Đavolov učenik

by George Bernard Shaw, Stanislav Vinaver (Translator)

George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin in 1856. Before becoming a playwright he wrote music and literary criticism. Shaw used his writing to attack social problems such as education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. Shaw was particularly conscious of the exploitation of the working class.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, socialist, and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama. Over the course of his life he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his plays address prevailing social problems, but each also includes a vein of comedy that makes their stark themes more palatable. In these works Shaw examined education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege.

An ardent socialist, Shaw was angered by what he perceived to be the exploitation of the working class. He wrote many brochures and speeches for the Fabian Society. He became an accomplished orator in the furtherance of its causes, which included gaining equal rights for men and women, alleviating abuses of the working class, rescinding private ownership of productive land, and promoting healthy lifestyles. For a short time he was active in local politics, serving on the London County Council.

In 1898, Shaw married Charlotte Payne-Townshend, a fellow Fabian, whom he survived. They settled in Ayot St. Lawrence in a house now called Shaw's Corner.

He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938). The former for his contributions to literature and the latter for his work on the film "Pygmalion" (adaptation of his play of the same name). Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright, as he had no desire for public honours, but he accepted it at his wife's behest. She considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books to English.

Shaw died at Shaw's Corner, aged 94, from chronic health problems exacerbated by injuries incurred by falling.

Reviews

[BookHunter M ُH َM َD · Rating 4 out of 5]

يطل المناضل المصري علاء عبد الفتاح في كل سطر من سطور المسرحية و لا عجب في ذلك فالمسرحية الهزلية فصولها مستمرة في مصر حتى الأن. و علاء عبدالفتاح لمن لا يعرفه هو شاب مصري حبسته كل السلطات منذ المجلس العسكري بعد ثورة يناير حتى السيسي بعدها و مرورا بالإخوان بينهما و تهمته الوحيدة هي حب مصر و الحرص على مستقبل أفضل لأبنائها. قضى زهرة شبابه في السجن و عندما خرج في المرة الأخيرة فرض عليه النظام الغبي المبيت في قسم الشرطة من السادسة مساء حتى السادسة صباحا كل يوم و لمدة خمس سنوات بدعوى المراقبة لخطورته على الأمن العام.
رايت علاء في دور ريشارد المسمى بتابع الشيطان لا لشيء إلا لأنه يرفض أن يكون رقم في المعادلة القديمة و انما يريد أن يكون فاعلا في جيل جديد يصنع النصر بنفسه و كفاحه و علمه. و رغم عداوة المجتمع له إلا أنه يناضل من أجله و لا يتوانى عن التضحية بنفسه في سبيل إنقاذ عدوه القسيس أندرسن لإيصال رسالة إلى المحتل الإنجليزي أن الأمريكان كلهم على قلب رجل واحد مهما بدا بينهم من عداوات.
في المسرحية ينجو ريشارد من المشنقة لبسالة أندرسن في الدفاع عنه أما في مصر فما زال علاء محبوسا ينتظر أندرسن الذي ربما لن يجيء أبدا.

[فايز غازي Fayez Ghazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

- ميلودراما كلاسيكية تدور احداثها إبّان الثورة الأمريكية ، حيث خلق برناردشو شخصية شيطانية (ديك، بما يعنيه هذا الإسم في اللغة الإنكليزية)، يقدمها في الجزء الأول على انها الشر المتجسد، او الجزء الأسود من الميلودراما، ثم يأخذها في الجزئين اللاحقين وينتشلها من اسفل الى اعلى، ويتوجها ناصعة في الخاتمة.

- تبدأ "الحفلة" بخطأ في الهوية، حيث يتم اعتقال "ريتشارد" على انه القس "آندرسون" من قبل قوات الملك (امريكا كانت مستعمرة بريطانية في ذلك الوقت) بتهمة التمرد والحكم عليه بالشنق. وتتوالى الثيمات الميلودرامية من حيث التضحية البطولية في سبيل الآخر، والقسيس الخيّر الذي يصيب في أرائه، والتحول العاطفي (زوجة القسيس)، الشك ورحلة الإنقاذ، التحول العملي او التأقلم بشكل أدق...

- ما يزيد من متعة هذه المسرحية هو الحوار البارع، والتوريات، والنقد المبطن الموجه للملك، الوزير، الطبقة الأرستقراطية، السياسين، رجال الدين والعسكر...

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like valves in the heart, this drama opens up and constructs. It becomes intimate with the central heartbreaking moral dilemma, or epic with a stampede of quite intriguing satellite players.

