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Plays Pleasant
One of Bernard Shaw’s most glittering comedies, Arms and the Man is a burlesque of Victorian attitudes to heroism, war and empire. In the contrast between Bluntschli, the mercenary soldier, and the brave leader, Sergius, the true nature of valour is revealed. Shaw mocks deluded idealism in Candida, when a young poet becomes infatuated with the wife of a Socialist preacher. The Man of Destiny is a witty war of words between Napoleon and a ‘strange lady’, while in the exuberant farce You Never Can Tell a divided family is reunited by chance. Although Shaw intended Plays Pleasant to be gentler comedies than those in their companion volume, Plays Unpleasant, their prophetic satire is sharp and provocative.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1898
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About the author
George Bernard Shaw
1,992 books4,125 followersGeorge 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 30, 2020
This collection of four plays by George Bernard Shaw makes fun of society and people, in all seriousness. The author’s descriptions are meticulous - you can just *picture* the scenes unwinding.
The way in which the plays are constructed is relatively obvious (if masterful) and, in my opinion, they pale in comparison to Pygmalion, one of his later works.
The way in which the plays are constructed is relatively obvious (if masterful) and, in my opinion, they pale in comparison to Pygmalion, one of his later works.
February 7, 2008
Oh Shaw, you cantankerous irishman. You be my favoritist playwright ever. People may get all moist about Ibsen, but you'll always be my favorite proto-feminist because you refuse to bash me over the head with your naughty liberal ideas like they were a leg'o'mutton. Maybe it's true that you couldn't have written the way you did without Ibsen forging the path of controversy, but he didn't have to be so ham-handed about it. Give me a snarky Irishman any day.
January 15, 2009
This is really essential reading if you are a fan of Shaw's. "Arms and the Man" is a hysterical sally against those who would romanticize something as ugly and dehumanizing as war. But seriously it's funny! Then "Candida" is as compact and economical a play as Shaw ever wrote and it contains some of his most delightful characters and situations. It's sort of a "Doll's House" in reverse! "The Man of Destiny" is on the shorter side thank goodness. It's good but suffers from being in such exalted company. Finally, "You Never Can Tell" is a giddy mix of Shakespeare and Wilde reflected in the fun house mirror that was Shaw's mind. Essential!
February 28, 2024
Come tutti sapete, faccio fatica a recensire i classici, perciò posso solo scrivere un breve commento di questa incredibile raccolta di commedie. Raccolta che ho trovato anche migliore delle Plays Unpleasant.
Shaw è uno dei più grandi commediografi che siano mai esistiti, al livello di Ibsen o Strindberg. E leggere le sue opere è sempre un piacere indescrivibile, tanto che spesso mi sono trovata a ridere da sola come una scema, e per fortuna che ero in casa da sola.
Il libro raccoglie quattro commedie: Arms and the Man, che credo sia la migliore in assoluto, è una presa in giro del romanticismo che circonda il valore militare; Candida, che avevo già letto, è la storia di una donna forte amata non solo dal marito ma anche da un giovane poeta amico di famiglia; The Man of Destiny ha per protagonista Napoleone Bonaparte e una donna che si fa passare da uomo, una presunta strega; You Never Can Tell è una bella commedia in cui una famiglia separata viene a trovarsi riunita per un caso del tutto fortuito.
Un libro imprescindibile per chi ama il teatro, per chi ama la letteratura inglese/irlandese, per chi vuole saperne di più su Shaw. Leggetelo!
Shaw è uno dei più grandi commediografi che siano mai esistiti, al livello di Ibsen o Strindberg. E leggere le sue opere è sempre un piacere indescrivibile, tanto che spesso mi sono trovata a ridere da sola come una scema, e per fortuna che ero in casa da sola.
Il libro raccoglie quattro commedie: Arms and the Man, che credo sia la migliore in assoluto, è una presa in giro del romanticismo che circonda il valore militare; Candida, che avevo già letto, è la storia di una donna forte amata non solo dal marito ma anche da un giovane poeta amico di famiglia; The Man of Destiny ha per protagonista Napoleone Bonaparte e una donna che si fa passare da uomo, una presunta strega; You Never Can Tell è una bella commedia in cui una famiglia separata viene a trovarsi riunita per un caso del tutto fortuito.
Un libro imprescindibile per chi ama il teatro, per chi ama la letteratura inglese/irlandese, per chi vuole saperne di più su Shaw. Leggetelo!
