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The Playboy of the Western World is the story of an ordinary man’s rise to the status of a near-mythical heroic figure, his fall from grace, and his refusal to accept that fall. Christy, a newcomer in the small village of Mayo where everyone seems to know each other, immediately attracts the attention of some villagers gathered in the local pub. Once the villagers hear Christy’s story about murdering his father with a loy, they project their desires for a heroic figure onto him and immediately assume Christy possesses qualities they associate with heroism, including physical prowess, chivalry, and even nobility. While the villagers are the ones to first project these qualities onto Christy, he willingly gives into this new, untrue version of himself and tries on the role of hero as easily as he tries on a new outfit. However, upon discovering his father is still alive, Christy must contend with the wild difference between who he was and who people believe him to be.

The story begins at Michael Flaherty’s pub, where Michael’s daughter Pegeen is afraid of being alone in the dark all night while her father attends a wake. Pegeen feels frustrated by her fiancé Shawn who refuses to spend the night with her due to his fear of upsetting the local priest. From the beginning of the play, Pegeen’s bitterness about her life in a small village with a cowardly fiancé is evident. The inciting incident that sets the plot in motion occurs when a young man named Christy Mahon, whom Shawn had heard groaning in a ditch earlier, enters the pub. Pegeen and the other villagers present are curious about this disheveled stranger, and their interest is piqued when he asks if the police visit the pub often. Realizing the mysterious young Christy has committed a crime, Pegeen and Michael begin to probe him until he admits to having murdered his father by striking him with a loy. Pegeen, Michael, and Michael’s friends are impressed by what they see as an act of bravery and rebellion against authority. Michael offers Christy a job at the pub, and Pegeen feels that she’ll be safe with Christy in the pub all night.

Pegeen quickly develops an attraction to Christy, seeing him as a brave and gallant figure and the antithesis of her weak-willed fiancé, Shawn. Pegeen’s own desire for a hero leads her to assume that Christy must descend from nobility, but Christy corrects her and tells her of the drudgery and frustration that led him to murder his father, whom he describes as cruel. Pegeen, also impressed by Christy’s physique and eloquence, wants to know more about Christy, but the two are interrupted by Widow Quin’s arrival, who offers for Christy to stay with her. Pegeen is quick to dismiss Widow Quin, but Christy, enjoying the idea of two women attracted to him at once, is uncertain of what to do, revealing he may not be that strong-willed after all. In the end, Christy stays at the pub and marvels at the benefits he is already reaping from having killed his father.

The next morning, several girls from the village and Widow Quin come to the pub to hear Christy’s story, showing how eager the villagers are for excitement in their lives. Christy has embellished the story significantly from when he first told it, adding details that may or may not be true and using props to add drama and flair. Pegeen, jealous that Christy is enjoying attention from other girls and annoyed from having heard his story several times, hints that Christy may not be safe at the pub after all. However, Christy uses his eloquence to win Pegeen over, one of many scenarios where Christy’s way with words grants him power in a situation.

Shawn, afraid that Pegeen will marry Christy instead of him, attempts to bribe Christy to leave the village and, when that does not work, makes a deal with Widow Quin for her to marry Christy. However, before Widow Quin can set this plan into motion, Christy sees his father, Old Mahon, approaching the pub and hides. Unbeknownst to Christy, his blow had only wounded his father, and now Old Mahon is searching for Christy to get his revenge. Old Mahon describes Christy to Widow Quin as a lazy, foolish young man. Widow Quin, unwilling to give up her chance to marry Christy, sends Old Mahon in the wrong direction and, after he leaves, laughs at how Christy has presented himself as a playboy. Still, she agrees to keep the fact that Christy’s father is alive a secret.

Unfortunately, Christy’s arrogance and gift with words soon lead to his own undoing. While Christy is competing in some sporting events, Michael’s friends Philly and Jimmy sit in the pub talking about Christy and his repeated telling of how he killed his father with a loy. Old Mahon returns to the pub and understands that they are talking about Christy. The still-present Widow Quin tries to convince Philly and Jimmy that Old Mahon is insane. She partially succeeds, and even after seeing Christy with his own eyes, Old Mahon believes he must be insane, as Christy could never be as successful as the man he has seen winning the athletic events.

The climax of the play occurs when Pegeen and Christy come back to the pub after Christy has excelled in the sporting events. Pegeen has agreed to marry Christy, and after they secure Michael’s blessing, Old Mahon bursts into the pub followed by the villagers and begins beating Christy. Upon discovering that Christy had not actually killed his father as he claimed, Pegeen and the other villagers turn on him, appalled that the man they had seen as a hero is just an ordinary liar. Christy refuses to let go of the possibility of regaining the villagers’ respect. He and Old Mahon fight, and Christy chases Old Mahon out of the pub with a loy, delivering what he hopes will be a fatal blow. When Christy comes back into the pub, he assumes that he will be back in Pegeen’s good graces, as he has committed the same act that once impressed her so much. However, for the villagers, who preferred to see Christy as more of a mythical figure than an actual murderer, the crime hits too close to home. Believing Old Mahon is dead, they decide to bring Christy to the police, fearing punishment if they do not report him.

A now tied-up Christy struggles with the villagers until Old Mahon, whom Christy has again failed to murder, crawls back into the pub and releases Christy from the ropes that bind him. Old Mahon scolds the villagers for turning against Christy so easily, showing he still feels allegiance to his son, and says they will tell everyone of the cruelty Christy endured at their hands. At first, Christy protests leaving with his father, but he then agrees to go on the condition that from that point on, Christy will be the one in charge. Despite Christy saying his father will act as his “slave,” Old Mahon is surprised and delighted by this change in Christy, suggesting that he has wished his son would have shown this inner strength sooner. Shawn turns to Pegeen, thinking they can get back to the business of planning their wedding, but she hits him and cries out for what she has lost in Christy, the “last Playboy of the Western World.” Although Pegeen had been willing to see Christy hanged only moments before, Christy’s parting statement of defiance has reminded Pegeen of the heroic figure she longs for and will never have.

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