2 h 24 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 24 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the most shocking story you could tell made a whole village fall in love with you?
In a lonely public house on the Mayo coast, Pegeen Mike Flaherty writes an order for her wedding. Then Christy Mahon arrives, shy, ragged and frightened. He says he has killed his father with a spade. Instead of turning him away, the villagers welcome him as a hero.
J. M. Synge’s comic play turns that welcome into a sharp exploration of storytelling and desire. Village girls bring gifts, Widow Quin sees a chance for company, and Pegeen faces a stranger unlike her timid intended husband, Shawn Keogh. As Christy finds an eager audience, his words begin to change how he sees himself.
What you’ll discover
- A hero made of words Watch a shy stranger gain confidence as the village delights in his shocking tale.
- Pegeen’s restless heart Meet a spirited publican’s daughter who feels bored by the marriage planned for her.
- A pub hungry for excitement Step into scenes where local drinkers and gift-bearing girls gather around the unexpected visitor.
- Speech full of life Savour rolling sentences and vivid images drawn from fields, seas and hills.
- Comedy with a sharp edge Explore how admiration and the hunger for a good story can remake a person.
Who will love it
You will love this play if you enjoy comic stories about big talkers, lively speech that sounds like song, or village scenes full of gossip, courtship and rivalry.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A stranger confesses to a shocking deed
- Pegeen and Christy find each other by the fire
- Admiration turns Christy into a master storyteller
- Jealousy and bribes pull at the new hero
- A bandaged man arrives at the door
- The hero wins every prize and every heart
- Stories make people, and fear makes people cheer
- Music, setting and comic timing carry the play
Who’s who
- Christy MahonA shy, worn-out young man who arrives at the pub saying he has killed his father, and who wants to be seen as someone.
- Pegeen MikeThe publican's sharp-tongued daughter, about twenty, who longs for wild talk and a bolder man than the one she is meant to marry.
- Michael James FlahertyPegeen's father, a fat, jovial publican who loves a drink and a wake, and wants his daughter safely married to Shawn.
- Shawn KeoghA timid young farmer, Pegeen's cousin and intended husband, who fears Father Reilly and anything that threatens his plans.
- Widow QuinA woman of about thirty who lives alone, has a past of her own, and sees in Christy a chance to gain land and company.
- Old MahonChristy's father, a squatter with a bandaged head, who tracks his runaway son across the country.
- Philly CullenA thin and mistrustful small farmer who drinks at Michael's pub and judges every stranger by his own suspicion.
- Sara TanseyThe boldest of the village girls, who brings gifts to the new hero and proposes the toast to the western world.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Lo spaccone del Mondo occidentale
by J. M. Synge · 1907
A frightened stranger walks into a Mayo pub and wins the village by saying he killed his father.
Medium level2–5 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
A frightened young man stumbles into a country pub on the wild coast of Mayo, dirty and worn out. He asks whether the police ever come here.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A stranger confesses to a shocking deed
The play opens on an autumn evening in a rough country pub, or shebeen, on the wild coast of Mayo. Pegeen Mike, a spirited girl of about twenty, is writing out an order for her wedding clothes. Her father, Michael James Flaherty, keeps the pub. Her bridegroom is Shawn Keogh, a stout and timid farmer.
Shawn fears Father Reilly more than anything on earth. Michael James and his friends plan to spend the night at a wake, and Pegeen says she dreads the dark hours alone. Michael tells Shawn to stay with her. Shawn begs, calls on his saints, and at last slips out of his coat and runs off into the dark. Pegeen has no respect left for her future husband.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1907
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 1 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Synge, J. M. The Playboy of the Western World. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-playboy-of-the-western-world.
Synge, J. M. (2026). The playboy of the Western world. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-playboy-of-the-western-world (Original work published 1907)
Synge, J. M. The Playboy of the Western World. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-playboy-of-the-western-world.
@book{synge2026playboy,
author = {Synge, J. M.},
title = {The Playboy of the Western World},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-playboy-of-the-western-world},
note = {First published 1907}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Lo spaccone del Mondo occidentale
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Playboy of the Western World about?
It tells of Christy Mahon, a young man who arrives in a Mayo pub saying he killed his father. The villagers, especially Pegeen Mike, admire him for it, and his new fame sets off love, rivalry and comic trouble.
What does the title Playboy of the Western World mean?
In the play it is a name for a wonder, a lively hero who stands out. The Widow Quin calls Christy the walking Playboy of the Western World, and the play ends with Pegeen's lament for her lost hero.
Who is Pegeen Mike in the play?
Pegeen Mike is Margaret Flaherty, the sharp-tongued daughter of the pub owner. She is about twenty, promised to Shawn Keogh, and drawn to Christy for his poetic talk and his daring.
The author
J. M. Synge
1871–1909 · Irish playwright and poet
J. M. Synge was an Irish playwright at the heart of the Irish Literary Revival and Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Riders to the Sea, his one-act tragedy of a mother on the Aran Islands who loses her sons to the ocean, is among the most admired short plays in English.
More by J. M. Synge
Vedi tutti i suoi libriMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