Also, this one struck me as having The Simpson's episode arch: The first act has very little to do with the rest of the play. It is an inciting event, also a perfect portrait of the main character. Despite the implausible ending, this one has a trip to the gallows rife with suspense & superb aristocratic wit.

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

By 1896, Shaw had already written seven plays: ”unpleasant” Ibsenite problem plays and “pleasant” comedies with witty Wildean dialogue (and a little sermonizing thrown in). He had won a measure of artistic respect, but what he didn’t have, as yet, was a commercial triumph.

Then Shaw began to contemplate the possibilities of melodrama (which, as a practicing drama critic, he had ample opportunity to do.) ''A really good..melodrama,” he observed, of a play he had recently seen at the Adelphi, “is of first-rate literary importance, because it only needs elaboration to become a masterpiece.''

So that’s what Shaw did. He concocted a first-rate melodrama about the American Revolution, involving a devilish ne’er-do-well named “Dick” who, in a case of mistaken identity, is arrested by His Majesty’s forces as a rebel and sentenced to be hanged. He gives us everything we need for melodrama: a heroic sacrifice (Dick refusal to reveal his identity and save himself), an appropriate foil (Anderson, the upright pastor for whom he is mistaken), a pretty love interest (the pastor’s conflicted wife), an exciting trial, a ride to the rescue, and an improbable—and very satisfying—escape. It even has a moral: a person, faced with an important decision, may discover who he is, as opposed to what he claims to be.

What makes The Devil’s Disciple such a satisfying play is that, in addition to its first-rate melodramatic effects, it possesses dialogue as witty as in his comedies, sharp obserations of man in society as acute as in his problem plays, and Shaw’s first thoroughly memorable character: the debonair General John (“Gentlemanly Johnnie”) Burgoyne, commander of the British forces at Saratoga—surrounded by fools, sabotaged by the home office, yet never losing his savoir faire or changing his opinion of history (“History, sir, will tell lies, as usual.”)

The result? Shaw achieved his first commercial success. 10% of the $50,000 gross of the American production: $5000, $140,000 in today’s money. Not bad for a somebody making do on a drama critic’s wages.

Here’s an excerpt from my favorite scene, the trial:

BURGOYNE (with extreme suavity)...You will understand, sir, I hope, since you seem to be a gentleman and a man of some spirit..., that if we should have the misfortune to hang you, we shall do so as a mere matter of political necessity and military duty, without any personal ill-feeling.

RICHARD. Oh, quite so. That makes all the difference in the world, of course..

SWINDON. You are aware, I presume, Mr. Anderson, of your obligations as a subject of His Majesty King George the Third.

RICHARD. I am aware, sir, that His Majesty King George the Third is about to hang me because I object to Lord North's robbing me.

SWINDON. That is a treasonable speech, sir.

RICHARD (briefly). Yes. I meant it to be.

BURGOYNE (strongly deprecating this line of defence, but still polite). Don't you think, Mr. Anderson, that this is rather—if you will excuse the word—a vulgar line to take? Why should you cry out robbery because of a stamp duty and a tea duty and so forth? After all, it is the essence of your position as a gentleman that you pay with a good grace.

RICHARD. It is not the money, General. But to be swindled by a pig-headed lunatic like King George.

SWINDON (scandalised). Chut, sir—silence!

SERGEANT (in stentorian tones, greatly shocked). Silence!

BURGOYNE (unruffled). Ah, that is another point of view. My position does not allow of my going into that, except in private... But (shrugging his shoulders) of course, Mr. Anderson, if you are determined to be hanged...there's nothing more to be said. An unusual taste! however (with a final shrug)—!...

SWINDON...Have you anything more to say?

RICHARD. I think you might have the decency to treat me as a prisoner of war, and shoot me like a man instead of hanging me like a dog.

BURGOYNE (sympathetically). Now there, Mr. Anderson, you talk like a civilian, if you will excuse my saying so. Have you any idea of the average marksmanship of the army of His Majesty King George the Third? If we make you up a firing party, what will happen? Half of them will miss you: the rest will make a mess of the business and leave you to the provo-marshal's pistol. Whereas we can hang you in a perfectly workmanlike and agreeable way. (Kindly) Let me persuade you to be hanged, Mr. Anderson?...

RICHARD...Thank you, General: that view of the case did not occur to me before. To oblige you, I withdraw my objection to the rope. Hang me, by all means.