June 26, 2025
Plays Pleasant by George Bernard Shaw is like sipping sparkling wine with a slap of lemon—bubbly, witty, and sneakily sharp. The collection includes four of Shaw’s lighter plays: Arms and the Man, Candida, The Man of Destiny, and You Never Can Tell. Don’t be fooled by the title—“pleasant” doesn’t mean polite. Shaw’s idea of “pleasant” is to gently peel off society’s hypocrisies while making you laugh with razor-edged charm.
Each play dissects romantic idealism and societal pretensions with that classic Shavian wink. In Arms and the Man, chocolate creams replace bullets, and heroes are gloriously debunked. Candida rethinks Victorian notions of womanhood and marriage with cool elegance. The Man of Destiny puts Napoleon on a moral see-saw, and You Never Can Tell gives us a seaside frolic that hides a slap at class and parental ego. Shaw laughs at us—but somehow, we feel seen.
I read Plays Pleasant in 2001, during the final stretch of graduation—when I was teetering between dreams and deadlines, caught in that stormy pre-real-world phase. I remember reading Arms and the Man on a humid afternoon, underlining every barbed sentence like it was gospel. It wasn’t just funny—it was liberating. Shaw made me believe that ideas could duel with dialogue, and laughter could be rebellion. That book never left me. Neither did Shaw.
Each play dissects romantic idealism and societal pretensions with that classic Shavian wink. In Arms and the Man, chocolate creams replace bullets, and heroes are gloriously debunked. Candida rethinks Victorian notions of womanhood and marriage with cool elegance. The Man of Destiny puts Napoleon on a moral see-saw, and You Never Can Tell gives us a seaside frolic that hides a slap at class and parental ego. Shaw laughs at us—but somehow, we feel seen.
I read Plays Pleasant in 2001, during the final stretch of graduation—when I was teetering between dreams and deadlines, caught in that stormy pre-real-world phase. I remember reading Arms and the Man on a humid afternoon, underlining every barbed sentence like it was gospel. It wasn’t just funny—it was liberating. Shaw made me believe that ideas could duel with dialogue, and laughter could be rebellion. That book never left me. Neither did Shaw.
April 7, 2009
I don't find George Bernard Shaw as entertaining as I'm supposed to. I have no doubt that his work was very forward-thinking and funny at the time, and I know that he is an important playwright. I'm also sure that in the hands of the right director any of these plays would be fantastic. However, I felt like all of the stories in this collection contained the same gimmicks. You could tell where the play was going in the first couple scenes. I guess my favorite of them all was Candida. It had the most unexpected plotline, and I felt like it wasn't trying to be anything.
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August 3, 2010In English language,Inglise keeles,plays,theatre,drama,British theatre,social drama theatre
December 20, 2019
Half of those stars are for Arms and the Man. I swear, I haven't laughed over a play like I have a cackled over it.
July 17, 2020
How seriously should we take Bernard Shaw? It depends on how seriously we want to take him. You can read these plays as simple romantic comedies. Clever exchanges between the men and the women, comedic and silly coincidences, happy-sappy endings. My favourite play, "Arms and the Man", left me smiling to myself in my armchair. But then it also made me think.
All these plays have some amount of social commentary. "Arms and the Man" makes a point of mocking the romanticising of war. Our dashing male-lead, the chocolate cream soldier doesn't see it as something heroic or romantic, it's just a way of earning money. He calls out the reckless, risky acts of heroism as what they are: foolish and dangerous. And of course, his criticisms are what make him so charming. At the end of the play, we echo Sergius's remark, "What a man! Is he a man!"
Perhaps "Candida" is a play which we should take less seriously. In this one, Candida makes a choice between the love of a young poet and her husband James. The young poet professes his undying love and vows to meet Candida’s every need. In the end though, she chooses the person who needs her most, which is her husband. He has been cradled and loved since birth, spoiled by the affections of everyone around him. In a very entertaining description of James, Candida says, “Ask James's mother and his three sisters what it cost to save James the trouble of doing anything but be strong and clever and happy.” Make of that what you will. I personally can relate to being drawn to someone’s carefree and happy personality so much that I also want to contribute.
