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Cover of The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge

The Playboy of the Western World

J.M. Synge · 1907

A young man arrives in a Mayo village claiming he killed his father, and the locals treat him as a hero. Synge's comedy provoked riots at the Abbey Theatre because Irish nationalists thought it insulted Ireland. Yeats stood on stage and defended it. The riots are now more famous than the play, which is a shame, because the play is brilliant.

Drama · the Pro canon

The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.