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rest of this story is pure fiction. Rest assured, you can believe every word of it.
The Devil's Disciple ~~ George Bernard Shaw


#6 of my 2018 Shaw Project

This is a marvelous play, one that I was totally unfamiliar with. Shaw is juggling many balls here a romantic ball, a sly, cynical ball, and a serious, intellectual ball & he manages to keep all of them in the air.

This is a play of the American Revolution, and although acts of war constitute the main action, the real subject is the revolution of ideas and intellect that no one does better than Shaw.

Shaw takes neither sides nor prisoners here, having British General Burgoyne quip, Martyrdom, sir, is what these people like: it is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability.

And an American minister named Anthony Anderson says, Have you realized that though you may occupy towns and win battles, you cannot conquer a nation?

It's good to hear all this intelligent chatter; it feels somehow timely. It's useful to ponder the play's central dilemma as well, which is how to reconcile the points of a view of, on the one hand, a man of religion and pragmatism who values action, and on the other, a romantic idealist who thinks he can become a hero by believing in something—but is proved to be a fool, but a very likable fool.

The fool is the title character, a fellow called Richard Dudgeon. When we first meet him, he has come to claim his late father's estate from a brazenly pious mother who dislikes and misunderstands him and a younger brother who is a bit of a halfwit. Dick cuts a dashing and dangerous figure, particularly in contrast to the rest of his family. His uncle, the family's previous black sheep, has just been hanged as a rabble rouser by the Redcoats in a nearby town, and Dick fears that someone in this community will also be made an example of by the oncoming British. He correctly predicts that it will be the town's minister, Anthony Anderson; and when the soldiers arrive, Dick bravely pretends that he is Anderson, to the great shock and then admiration of the minister's lovely young wife, Judith.



Shaw brilliantly balances comedy with more sober concerns, giving Dick a superb foil in the suave, cynical General Burgoyne, a man who refuses to take anything seriously. Shaw also inserts a thoroughly hilarious scene in which the witness secured to confirm or deny Dick's assertion that he is Anderson turns out to be the duller Dudgeon, Christy, who isn't at all sure what to make of his brother's charade.

What the unstoppable Shaw may have had in mind when he laid his plans for The Devil's Disciple could have been a kind of lightweight variant of themes employed by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, in which a brave man goes to his death in place another individual, a valiant hero condemned to death for his political activities.

But Shaw, after all, was essentially a comedian, and so Dick Dudgeon, nearly hanged in place of pastor Anderson, whose identity he has more or less accidentally assumed, gets a last-minute reprieve and lives to charm again.

[Stela · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Bernard Shaw’s Devil’s Disciple is quite an example of melodrama gone, so to speak, good. I mean, everything is there: mistaken identity, turnaround of events, conjugal triangle, surprise inheritance, self-sacrifice, contrast between appearance and essence with a bit of too much emotional tension display to turn into comedy and a bit of too much happy ending to turn into tragedy.

Everything is there except for the usual sentimentalism, which is counteracted by light parody. In fact, at the time, Shaw had become familiar with a new concept of playwright, known as New Drama, which, under the influence of Ibsen, envisaged to transform drama in a tool for social critique.

Indeed, there is a wide satirical message in The Devil’s Disciple, encompassing religion, social conventions and political manoeuvres, all presented as a game of contrasts between what there seems to be and what there really is. The most delicious example is Mrs. Dudgeon’s, a pillar of piety and respectability as anyone who, “being exceedingly disagreeable is held to be exceedingly good.”

At the opposite stands her eldest son Richard, who, overwhelmed by such maternal virtues, escaped the parental home and decided to worship Devil:

I prayed secretly to him; and he comforted me, and saved me from having my spirit broken in this house of children's tears. (…) From this day this house is his home; and no child shall cry in it: this hearth is his altar; and no soul shall ever cower over it in the dark evenings and be afraid.

Of course, the renegade, the smuggler, the disrespectful son, the heretic everybody despises and avoids becomes the true hero during that turning point of American Revolution that (dis)covers also the complicated network of political intrigues in a historical moment. The memorable figure of General Burgoyne is therefore more than an embodiment of British Imperialism versus rebel colonists: it is also an example of that so British insubstantial courtesy, a satirical view of void gentleman conduct:

BURGOYNE. Mr. Dudgeon: we are only doing this—
RICHARD. Because you're paid to do it.
SWINDON. You insolent— (He swallows his rage.)
BURGOYNE (with much charm of manner). Ah, I am really sorry that you should think that, Mr. Dudgeon. If you knew what my commission cost me, and what my pay is, you would think better of me. I should be glad to part from you on friendly terms.
RICHARD. Hark ye, General Burgoyne. If you think that I like being hanged, you're mistaken. I don't like it; and I don't mean to pretend that I do. And if you think I'm obliged to you for hanging me in a gentlemanly way, you're wrong there too. I take the whole business in devilish bad part; and the only satisfaction I have in it is that you'll feel a good deal meaner than I'll look when it's over.

