Masculine Charade: Unveiling Toxicity in The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge

Author(s): Samia Afroz Ria, Shamim Ahmed, Sadia Afroj Tithi

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

Abstract

Milington Synge in The Playboy of the Western World. Here, the village Mayo is a place where rebellion against authority is a mark of heroism. Even though the rebel commits patricide, still he can be hailed. This pinpoints the dark image of fantasizing violence and toxic masculinity. Nevertheless, the bravery of females are not glorified which depicts the cushioning of traditional gender binaries. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to remove the curtain of comical elements to unveil the deep ingrained orthodox of romanticization of masculinity by using qualitative methodology. [1] Hence, it employs qualitative textual analysis to deconstruct the play’s portrayal of gender and violence. So, this paper examines how violence and patricide are paradoxically celebrated as heroic in John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World. In other words, the charade of reality was unmasked through the charade of art.