The Representation of Rural Irish Characters in J.M. Synge’s Riders to the Sea, the Tinker’s Wedding, and the Playboy of the Western World

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the representation of peasantry in Ireland during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with regard to local colour. In this context, Synge’s reviving Irish folklore to assert Irishness is discussed in three of his plays. In addition to this, certain cultural, political and social aspects of Ireland are illustrated as they provide the context for the three plays representative of rural Ireland.