Interesting also (and innovative then) are the extensive comments that replace the stage directions at the beginning of each act and also the final notes in which the author explain his fascination with the historical figure of General Burgoyne.

Overall, maybe not a masterpiece, nonetheless a good example of Shaw’s effort to improve both playwriting and humanity ☺.

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

”What Will history say?”
“History, sir, will tell lies as usual.”

”Thank God I was in time!”
“Ample time, sir. Plenty of time. I should never dream of hanging any gentleman by an American clock.”

”I have behaved like a fool.”
“Like a hero!”
“Much the same thing, perhaps.”

This snappy little melodrama was George Bernard Shaw’s first financial success as a playwright. It’s not a particularly deep play, but it has its moments. Set in a small, New England town during the American Revolution, it tells the tale of the disreputable town rake, Dick Dudgeon (despised by all as “the devil’s disciple”) and how he sacrificed himself to save the town’s pious minister when the British came to arrest him.

Most of the characters here are ciphers and stereotypes, with little effect on the play. Yet there are some stand outs. Dick Dudgeon’s mother is a memorably fierce old harpy, and though this may be a stereotype, the role is so forcefully written as to stand out. But the roles that get the snappiest dialogue, the best lines, and are the reason to still consider this old play are those of General John “Gentlemanly Johnny” Burgoyne, the British general, and Dick Dudgeon, the rake he is about to hang. Their interactions with each other and the fools and foils around them are what makes this play sizzle.
3.5 star rounded up.

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of my friends describe this play as a parody of melodrama. It certainly has its humorous aspects as it contrasts apparent religious piety against the reality of their actual behavior. The setting is colonial American during the Revolutionary War in a small New England town during British General Burgoyne’s maneuvers leading up to the Battle of Saratoga.

In the first act we meet Mrs. Dudgeon, a pillar of piety and respectability, who “being exceedingly disagreeable is held to be exceedingly good.” Her adult son Richard is so completely the opposite that he is widely referred to as the “devil’s disciple,” a label is acknowledges as true.

As the play progresses we observe the behavior of Richard (a.k.a. the Devil’s Disciple) to be quite Christ like as he saves the life of the local church’s parson by allowing himself to be misidentified as the parson by the British. The British intend to hang the parson as an example to the town’s citizenry. The real parson flees for his life when he learns what's happening to Richard in his place—like a despicable coward.

In other words the supposedly good people are acting badly, and the supposedly bad person is acting saintly. There may be an intended morality message here.

This is a melodrama, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Richard is spared from being hanged at the very last minute. The story concludes with the parson and Richard trading roles. The Parson has decided to abandon his position as parson and become an officer in the revolutionary army. He designates Richard, the former Devil’s Disciple, to be the new parson.

Finally, things are as they really should be.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

أول قراءاتي للكاتب العظيم جورج برنارد شو
تقع أحداثها في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية أيام معارك الانفصال عن التاج البريطاني

من الكلمات القوية والمؤثرة بها : لحظة الاختبار تكشف حقيقة الانسان وما خُلق لأجله

رواية مبدعة و لغتها جميلة

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this LA Theater Works production featuring Richard Dreyfuss and Bruce Davison and by now I have experienced several of these Shaw plays from this company. This was Shaw’s first commercial success, 1897, deliberately designed to be a melodrama with a serious intention. It's not my favorite, but I like the moves it makes; Shaw was trying out a form and he makes it work, and cleverly. Maybe it was a 3.5 rating for me.

The “Devil’s Disciple,” Richard Dudgeon, is much disparaged, a cad and a bounder, but Shaw creates a reversal when, during the American revolutionary war, he takes the place on the gallows of a minister, Reverend Anthony Anderson, who had tried to reform him. The pastor’s wife, Judith, gets involved in complicated ways, coming to admire the knave turned hero..

