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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Nature of Heroism

The protagonist of The Playboy of the Western World, Christy Mahon, becomes a hero among the villagers of Mayo when they learn that he has murdered his father. Christy certainly doesn’t see himself as a heroic figure when he arrives at the pub, as his main fear is being found out by the law. However, as soon as he begins receiving attention from Michael and his friends, he understands that his story makes him something of a legend. That the villagers see the murder as heroic reveals that they view any act of defiance against an authority figure as brave instead of cruel. In their eyes, Christy didn’t murder someone; rather, he saved himself from a life of tedium, something the villagers are unable to do for themselves. The fact that Pegeen and the others are so readily willing to accept and praise Christy as a hero shows how desperately the village wants a savior figure.

Christy is contrasted sharply with Shawn, who refuses to play the role of Pegeen’s protector. Pegeen easily casts off Shawn once she learns of Christy’s story, a choice that reveals how badly she desires a hero in her life. However, Pegeen and the villagers turn on Christy once they learn his father is not actually dead. When Christy attacks Old Mahon again, an act that people once worshipped him for, the villagers become disgusted and want to turn him in, suggesting they preferred to think of Christy and his story as mythical instead of real. Pegeen’s distress once Christy leaves Mayo shows that she still longs for a protective, strong hero in her life.

The Power of Language

The Playboy of the Western World is full of poetic language and, like Christy, uses words to try to win its audience over. When Christy first arrives at the pub, his sentences are short and stilted, which unintentionally draws in the villagers who, once they learn he has committed a crime, try to uncover more information. Once Christy grows more confident, his language becomes more poetic and expressive. Even the villagers who have heard his story secondhand seek Christy out to hear him tell his tale himself. When Pegeen begins to get annoyed by Christy, Christy easily gets back into her good graces by using lyrical, evocative language to describe how he feels about her and what his life would be like without her. The fact that the villagers are so taken in by Christy’s story, even though it’s not true, shows how language and storytelling can be more powerful than action. Such a concept is realized at the end of the play, when Christy declares that he will be a “gallant captain” with Old Mahon as his “heathen slave.” Christy has done nothing to prove that he will have control over Old Mahon, but by him simply saying the words aloud, both he and Old Mahon believe the declaration to be true.

Attitudes toward Authority

Throughout the play, the power of authority and the characters’ feelings about authority vacillate. The fact that the villagers feel impressed that Christy has killed Old Mahon—whom Christy describes as tyrannical and cruel—shows their latent desire to challenge authority. This desire is evident in how the men mock Shawn for his concern over what Father Reilly might think of him if he steps out of line. The villagers also seem unconcerned about any legal implications of harboring a fugitive, dismissing any authority the “peelers” or police might have over them.

During Christy’s short stay in the pub, he is seen as a worldly and authoritative figure for the first time in his life. However, once the villagers believe an actual crime has taken place in their own community, they try to bring Christy to the police. In the end, Christy is saved by Old Mahon, his lifelong authority figure whom he has twice tried to kill, showing the dual nature of authority as both oppressive and protective. Before leaving the pub, Christy asserts that he will now be the dominant of the two. This declaration impresses Old Mahon, implying he may have been looking for Christy to act as an authority figure for a long time. In the end, the villagers’ feelings about authority are ambiguous. They remain tempted by the prospect of defying authority but still want the security that authority provides and fear what might happen should that authority turn on them.

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