← All characters

The Playboy of the Western World · Character

Shawn Keogh

Pegeen's cousin and intended husband, a fat, pious farmer who fears the dark, the peelers, and above all the loss of his good bargain.

supporting

Also known as Shawn, Shawn Keogh of Killakeen, Shawn Retreating, Shawn Screaming, Shawn Keough, Shaneen, Shaneen Keogh

First appearance: act i

As a supporting figure in The Playboy of the Western World, Shawn Keogh is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Shawn Keogh has the land, the dispensation pending, and no stomach for anything else. He wants Pegeen the way he wants a safe transaction, and he trembles at every shadow on the road. His timidity sets off Christy's bravado, making him the play's comic measure of what the village considers a man.

See Shawn Keogh in act iBook page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Shawn Keogh sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

PMPegeen MikeCMChristy MahonWQWidow QuinPCPhilly CullenMJMichael James …SKShawn Keogh

Relationship types

  • Romantic
  • Rivalry
  • Psychological
  • Social

Character groups

  • Village community and chorus
  • Protagonist

+8 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Christy’s r…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Shawn Keogh in act i
See Shawn Keogh in act i