[Laith 𒇲𒀉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

فيها الكثير والكثير جدا من الاشارات
ولكن اهمها بالنسبة لي هي الاخلاق او البذرة الطيبه التي توجد عند الجميع
احتاج تابع الشيطان موقف ليظهرها

[Lina AL Ojaili · Rating 1 out of 5]

تابع الأنسان مناسب أكثر

[Ramy · Rating 3 out of 5]

نقصت نجمة للحشو الزائد ف الفصل الاول يكاد يكون بلا علاقة بموضوع المسرحية
و نجمة لان الفكرة مكررة ..ان يضع شخص رقبته على المحك فداء لشخص اخر قد يموت ان لم يجىء و يسلم نفسه ليكون الاخر اكرم و اشجع و يظهر فى لوقت المناسب ليفتدى من ضحى بنفسه مكانه اولا....
القصص مكررة و اقدم فى تاريخنا الاسلامى العربى

طوال المسرحية و انا اتذكرة قول فولتير اننى قد اخالفك الراى و لكنى قد اموت فى سبيل تعبيرك عن رأيك بحرية

المسرحية عن شاب سمى نفسه تلميذ الشيطان لانه محب لشهواته شجاع فهلوى
عندا و غيظا فى افراد مجتمعه المتدينين بزيادة
و لكن فى لحظة اختيار حر - كما يسميها د مصطفى محمود - يظهر معدنه الاصيل
فيفتدى القس على حبل المشنقة
لتتوالى الاحداث و تنتهى المسرحية نهاية سعيدة

المسرحية على الرغم من صغرها الا انها مليئة ب الاقوال المأثورة



الكتاب التالى : المال اتقان اللعبة : 7 خطوات بسيطة لتحق…

[عبدالرحمن حافظ · Rating 4 out of 5]

جورج برنارد شو عدو الهيمنة الإنجليزية في مسرحيته يجعل من الثوار الأمريكيين أبطالًا وفدائيين
ماذا لو رأي اليوم الهيمنة الأمريكية وكتب عن القهر والظلم والفساد والإفساد
أحب الأيرلنديين وخاصة المتمرد منهم كبرنارد شو
من أجمل العبارات في المسرحية
"من يخشى الله لا يخشى أن يطلق على عمل الشيطان اسمه الحقيقي"

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first play that I have read, the Devils Disciple is an encouraging start. Fast paced, clever, and witty this three act play follows the lives of several New Englanders during the revolutionary war. The dour Mrs. Dudgeon, held in high esteem for her desultory piety by the local community, opens the play overseeing (in a condescending abrasive way) her illegitimate grandaughter while awaiting the return of her husband who has traveled to attend the hanging (by the british forces) of his brother. Quickly we learn of her two sons, one uncreative and of little intelligence and a second, disowned by Mrs. Dudgeon for lack of the appropriate religious temperment. Mrs. Dudgeons husband dies while attending the hanging and in an unexpected twist rewrites his will, esentially disowning his wife while leaving the great majority of his estate to the disowned son.
While the local pastor attends the reading of the will British forces advance on this small New Hampshire town. The pastor invites the disowned son to his house to try and warn him of the potential threat that the British soldiers are to his life, given his unsavory reputation. The disowned son, clearly more in touch with the realities of the political situation realizes that the pastor is in fact in grater danger as the British forces would better like to hang the most upstanding member of the town to prove their resolution in breaking the revolution. While the pastor is called away on urgent business the disreputable son awaits his return at the pastors house and is arrested for mistaken identity by the british forces.
In a surprise act of outof-charcater benevolence this disreputable son does not try to correct the British of their mistake and actually seems implausibly resigned to being hanged. Unable to brook this mistaken identity the pastor sheds his clerical robes and forments an even stronger uprising in a nearby town. The end is as delightful as the rest of the work. A wonderfully wrought tale that would doubtless be a treat to see enacted in full. I am now very much looking forard to reading other plays

[I.Baschar · Rating 4 out of 5]

سعيد جدا ببدايتي مع الكاتب جورج برنارد شو، كاتب ذكي مبدع، وانا ارى نفسي غير مؤهل لتقييم قلم السيد برنارد شو، تابع الشيطان رائعة بكل المقاييس حيث الحكمة والفكاهة والأدب والذوق العالي في التعامل و الضمير الاجتماعي بين شخصيات الروايه. شعرت وانه يتحدث معي مباشرة. يناقش شو الحرب الثورية الأمريكية بطريقته الساخرة المعتادة. كانت قراءة سريعة وبسيطة ممتعه ولأن الخاتمة كانت ��توقعة لي فأسحب النجمة الخامسة، أجمل ما قيل كان في خاتمة للمسرحية يقول الكاتب" لحظة الاختبار تكشف حقيقة الانسان وما خُلق لأجله، فتابع الشيطان يتحول لمؤمن والقس المسالم يتحول لمقاتل، لكن العسكر يظل غبي كما هو"

[David Sarkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inversion of Good & Evil
5 July 2014

Like a number of Shaw's plays, he begins this one with an introduction on the topic of the play, which seems to be about the nature of good and evil and how in reality it is quite difficult to distinguish between what is good and what it evil, especially in the political sphere. The play is set during the American Revolution and is about how 'the Devil's Disciple', Richard Dudgeon, a self-avowed devil worshipper, takes the role of the village vicar in order to save the other's life. At the end we discover that the roles have been reversed, in that the rebel becomes the vicar and the vicar becomes the rebel.

