"The Power of a Lie": Irish Storytelling Tradition in The Playboy of the Western World

Abstract

When, on being asked about the source for The Playboy of the Western World by a tenacious reporter, Synge replied, 'I never bother whether my plots are typical Irish or not; but my methods are typical." 1 Synge's statement reveals an important truth; for, as a number of folklorists and critics of Irish literature have demonstrated, much of what is "typical" about Synge's artistic methods derives from his ample and creative use of Irish folk material and folk expression. 2 In The Shadow of the Glen, for example, he drew upon his detailed knowledge of wake traditions as well as folk narrative, to create, not a faithful representation of either a wake or a folk tale, but rather a drama that employs both traditions to explore social and human conflicts that are as universal as they are parochial. 3 Similarly, in The Playboy of the Western World, Synge drew upon his knowledge of traditional Irish narrative and storytelling to portray social and human capabilities and failings in a way that reflected his views not only of Irish society but of the human condition in general. And if the play's plot is not wholly representative of Irish folk narrative, its methods unquestionably owe a great deal to Synge's knowledge of the genres, techniques, and social contexts of the Irish storytelling tradition.