"You Can Never Tell" is a funky one, which doesn't really have a clear message to me. There's some interesting flirting going on between Valentine and Gloria. Gloria is trying to be very non-sentimental but Valentine somehow wins her over in the end. He compares it to a duel, where both sides are constantly evolving their defenses and weapons. He thinks that he's won, since he managed to bring down the modern woman's defenses. Once he gets the girl though, we question whether he won the duel at all. It seems that Gloria has won in the end, because now he's the scared one trying to back out and she's resolved. To his fear, the waiter gives some interesting marriage advice:
So back to the question on how seriously should we take Bernard Shaw. There are some themes that I’d rather not take too seriously, like Candida wanting to be the “sum of all loving care” to her husband, or how the strong feminist role is somewhat dismissed in “You Never Can Tell”. And there are some delightful bits, like the chocolate cream soldier’s views on war and heroism. Overall, it’s a nice little collection of plays, and good news: “Arms and the Man” might be even better than “Pygmalion”.
All these plays have some amount of social commentary. "Arms and the Man" makes a point of mocking the romanticising of war. Our dashing male-lead, the chocolate cream soldier doesn't see it as something heroic or romantic, it's just a way of earning money. He calls out the reckless, risky acts of heroism as what they are: foolish and dangerous. And of course, his criticisms are what make him so charming. At the end of the play, we echo Sergius's remark, "What a man! Is he a man!"
Perhaps "Candida" is a play which we should take less seriously. In this one, Candida makes a choice between the love of a young poet and her husband James. The young poet professes his undying love and vows to meet Candida’s every need. In the end though, she chooses the person who needs her most, which is her husband. He has been cradled and loved since birth, spoiled by the affections of everyone around him. In a very entertaining description of James, Candida says, “Ask James's mother and his three sisters what it cost to save James the trouble of doing anything but be strong and clever and happy.” Make of that what you will. I personally can relate to being drawn to someone’s carefree and happy personality so much that I also want to contribute.
"You Can Never Tell" is a funky one, which doesn't really have a clear message to me. There's some interesting flirting going on between Valentine and Gloria. Gloria is trying to be very non-sentimental but Valentine somehow wins her over in the end. He compares it to a duel, where both sides are constantly evolving their defenses and weapons. He thinks that he's won, since he managed to bring down the modern woman's defenses. Once he gets the girl though, we question whether he won the duel at all. It seems that Gloria has won in the end, because now he's the scared one trying to back out and she's resolved. To his fear, the waiter gives some interesting marriage advice:
Every man is frightened of marriage when it comes to the point; but it often turns out very comfortable, very enjoyable and happy indeed, sir -from time to time. I never was master in my own house, sir: my wife was like your young lady: she was of a commanding and masterful disposition, which my son has inherited. But if I had my life to live twice over, I'd do it again: I'd do it again, I assure you. You never can tell, sir: you never can tell.
So back to the question on how seriously should we take Bernard Shaw. There are some themes that I’d rather not take too seriously, like Candida wanting to be the “sum of all loving care” to her husband, or how the strong feminist role is somewhat dismissed in “You Never Can Tell”. And there are some delightful bits, like the chocolate cream soldier’s views on war and heroism. Overall, it’s a nice little collection of plays, and good news: “Arms and the Man” might be even better than “Pygmalion”.
July 12, 2025
Plays Pleasant (1898) by Bernard Shaw
Penguin Project 10: #560
Arms and the Man (1894)
A great start to the next batch of Bernard Shaw plays here. Once again succeeding to tell an entertaining yet politically engaging story. Bluntschli and Raina have lovely chemistry, the mother and father dynamic and their individual ways of responding to Bluntschli are great, and the little side story going on with the servants ties everything together really nicely as well.
Candida (1895)
Maybe the first Shaw play that I really didn't find all that interesting unfortunately, and led to me putting down this colection for quite some time. Although all of his usual pieces are there, I feel as though the relationship between Candida and the Reverend wasn't engaging to begin with, and then the inclusion of the love triangle that formulates with Morell somewhat heightens it, but I never found myself feeling anything for the characters themselves.
The Man of Destiny (1897)
I can't say I remember much of this, but I remember it being a fairly easy read despite the historical context that I'm not really aware of. One to definitely see as a performance in order to jog my memory of it. Realising that I haven't actually seen any of Shaw's plays performed yet despite now having read seven of them, so that's something I should be getting on soon.
You Never Can Tell (1899)
Another little romp with a great set of characters. Although for some reason this one is eluding me a bit now writing this a couple of months later.