Shaw opens his introduction with the statement that while the gates of heaven may be accessible from the mouth of hell, so the mouth of hell is accessible from the gates of heaven. The meaning of that, initially (that the gates of heaven are accessible from the mouth of hell) is that despite one being what some consider to be 'damned' nobody is truly damned while they still have breath in their body. What that may be true (it is, as far as I am concerned) Shaw also points out that (as far as he is concerned) salvation is never really assured. Okay, I feel that the Bible does contradict that in a way, but from what I understand what he means is that there are a group of people who are so confident of their salvation that they may not realise that their actions on Earth are actually having the opposite effect on them (and Jesus pointed to the Jewish ruling class of his day as example of this – though once again he also implied that their fate had not yet been set in stone).

Another interesting thing that Shaw brings out (other than the stupidity of writing an introduction to his play telling people what his play is about because painters don't do the same thing with their paintings) is that how interpretations of a play may change over time (which is while he suggests that the introduction is silly because while he may have one interpretation of the play, others will not necessarily have the same opinion). What Shaw understands is that thoughts perceptions, and culture changes, and as such what may be popular in Shakespeare's time, and what may be accepted in his time, may not be the same as it is in Shaw's time, as is the case in our time. Thoughts and ideas change, as does the idea of what is good and what is evil. There was a time when homosexuality was a crime punishable by gaol time, however that is not the case now (and has not been been for over thirty-five years). On the other hand, there was a time when smoking cigarettes was perfectly acceptable, whereas now, if you smoke in the wrong place you can be thrown out, or even prosecuted.

Shaw also raises the point of the nebulous nature of good and evil by setting the play during the American Revolution (or whatever name you may give it, though I suspect using the word rebellion is probably not the best term since a rebellion suggests that the armed uprising failed, while the term revolution suggests that it succeeded, so as much as some people may want to, pardon the cliché, call 'a spade a spade', the truth is that the American revolt against Lord North and King George succeeded, meaning that it was in fact a revolution as opposed to a rebellion – though let us not go down the road of defining freedom fighters, I might get myself in trouble). The reason I raise this is not just because it involved Anglo-saxons fighting Anglo-saxons (there are plenty of other wars where that occurred) but because both sides had their own reason for fighting the war, and both sides saw their respective goals as being 'good'. The British saw it as defending the integrity of the empire, as well as putting down a rebellion against the rightful rulers (once again something that is open to definition) while the 'Americans' were fighting to protect their right to self-determination, and against what they considered to be an unfair taxation system. Interestingly enough, if California today were to revolt against the Union (as was the case during the American Civil War) both sides would more likely than not use similar statements with regards to the rightness of their position (though because the South supported slavery, people don't like to suggest that they were right, but in reality, the reason that the South rebelled against the North during the Civil War had more to due with undue influence of the federal government over the states). The same can be said of the current unrest being experienced in the Ukraine, where the Eastern portion does not want closer ties with Europe, but prefers closer ties with Russia, where as the Western majority consider themselves to be European.

So, in the end, what we see here is that we cannot necessarily label somebody as good or as bad based simply upon our own thoughts and opinions. Everybody considers Dudgeon to be bad, the 'Devil's Disciple' as many people, including himself, put it, yet he goes out and takes the place of the town vicar, acting in a very Christlike manner, which is something not to be expected by a 'Devil's Disciple'. Rather, one would expect that he behave in a selfish manner, selling out his friend's and family for his own life, yet this was something that he does not do. As such, the notion of good and evil, or war and peace, is turned upside down.

