Lecture Eight: George Bernard Shaw: Arms and The Man (1894), Satirizing Romantic Attitudes Toward Love Candida (1893)
Lecture Eight: George Bernard Shaw: Arms and The Man (1894), Satirizing Romantic Attitudes Toward Love Candida (1893)
18561950, Irish playwright and critic. He revolutionized the ictorian stage, then do!inated
"y arti#icial !elodra!as, "y presenting vigorous dra!as o# ideas. $he lengthy pre#aces to
%haw&s plays reveal his !astery o# 'nglish prose. In 19(5 he was awarded the )o"el *rize in
+iterature.
I. 'arly +i#e and ,areer
a- .orn in /u"lin, %haw was the son o# an unsuccess#ul !erchant0 his !other was a
singer who eventually le#t her hus"and to teach singing in +ondon.
"- %haw le#t school at 11 to wor2 in an estate agent&s o##ice.
c- In 1836 he went to +ondon and #or nine years was largely supported "y his parents.
He wrote #ive novels, several o# the! pu"lished in s!all socialist !agazines.
d- %haw was hi!sel# an ardent socialist, a !e!"er o# the 4a"ian %ociety, and a
popular pu"lic spea2er on "ehal# o# socialis!.
e- 5or2 as a 6ournalist led to his "eco!ing a !usic critic #or the Star in 1888 and #or
the World in 18900 his enthusias! #or 5agner proved in#ectious to his readers.
#- 7s dra!a critic #or the Saturday Review a#ter 1895, he won readers to I"sen 0 he
had already written The Quintessence of Ibsenism 81891-.
g- In 1898 %haw !arried ,harlotte *ayne9$ownshend, a wealthy, well"orn
Irishwo!an. .y this ti!e his plays were "eginning to "e produced.
II. *lays
a- 7lthough %haw&s plays #ocus on ideas and issues, they are vital and a"sor"ing,
enlivened
9 "y !e!ora"le characterizations,
9 a "rilliant co!!and o# language,
9 dazzling wit.
"- His early plays were pu"lished as Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant 8( vol., 1898-.
$he :unpleasant: plays were
9 Widower's Houses 8189(-, on slu! landlordis!0
9 The Philanderer 8written 189;, produced 1905-0
9 and rs! Warren's Profession 8written 189;, produced 190(-, a 6i"e at the
ictorian attitude toward prostitution.
$he :pleasant: plays were
9 "rms and the an 81891-, satirizing ro!antic attitudes toward love
and war0
9 #andida 8189;-0
9 and $ou %ever #an Tell 8written 1895-.
c- In 1893 The &evil's &isciple' a play on the 7!erican <evolution, was produced
with great success in )ew =or2 ,ity. It was pu"lished in the volu!e Three Plays for
Puritans 81901- along with #aesar and #leopatra 81899-, nota"le #or its realistic,
hu!orous portraits o# historical #igures, and #aptain (rassbound's #onversion
81900-.
d- /uring the early (0th cent. %haw wrote his greatest and !ost popular plays>
) an and Superman 8190;-, in which an idealistic, cere"ral !an succu!"s to
!arriage 8the play contains an e?plicit articulation o# a !a6or %havian the!e
@that !an is the spiritual creator, whereas wo!an is the "iological :li#e
#orce: that !ust always triu!ph over hi!-0
) a*or (arbara 81905-, which postulates that poverty is the cause o# all evil0
) "ndrocles and the +ion 8191(0 a short play-, a char!ing satire o#
,hristianity0
9 and Py,malion 8191;-, which satirizes the 'nglish class syste! through the
story o# a coc2ney girl&s trans#or!ation into a lady at the hands o# a speech
pro#essor. $he latter has proved to "e %haw&s !ost success#ul wor2@as a play,
as a !otion picture, and as the "asis #or the !usical and #il! y -air +ady
819560 1961-.
e- A# %haw&s later plays, Saint .oan 819(;- is the !ost !e!ora"le0 it argues that Boan
o# 7rc, a har"inger o# *rotestantis! and nationalis!, had to "e 2illed "ecause the
world was not yet ready #or her.
#- In 19(0 %haw, !uch criticized #or his antiwar stance, wrote Heartbrea/ House' a
play that e?posed the spiritual "an2ruptcy o# the generation responsi"le #or 5orld 5ar
I.
III. Bohn .ullCs Ather Island 81901-
a- a co!edy a"out Ireland, written "y D. .ernard %haw in 1901.
"- this is the only %hawian play where he the!atically returned to his ho!eland.
c- $he play deals with +arry /oyle, #ro! Ireland, and $o! .road"ent, an 'nglish!an.
$hey are civil engineers who run a #ir! in +ondon. $hey go to <oscullen, where
/oyle was "orn, to develop so!e land. /oyle has no illusions a"out Ireland while
.road"ent is ta2en with the ro!ance o# the place. .road"ent, a lively !an, who is not
always aware o# the i!pression he !a2es, "eco!es a #avourite o# the people. .e#ore
the play is over, it is clear he will !arry )ora <eilly, the wo!an waiting #or /oyle
8who is !ore than happy to let her go- and "eco!e the area&s candidate #or *arlia!ent
8a#ter /oyle re#uses to stand-.
d- $he play was co!!issioned "y 5... =eats #or the opening o# /u"lin&s 7""ey
$heatre, "ut =eats re6ected it as too long, too controversial, and too di##icult to
produce.
e- $he play pre!iered in +ondon at the ,ourt $heatre on )ove!"er 1, 1901. It was a
great success and the ,ourt would go on to produce !any other %haw plays, "oth old
and new. /ealing with the Irish Euestion o# the ti!e, the play was seen "y !any !a6or
.ritish political #igures. 7 co!!and per#or!ance was given #or Fing 'dward II.
#- It was #inally staged in /u"lin in 1916 to pac2ed houses.
g- 7s popular as the play was originally, it is not one o# %haw&s !ore revived pieces,
li2ely due to the dated nature o# the politics involved.