J. M. SYNGE’S PLAYS: THE CREATION OF IRISH CULTURAL IDENTITY

Abstract

Living with the peasants in the Aran Islands and eastern Ireland, the Anglo-Irish dramatist, John Millington Synge portrays different aspects of the Irish cultural identity through dramatizing the perils and sufferings, traditions and rituals of the Irish people. In doing so, he plays a major role in the preservation of the Irish identity that is almost disappearing. The research attempts to study Synge's portrayal of the Irish identity in Riders to the Sea, The Shadow of the Glen and The Tinker's Wedding. These plays are real representatives of the Irish peasants' lifestyle as they are based upon incidents and stories that Synge either witnesses or hears from the Irish peseants themselves.