy” Mahon Pegeen Mike Widow Quin Old Mahon / Christy’s Father Shawn Keogh Michael James Flaherty / Pegeen’s Father Philly O’Cullen Sara Tansey
Symbols
All Symbols The Loy
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Alliteration Dialect Foil Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Irony Metaphors Mood Motifs Personification Satire Setting Similes Style Tone Verbal Irony
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The Playboy of the Western World

by

J. M. Synge
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The Playboy of the Western World Symbols

The Loy

A loy is a type of narrow spade traditionally used in Ireland for cultivating potatoes, an important crop on the island. As such, it represents Irish rural life and in particular the type of repetitive…

read analysis of The Loy

The Loy Symbol Icon
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