[ولاء شكري · Rating 2 out of 5]

"إذا راقبت الناس بدقة، فسيدهشك كم يتشابه الحب والكره"

[Salwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

العدالة ليست حصراً على ذوي الرتب العسكرية و الألقاب الكنسية بل قد تتمثل في امرأة تدافع عن الحق المتمثل في -تابع الشيطان- ريتشارد دادجون الذي تُكّن له الكراهية المريرة و لكنها تتخذ موقفاً كهذا لأجل الحق و العدالة ، حتى أنها لربما تركع جاثية تصلي متضرعة بأن يظهر زوجها القس من مخبأه حتى لا يُشنق تابع الشيطان هذا ظناً من المحكمة بأنه القس و لو أن ذلك لم يشكل فرقاً فعندما عرفت بأنه انتحل شخصية القس ليموت بدلاً منه لم يتغيّر الحكم قيد أنملة فالقضية هي القتل الذي أصبح روتينياً في المحاكم العسكرية و ليست من أجل العدالة و سيؤجر الجنرال على هذه الجريمة،أما تابع الشيطان لم يفعل ذلك كوجه من أوجه الفلسفة النفعية و رغم مقته للقس والكنيسة أيضاً؛ إلا أنه فعل ذلك من أجل وطنه المُستعمر فقد لا يشكل تأثيراً على حركات التمرد إعدام تابع للشيطان و لكن إعدام قس ..بلى
و هذا ما أراده ريتشارد دادجون أن يرتدي معطف القس و ينساق إلى عربة الإعدام كفدائي يثير روح المعركة في نفوس الأمريكيين لإجلاء المستعمرات الإنجليزية لكنّ القس الذي ارتدى معطف تابع الشيطان عاد و معاه جواز المرور الذي يُمنح لزعيم _الميلشيا_للتفاوض .. إذاً أصبح القس رجل معركة و على رأس المتمردين في النضال للحرية و أصبح تابع الشيطان القس الذي رفعه الشعب على أكتافهم جراء تضحيته .. فالقس برغم اعتقاده بأنه وُلد كهنوتياً و ناشراً لتعاليم الدين التي تنادي بالسلام إلا أنه في ساعة الاختبار وجد نفسه في وسط هدير القادة العسكريين و طلقات بنادقهم و أما تابع الشيطان فسيخلفه في منبره و سيكون كاهن البلدة ..
واحتفظ كل منهما بمعطف الآخر..
،

و لا أنسى هذه الرائعة المتمثلة في السطر و النصف و لكنّ قيمتها الفلسفية و أثرها النفسي يفوق الحصر،حين عبّرت زوجة القس عن كرهها الشديد لتابع الشيطان فأعطى جواباً لا تتخلله شائبة:
"إنّ حبكِ يا سيدتي يعينه على أن يكون رجلاً صالحاً تماماً مثلما كراهيتكِ تساعدني على أن أكون شخصاً سيئاً".

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I have seen the Burt Lancaster movie version, this is my first time reading this. While I liked the full cast audiobook, it didn't include the substantial descriptions of settings and characters that the written (in my case, Kindle) version has. Most of these would be covered in a performance but are not all clear in an audio-only version so I am glad that I combined reading this in my Kindle omnibus of Shaw's plays with the audio recording.

As for the play itself, I think it is one of Shaw's finest. It has his dry sense of humor coupled with a sense of social conscience but by being in a historical setting, some of Shaw's edge is mellowed yet deepened. I have found some of his work too strident but that is not the case here. In addition, the few pages of notes at the end of the play in my edition about the history of General Burgoyne & relating it to the then current Boer War was fascinating!

[Muhammad · Rating 3 out of 5]

مسرحية لطيفة تتحدث عن جرائم الاحتلال الإنجليزي في أمريكا

ما يميز برنارد شو أن له قلمًا طويلًا وسليطًا ولا يهاب أحدًا، مع العلم أنه قلم خفيف الظل جدًّا وظريف... وقسوته تتسلل من ذلك الظرف وخفة الظل

[Elena Druță · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simply boring.

[Manea Ionut · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cel ce poate, face. Cel ce nu poate, îl învaţă pe altul."

[بتول جنيد · Rating 3 out of 5]

مولعة في الفترة الأخيرة بقراءة كل ما هو كلاسيكي، كانت ستعجبني أكثر لولا النهاية المتوقعة التي تنتصر فيها بذرة الخير..
أريد أن أرى بشراً أشرار كذلك.

[Sara Hosseini · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing play. There was social criticism with a satirical tone in it as well. what I liked about this play was the game he played with characterization; they were not completely round characters yet they made me wonder at what they did at times. A classic master of entertainment, Shaw is!

[Javid Jafarov · Rating 3 out of 5]

«В конце концов, моя дорогая, если присмотреться к людям, ты сама удивишься, до чего ненависть похожа на любовь.» Интересная мысль.