Penguin Project 10: #560
Arms and the Man (1894)
A great start to the next batch of Bernard Shaw plays here. Once again succeeding to tell an entertaining yet politically engaging story. Bluntschli and Raina have lovely chemistry, the mother and father dynamic and their individual ways of responding to Bluntschli are great, and the little side story going on with the servants ties everything together really nicely as well.
Candida (1895)
Maybe the first Shaw play that I really didn't find all that interesting unfortunately, and led to me putting down this colection for quite some time. Although all of his usual pieces are there, I feel as though the relationship between Candida and the Reverend wasn't engaging to begin with, and then the inclusion of the love triangle that formulates with Morell somewhat heightens it, but I never found myself feeling anything for the characters themselves.
The Man of Destiny (1897)
I can't say I remember much of this, but I remember it being a fairly easy read despite the historical context that I'm not really aware of. One to definitely see as a performance in order to jog my memory of it. Realising that I haven't actually seen any of Shaw's plays performed yet despite now having read seven of them, so that's something I should be getting on soon.
You Never Can Tell (1899)
Another little romp with a great set of characters. Although for some reason this one is eluding me a bit now writing this a couple of months later.
September 13, 2022
There’s a lightness about these plays; they don’t pretend to speak of great things, but do nonetheless with a sense of playfulness and fresh wit. I’ve come to enjoy the scene-to-scene, dialogue-to-dialogue nature of plays, its wit and quickness, and I’ve a lot to thank Shaw for it.
Full review:
https://hifzehayat.blogspot.com/2022/...
Full review:
https://hifzehayat.blogspot.com/2022/...
August 28, 2024
Candida was my favourite play in this compilation of plays by George Bernard Shaw. Still, anything written by George Bernard Shaw is worth reading. Another book I read in my first year of acting school.
February 26, 2018
Oh man I’m obsessed
November 8, 2022
all of them amazing
February 28, 2023
Candida ***
You Never Can Tell ***
The Man of Destiny ****
Arms and the Man ****
You Never Can Tell ***
The Man of Destiny ****
Arms and the Man ****
Read
January 27, 2024Interesting. Nice.
February 5, 2016
Plays Pleasant:-
Arms and the Man -
What seems obvious might after all not be so, and those that are seemingly snobbish and haughty might be not as affluent after all as those that seem casual or even comic. those that speak of love and are rewarded for their bravery might have never experienced either.
And then there is Switzerland, the beautiful land with snow and meadows and chocolate and cheese, and contradictions - a country that never fought a war in recent history but has always hired out mercenaries to every nation.
September 10, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Candida:-
Revolutionary, as much else by Mr. Shaw, this work, about a luminous woman with her own mind and strength and wisdom - perhaps much like your wife or mother, at that - and entirely worthy of more than reading. About love and truth about love, and about marriage. About strength, and about one's responsibility.
Once it was understood without hypocrisy that a man looked for a wife who could make a home for him, and a woman had to make the best possible choice at every moment, either gambling on getting a better offer, or taking the best she had, in marrying a man who could provide for the home she would make. Few were lucky to find love as well, at the same time - most did the best they could, and things have not changed in this respect, only there is more hypocrisy in name of love.
Love is not so easy to either find or choose or live with.
Love might very well be a man too young to provide a family for the woman whom he fell in love with - she might be married, with a family, if she is lucky, not still waiting and dispirited. Will she then choose him? Or will conservative values win and she advise the younger man, the lover, to go find someone appropriate?
If she does, it might just be that she has wisdom and courage to name the real reasons for her decision, and explain them. A woman - a wife and mother, in potential and instinct even when not de facto - chooses the weaker one, to care for and to protect with all she has to give, which is love and care and understanding and more.
A scrawny young poet, and a respected much loved minister, who does the woman choose? Or does she have to choose between them?
Monday, September 22, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Man of Destiny:-
Napoleon.
Friday, July 9, 2010.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
You Never Can Tell:-
Often when one lets it go, rather than pursue the question, the answer quietly steals into awareness, and so it happened with this play. It took some time to try to remember what this title was related to - I was sure I had read and liked it, but no clue of any sort of a connection to a story from the title in memory. Until suddenly I remembered a play, and I think this is the one.
If I am right this is about the unexpected reconciliation of a family of an emancipated woman who took away her children when the husband - their father - whipping the eldest one, a little girl, was an immediate prospect.
The reconciliation happens when the eldest is a grown up young woman on verge of womanhood who is unsure of herself, and the other daughter a cheeky self confident youngster who has no qualms about putting any adult off balance with her astute observations, which the brother achieves in other ways.
