Spotting Shaw in Misalliance

by Kelsee Jackson, dramaturg [caption id="attachment_3947" align="alignright" width="214"]

George Bernard Shaw circa 1894. Photo from wikimedia.org.[/caption] Irish-born playwright George Bernard Shaw had strong opinions and experiences that changed his life. Many of these opinions and experiences show up in his various writings. Here's a brief look at how Shaw's personal views influenced Misalliance. Education George Bernard Shaw (who much preferred the name Bernard to George) completed his irregular schooling in his hometown of Dublin. While possessing an eager mind, he passionately despised organized training, which lead to his deep dislike for school. In Misalliance, Shaw's disdain for formal education shows through in Hypatia, the young daughter of the largely successful John Tarleton. When Hypatia cannot even be bothered with talk of her education, responding to inquiries with: HYPATIA. [gathering up her work] If you're going to talk about me and my education, I'm off. Parents and Children Shaw grew up in a complicated family. His father was said to be an alcoholic and a wife beater, causing his mother to move away to London when he was 16. Shaw stayed behind in Dublin with his father to finish his schooling. However, he did not get along with his father and by the time he was 20, he left Dublin for London and a reunion with his mother. Shaw's disconnect with his parents also influenced his writings. This conflict between parents and children is a central piece of the plot in Misalliance. The two older men in the play, Lord Summerhays and Mr. Tarleton, spend time contemplating the ins and outs of this complicated relationship. LORD SUMMERHAYS. Parents and children, Tarleton. TARLETON. Oh, the gulf that lies between them! the impassable, eternal gulf! Socialism By the time Shaw had moved to London with his mother, he started to develop views of socialism. He started speaking out on his opinions, an act with helped him get rid of his stutter. Shaw soon helped establish the Fabian Society, a program dedicated to making Britain a socialist nation by progressive legislation. He dedicated much of his time to this society, giving lectures and writing pamphlets. During the time of the play (1909), there were many thoughts regarding socialism. The influence of socialism and the people promoting it can be seen in Misalliance through Gunner, a poor citizen who hides in the Tarleton's Turkish Bath. Gunner (also known as Julius Baker) speaks openly about his socialistic views to the Tarleton family: GUNNER. [suddenly breaking out aggressively, being incapable of any middle way between submissiveness and violence] I can tell you where Hypatia is. I can tell you where Joey is. And I say it's a scandal and an infamy. If people only knew what goes on in this so-called respectable house it would be put a stop to. These are the morals of our pious capitalist class! This is your rotten bourgeoisie! This!— MRS TARLETON. Don't you dare use such language in company. I wont allow it. TARLETON. All right, Chickabiddy: it's not bad language: it's only Socialism. MRS TARLETON. Well, I wont have any Socialism in my house. While Misalliance was a comedy, Shaw was able to approach issues that were a big deal to him through the characters and their situations. He pokes fun at these issues and creates a funny show out of it. Many of these issues spread broadly over time and place, which is one reason we're still able enjoy it now!

References: http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/mis1.html http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1925/shaw-bio.html

data-content-type="article"

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Margaret Roper[/caption] Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter by Adam White, dramaturg Thomas More was a family man; he was married twice and had four children with his first wife, Jane Colt. After being married for six years, Jane Colt More died, leaving More with four children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily and John. However, More quickly remarried to the widow Dame Alice Middleton, marrying her within a month of his wife’s death. While many of his friends resisted the rapid nature of the arrangement, More went through with it. Thomas and Alice More would raise the four children Thomas More had with Jane, as well as Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage and a foster daughter. Certainly, More valued his family and the welfare of his children. More also valued the power of education. He insisted that his daughters be educated through rigorous schooling, and this was unusual in 16th-century England, as society at large believed women unfit for scholarly pursuits. Despite cultural and institutional norms, Margaret More, the eldest of the More children (and More’s favorite, some would argue), would grow to become one of the most educated people in all of England, a woman of great scholarly knowledge. Margaret More Roper was tutored at home and became well-known for her studies, particularly for her adeptness in Greek and Latin. Her skill in writing and speaking Latin would impress the clergy of England. This specialty is reflected in a scene in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons where Margaret and King Henry VIII engage in a bit of Latin language sparring. She would also become the first woman who was not of royal birth to publish a translated book. In October 1524, Roper published an English translation of a book called ‘Precatio dominica’ written by Thomas More’s good friend Erasmus. This book was based on the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of translating the book directly from Latin to English, Roper would use her extensive knowledge of both languages to construct the themes and the meanings Erasmus had written in to the treatise with her own words. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="291"] Erasmus, Dutch humanist and good friend to Thomas More[/caption] It was Margaret who would visit the imprisoned Thomas More the most often. They were very close, writing letters to one another regularly the duration of their relationship. It was in a letter to Margaret that Thomas More confided, “I do nobody harm, I say none harm, I thinke none harm, but wish everybody good. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live.” We have good reason to believe that Margaret More Roper very well understood what would be her father’s fate. After Thomas More’s execution, Margaret More Roper and her husband William Roper would continue to carry on his legacy in their own ways. William Roper would write the first biography of Thomas More, a glowing and gracious document that would influence our understanding of More’s personality for hundreds of years to come. Margaret More Roper actually kept her father’s head after his beheading, pickling it to preserve it from decay. While many of us may find that historical tidbit a tad macabre, I would like to believe that Margaret More Roper had deep admiration for her father; perhaps it was out of this feeling she kept his head. Please stay tuned to the 4th Wall Dramaturgy Blog to catch clips of my interview with Mallory Gee, the actress who will portray Margaret More Roper in BYU’s A Man for All Seasons. Bibliography: Abernathy, Susan. "Margaret Roper, Daughter of Sir Thomas More." Early Modern England. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Duerden, Richard. "A Man for All Seasons." Telephone interview. 31 Jan. 2014. "Margaret Roper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. "Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations." Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations. Luminarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=

Spotting Shaw in Misalliance

Related Articles

Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter

gfhfgfhgfjh

Come And See Us!