Gideon

by Paddy Chayefsky

A play, based on the story of Gideon, an Old Testament judge.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky , was an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for Best Screenplay.

He was considered one of the most renowned dramatists of the so-called Golden Age of Television. His intimate, realistic scripts provided a naturalistic style of television drama for the 1950s, and he was regarded as the central figure in the "kitchen sink realism" movement of American television.

Following his critically acclaimed teleplays, Chayefsky continued to succeed as a playwright and novelist. As a screenwriter, he received three Academy Awards for Marty (1955), The Hospital (1971) and Network (1976). Marty was based on his own television drama about a relationship between two lonely people finding love. Network was his scathing satire of the television industry and The Hospital was considered satiric.

Chayefsky's early stories were notable for their dialogue, their depiction of second-generation Americans and their sentiment and humor. They were frequently influenced by the author's childhood in the Bronx. The protagonists were generally middle-class tradesmen struggling with personal problems: loneliness, pressures to conform or their own emotions.

Chayefsky died in New York City of cancer in August 1981 at the age of 58.

Reviews

[George Sr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting interpretation of the story of Gideon--both tragic and comic. I saw a television production of this play years ago and it really made me think about man's interaction with God. I think it was Peter Ustinov who played Gideon. Reading the script brought Ustinov's portrayal of Gideon back to life for me. Chayevsky's Gideon (the character) is a lot like Bill Cosby's Noah, but where Cosby's Noah is a capable doubter, Chayevsky's Gideon is not only a doubter, he's a total failure who can do nothing without God.

[Robert Federline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful retelling of the Old Testament tale of a man who loved God, but also found it difficult to love Him. This is a dramatization of the familiar tale of Gideon, who famously told God how lowly he was, and how he could never help his own people because he was himself so unworthy. Nevertheless, God raised him up as a savior in the Hebrew's time of need.

This is a fascinating play by a fascinating playwright giving us a more personal perspective on the difficulty of being personally called by God, and the difficulty of living out your mission, especially once it is successful, and you have to deal with the adulation of the formerly hostile crowd.

It will inspire you to pick up your Bible and to re-read the original, as authored by God.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gideon makes me appreciate Shakespeare’s history plays and their rich language. Gideon is essentially a reenactment of a story from the Bible and reads like the upcoming amateur production for the church down the street, complete with a few jokes guaranteed to make the audience chuckle (no offense intended against church productions). Taking stories from the Bible or even Greek mythology work better when the author twists something about the tale, to help underline the universal message. It’s not often I say this, but Gideon is too loyal to the source material – and not in a way that helps spread the word. Not recommended.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this play better than I thought I would. Gideon seems very human throughout the play--he doubts, and he falls prey to hubris and ambition. Ultimately, he chooses himself over God, a sort of atheism. All very human. He'd be a fun character to play onstage, if you could get an audience to come out to a Biblical play, these days.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play is an interesting interpretation of the eternal question of mankind. Is there one god or many? Does "god" act in the world? Do gods communicate directly with man? As a person who cannot believe in an omnipotent god who acts in the world to decide who lives or dies - who wins the football game - who wins the lottery, because then he decided to have the holocaust happen - to fly planes into the world trade center - to let genocide happen in Myanmar, Cambodia, Armenia..... It is said much better by Epicurus and David Hume: If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful. If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good. So my outlook as to the question of whether man gets the credit / blame for his actions, is that man is always responsible for human behavior. I still found the dialogue and reasoning within the play amusing. Kristi & Abby Tabby