Much hilarity, heartwarming and sometimes a little heartbreaking ensues while the unexpected encounter, subsequent meetings and very carefully arranged reconciliation happens.
For a special Shaw touch, there is the waiter, everyone's beloved confidante, who has a son at the bar.
Come to think of it the name is entirely apt - how could this play have any other name?!! Unless it was something as prosaic and yet uncommon as Sophronia's Family.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Friday, July 9, 2010.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Arms and the Man -
What seems obvious might after all not be so, and those that are seemingly snobbish and haughty might be not as affluent after all as those that seem casual or even comic. those that speak of love and are rewarded for their bravery might have never experienced either.
And then there is Switzerland, the beautiful land with snow and meadows and chocolate and cheese, and contradictions - a country that never fought a war in recent history but has always hired out mercenaries to every nation.
September 10, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Candida:-
Revolutionary, as much else by Mr. Shaw, this work, about a luminous woman with her own mind and strength and wisdom - perhaps much like your wife or mother, at that - and entirely worthy of more than reading. About love and truth about love, and about marriage. About strength, and about one's responsibility.
Once it was understood without hypocrisy that a man looked for a wife who could make a home for him, and a woman had to make the best possible choice at every moment, either gambling on getting a better offer, or taking the best she had, in marrying a man who could provide for the home she would make. Few were lucky to find love as well, at the same time - most did the best they could, and things have not changed in this respect, only there is more hypocrisy in name of love.
Love is not so easy to either find or choose or live with.
Love might very well be a man too young to provide a family for the woman whom he fell in love with - she might be married, with a family, if she is lucky, not still waiting and dispirited. Will she then choose him? Or will conservative values win and she advise the younger man, the lover, to go find someone appropriate?
If she does, it might just be that she has wisdom and courage to name the real reasons for her decision, and explain them. A woman - a wife and mother, in potential and instinct even when not de facto - chooses the weaker one, to care for and to protect with all she has to give, which is love and care and understanding and more.
A scrawny young poet, and a respected much loved minister, who does the woman choose? Or does she have to choose between them?
Monday, September 22, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Man of Destiny:-
Napoleon.
Friday, July 9, 2010.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
You Never Can Tell:-
Often when one lets it go, rather than pursue the question, the answer quietly steals into awareness, and so it happened with this play. It took some time to try to remember what this title was related to - I was sure I had read and liked it, but no clue of any sort of a connection to a story from the title in memory. Until suddenly I remembered a play, and I think this is the one.
If I am right this is about the unexpected reconciliation of a family of an emancipated woman who took away her children when the husband - their father - whipping the eldest one, a little girl, was an immediate prospect.
The reconciliation happens when the eldest is a grown up young woman on verge of womanhood who is unsure of herself, and the other daughter a cheeky self confident youngster who has no qualms about putting any adult off balance with her astute observations, which the brother achieves in other ways.
Much hilarity, heartwarming and sometimes a little heartbreaking ensues while the unexpected encounter, subsequent meetings and very carefully arranged reconciliation happens.
For a special Shaw touch, there is the waiter, everyone's beloved confidante, who has a son at the bar.
Come to think of it the name is entirely apt - how could this play have any other name?!! Unless it was something as prosaic and yet uncommon as Sophronia's Family.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Friday, July 9, 2010.
.................................................................................
.................................................................................
Read
February 20, 2025Read “Candida” and “You Never Can Tell” for a college course.
March 6, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.
As the introduction makes clear, this collection is intended as a companion piece to Shaw's Plays Unpleasant collection. Not having read the earlier collection, I'm not quite sure what makes a play pleasant or unpleasant; I guess that it's to do with whether it is trying to impart a non-dramatic message. The four short plays here are not really anything other than fun comedies; there is a hint of a social message here and there (particularly in Candida and You Never Can Tell), but it is incidental to the plays themselves.
The play I liked best from the collection, and the best known of them, is Arms and the Man. This is set in Bulgaria, then an exotic barely civilised location, during a war with Serbia. The main characters are a rich Bulgarian family, the Petkoffs. The spoiled daughter of this family, Raina, is engaged to the dashing young soldier Sergius Saranoff, currently at the front. As Raina is going to bed, a young man in Serbian uniform climbs into her bedroom through the window. She is initially scornful of his cowardice, but she sheilds him when Bulgarian troops arrive to find him. She calls him her "chocolate cream soldier", because he avidly eats her sweets. It is perhaps surprising to read in the introduction that Shaw was criticised for portraying a soldier in an unheroic light; attitudes were so different before the First World War.