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Benard Shaw has written so many plays in his lifetime. In almost all his play, there is a social theme he is trying to address. It is this fact that motivates me to read his books. For the brief experience I have had with Shaw, I have noticed that his novels tend to speak to me directly. He challenges me to transform not only the way I think, but also the way the society views certain issues. His books are especially important to those in leadership positions. He has addressed the issues of social inequalities, women empowerment, religion, and class struggles.

In his present novel, he starts with telling us about the hanging of one Peter Dudgeon who leaves behind a whole family. Later on his nephew, Richard Dudgeon is committed to face the same fate. He is accusses of not paying what at that time was 'stamp' and 'tea' duty. In reality these charges were meant for Mr. Anderson who was a practicing Minister and who fled town after realising what was going on. The major concern is not only the hanginh of an inocent man, but the execution of an individual without a fair hearing.

One would also question the 'Minister' s' morals who flees after knowing that he is to be arrested and in his stead leaves an innocent man suffer for his sins. Among the town, Mr. Anderson is cosidered a pious man while Richard who is about to fall into the hangman's noose is louded to be the 'devil's disciple'. The latter refuses to allow any testimony to the contrary and stubbornly agrees to be executed in place of the good man. What Gearge Bernard Shaw is telling us is that religion and those who practice it are not as pious as they claim. It reminds me of the story of the good samaritan and the tax collector who are picked out by Jesus as being better people than the religious leaders of the time.

[Dania Abutaha]

لقد نشات في الاتجاه الفاسد...عرفت من اول الامر ان الشيطان هو مولاي و قائدي و صديقي...رايت انه على صواب و ان الناس انحنوا الى من غلبه بسبب الخوف فقط...لقد صليت سرا له فواساني و نجا روحي من ان تتمزق ...وهبت له نفسي و اقسمت يمينا انني ساحارب من اجله في هذه الدنيا و ساقف الى جانبه في الاخره...ذلك الوعد و ذلك اليمين قد جعلا مني  رجلا  ....منذ اليوم سيكون هذا المنزل داره...كم منكم سيبقى معي و يرفع العلم الامريكي على بيت الشيطان و يحارب من اجل الحريه....فليحيا الشيطان!

نبذ الخوف و التمسك بالحريه و الثوره حتى النهايه حتى لو سميت الحريه  و الثوره شيطان...فقد اثر ذلك على حياه قسيس غير فاعل يعيش في دعه...و لا يتبنى موقف وطني ثوري حر...لكن القس كذلك عندما اختبرت صلابته اثبت معدنه الاصيل و لم يكن ليتخف عن دوره المنوط به و الذي يامل منه ..اثبت تمسكه بنفس الثوابت حريه ثوره وطنيه...فهل انتقل لمعسكر الشيطان!!! ام ادى دوره الحقيقي باسم الرب!

روايه جدليه متطرفه ...اي الوجهين يطغى! اي المعسكرين احق ان يتبع ! اكلاهما ينفذان للحقيقه الواحده !

[Hussain Elius · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my second Shaw play after Man and Superman, and honestly, I expected more. Maybe because Don Juan in Hell: From Man and Superman had so much philosophy crammed in it, that I expected the same from a play titled The Devil's Disciple.

Anyway, on to the play, Shaw discusses the US Revolutionary War in his own satirical way. I did see his criticisms to those who maintain the status quo and his pulling the nose of the religious community, but all-in-all, it was a fast and simple read.

[Abeer Nwaider · Rating 3 out of 5]

عندما قرأت العنوان توقعت صراعا بين الخير والشر او شيطان متلبس بهيئة انسان ولكن الأحداث كانت مفاجئة والنهاية والعبرة غاية الجمال
خلال فترة الثورة الأميركية للانفصال عن الامبراطورية العظمى في نيو انغلاند ذاع صيت ريتشارد دادجن وهو البطل الرئيسي وتابع الشيطان الذي يضحي ينفسه وينتحل شخصية القسيس الخمسيني انتوني اندرسون ليعتقل مكانه ويحكم بالإعدام ولكن زوجة القسيس الشابة ترفض هروب زوجها وتنقلب للدفاع عن تابع الشيطان ذاك
في هذه المسرحية الشيء الكثير من الآداب والأخلاقيات التي نكاد نفتقدها في زمننا الحاضر وربما بدأ يفقدها برنارد شو في مجتمعه عندما كتب هذه المسرحية لأنه يقول "انني اكتب كي اخلق شعبا جديدا بآرائي وأفكاري التي ابثها قصصي وكتاباتي"