Candida is about a man who is a genuine Christian and a genuine Socialist, James Morrell. He and his wife, Candida, are a couple who attract those around them; his preaching and public speaking draws hundreds, and she finds herself the idol of the lovesick young poet, Eugene. Neither of them understands the attraction they, or their spouse, have for others; that is their tragedy. The contrast is made between them with their ideals and Candida's father, Burgess, who is a most unpleasant capitalist only interested in the welfare of his dependents because he can make it pay.
Man of Destiny is virtually a two-hander; the other characters are tiny by comparison with the leads. The main character is Napoleon Bonaparte in his youth, as a young general in the French Republican army invading Italy - his first great success. He is at an inn in northern Italy, awaiting the arrival of dispatches. The lieutenant carrying them arrives, but they have been stolen from him on the way by a youth; he recognises a mysterious lady (whose identity we never discover) as the youth. Napoleon protects her, denying the possibility that she can be the same person. The play develops into a battle of wits between him and her.
The final play, You Never Can Tell, is a fairly straightforward comedy. The Clandon family have been living in Madeira, after Mrs Clandon felt forced to leave England following attacks on her feminist views. Returning to this country with her three children (Gloria, a young woman after her mother's heart; Philip and Dolly, who are young enough not to have quite outgrown their childishness), the family meet up with a Mr Crampton, landlord of a dentist who falls in love with Gloria, and who turns out to be Mrs Clandon's abandoned husband and father of the three children.
As the introduction makes clear, this collection is intended as a companion piece to Shaw's Plays Unpleasant collection. Not having read the earlier collection, I'm not quite sure what makes a play pleasant or unpleasant; I guess that it's to do with whether it is trying to impart a non-dramatic message. The four short plays here are not really anything other than fun comedies; there is a hint of a social message here and there (particularly in Candida and You Never Can Tell), but it is incidental to the plays themselves.
The play I liked best from the collection, and the best known of them, is Arms and the Man. This is set in Bulgaria, then an exotic barely civilised location, during a war with Serbia. The main characters are a rich Bulgarian family, the Petkoffs. The spoiled daughter of this family, Raina, is engaged to the dashing young soldier Sergius Saranoff, currently at the front. As Raina is going to bed, a young man in Serbian uniform climbs into her bedroom through the window. She is initially scornful of his cowardice, but she sheilds him when Bulgarian troops arrive to find him. She calls him her "chocolate cream soldier", because he avidly eats her sweets. It is perhaps surprising to read in the introduction that Shaw was criticised for portraying a soldier in an unheroic light; attitudes were so different before the First World War.
Candida is about a man who is a genuine Christian and a genuine Socialist, James Morrell. He and his wife, Candida, are a couple who attract those around them; his preaching and public speaking draws hundreds, and she finds herself the idol of the lovesick young poet, Eugene. Neither of them understands the attraction they, or their spouse, have for others; that is their tragedy. The contrast is made between them with their ideals and Candida's father, Burgess, who is a most unpleasant capitalist only interested in the welfare of his dependents because he can make it pay.
Man of Destiny is virtually a two-hander; the other characters are tiny by comparison with the leads. The main character is Napoleon Bonaparte in his youth, as a young general in the French Republican army invading Italy - his first great success. He is at an inn in northern Italy, awaiting the arrival of dispatches. The lieutenant carrying them arrives, but they have been stolen from him on the way by a youth; he recognises a mysterious lady (whose identity we never discover) as the youth. Napoleon protects her, denying the possibility that she can be the same person. The play develops into a battle of wits between him and her.
The final play, You Never Can Tell, is a fairly straightforward comedy. The Clandon family have been living in Madeira, after Mrs Clandon felt forced to leave England following attacks on her feminist views. Returning to this country with her three children (Gloria, a young woman after her mother's heart; Philip and Dolly, who are young enough not to have quite outgrown their childishness), the family meet up with a Mr Crampton, landlord of a dentist who falls in love with Gloria, and who turns out to be Mrs Clandon's abandoned husband and father of the three children.
April 28, 2015
A collection of plays that end well
12 March 2011
Once again Shaw has outdone himself. I must admit reading a play is not a fulfilling as watching it performed, but since his plays are generally not produced any more (at least here in Adelaide) reading them is the next best thing. These collections are plays that end well, not badly, for the main characters involved, and I really like his characters who are socialists (probably because he was one).
The first play, Arms and the Man, is a love triangle that is set in the backdrop of the Serbo-Bulgarian War. In this play, the heroine, Rania is engaged to a Serbian sergeant, but one night is visited by a Swiss mercenary who is fleeing from his enemies. Despite being enemies she decides to hide him, and then helps him escape. They then meet up again after the war, though she has grown tired of her fiance. I guess this is one of those plays that is sort of about marriage, but to me it is more of a romance in which the heroine, who is already engaged, decides that she no longer loves, or is impressed by, her fiance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly since they are not married at this stage.
Candida is a play that almost made me wince because I could see it ending quit badly. Once again, the play is a love triangle, but unlike Arms & the Man, she does not leave her first lover for the new lover. In fact, she pretty much rebukes him and resists his advances. I should mention that Candida is married to a 'Christian Socialist' who is also the rector of a London Church. He is a very successful man, though it is Candida who is the secret behind his success. I guess this goes to show that behind every great man there is an equally great woman. Further, with Candida holding herself loyal to her marriage vows demonstrates that she is a woman of true character.
This collection of plays is Shaw's second collection (with Plays Unpleasant being the first). However, as the title suggests, the plays are pleasant in tone and in theme, and is unlikely to leave the reader (or whatever you call somebody who goes to the theater) with a sense of uneasiness.
12 March 2011
Once again Shaw has outdone himself. I must admit reading a play is not a fulfilling as watching it performed, but since his plays are generally not produced any more (at least here in Adelaide) reading them is the next best thing. These collections are plays that end well, not badly, for the main characters involved, and I really like his characters who are socialists (probably because he was one).
The first play, Arms and the Man, is a love triangle that is set in the backdrop of the Serbo-Bulgarian War. In this play, the heroine, Rania is engaged to a Serbian sergeant, but one night is visited by a Swiss mercenary who is fleeing from his enemies. Despite being enemies she decides to hide him, and then helps him escape. They then meet up again after the war, though she has grown tired of her fiance. I guess this is one of those plays that is sort of about marriage, but to me it is more of a romance in which the heroine, who is already engaged, decides that she no longer loves, or is impressed by, her fiance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly since they are not married at this stage.
Candida is a play that almost made me wince because I could see it ending quit badly. Once again, the play is a love triangle, but unlike Arms & the Man, she does not leave her first lover for the new lover. In fact, she pretty much rebukes him and resists his advances. I should mention that Candida is married to a 'Christian Socialist' who is also the rector of a London Church. He is a very successful man, though it is Candida who is the secret behind his success. I guess this goes to show that behind every great man there is an equally great woman. Further, with Candida holding herself loyal to her marriage vows demonstrates that she is a woman of true character.
This collection of plays is Shaw's second collection (with Plays Unpleasant being the first). However, as the title suggests, the plays are pleasant in tone and in theme, and is unlikely to leave the reader (or whatever you call somebody who goes to the theater) with a sense of uneasiness.
June 22, 2014
Three and a half stars. I'm happy to live at a historical juncture that gives us access to the term -'splaining, as Shawsplaining is the dominant mode of GBS' work. These plays all features heroes--inevitably men--who usually triumph over opposition by explaining something counterintuitive to a woman. This does not necessarily preclude moments of delight in the dialogue; yet even the delight feels channeled towards the inevitable explanation of some point.
February 25, 2014
I mostly enjoyed the last play YOU NEVER CAN TELL. I like the idea of 'the new woman' or better say 'the new life style': the family have similar problems as we do & the generation gap was portrayed amazingly. I believe that the happy-ending of this play, was put there 'cause of the demand of the audience.
September 22, 2014
A first attempt at reading a play outside of a school environment and the plays were very entertaining to read. They were clever and filled with some commentary on the subject themes they were based on.
All in all, a good read
All in all, a good read
August 7, 2013
A great collection to get you into Shaw! Enjoy!
June 13, 2016
A work which explores human emotion and society very well. Indeed the author is very perceptive about human psychology and even takes a dig at romanticized ideals.
May 30, 2016
Pretty enjoyable first taste of GBS
Or at least I thought it was until I was reminded that I've read Pygmalion before.
Or at least I thought it was until I was reminded that I've read Pygmalion before.
August 21, 2007
Eh..I didn't love "Arms and the Man."
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