Bernard Shaw: biography, creativity, works

On the border of the XIX-XX centuries in the world literature began to appear principally new types and subjects. The main difference between the literature of the new century was that the main characters were not people, but ideas, they were also active participants in the action. The first authors who started writing "dramas of ideas" were G. Ibsen, A. Chekhov and, of course, B. Shaw. Based on the experience of his literary fathers, Shaw was able to participate in the creation of a completely new dramatic system.

Biographical information

George Bernard Shaw, world-famous playwright, was born on July 26, 1856 in the capital of Ireland - Dublin. Already in his childhood, he openly showed his discontent with the traditional system of education, which he strongly rejected and tried to devote as much time as possible to reading. At the age of fifteen, that is, in 1871, he began to work as a clerk, and in 1876 went to England, although his heart always belonged to Ireland. Political and social inequality was especially manifested here , which helped the young author to temper the character and in the future display all the conflicts that stirred him in his work.

In the late 70's, B. Shaw finally decided on his future and chose literature as a profession. In the 80's he began to work as a music critic, literary reviewer and theater reviewer. Bright and original articles immediately cause interest among readers.

Pen Samples

The author's first works are novels in which he tries to work out his own specific method with a lot of paradoxes and bright scenes. Already at this time in the works of Bernard Shaw, which, rather, are the first literary sketches, there is a living language, interesting dialogues, memorable characters, all that is so necessary to become an outstanding author.

In 1885, Bernard Shaw, whose plays were becoming more professional, began work on the work "Widow's Home", which marked the beginning of a new drama in England.

Social views

An important role in the formation of Shaw as an author was played by his political and social views. In the 80 years he was a member of the Fabian community. The ideas that this association advocates are easy to understand if one learns from where its name came from. The community is named in honor of the Roman commander Fabius Cunctator, who was able to defeat the cruel Carthaginian ruler Hannibal precisely because he was able to wait and choose the right moment. The same tactics were followed by the Fabians, who also preferred to wait until there was an opportunity to crush capitalism.

Bernard Shaw, whose works pursue the goal of opening up new problems to the reader, was an ardent supporter of changes in society. He wanted to change not only the hardened foundations of capitalism, but also to conduct total innovations in dramatic art.

Bernard Shaw and Ibsen

It is impossible to deny the fact that Shaw was the most faithful admirer of Ibsen's talent. He fully supported the views of the Norwegian playwright on the necessary changes in contemporary literature. In addition, Shaw was actively propagating the ideas of his idol. In 1891 he became the author of the book The Quintessence of Ibsenism, in which he demonstrates his hatred of bourgeois falsehood and the desire to destroy false ideals.

According to Shaw, Ibsen's innovation is manifested in the creation of acute conflicts and the availability of reasonable, delicate discussions. It was thanks to Ibsen, Chekhov and Shaw that the discussion became an integral part of the new drama.

Occupation of Mrs. Warren

One of the author's most popular plays is an evil satire on Victorian England. Like Ibsen, Bernard Shaw shows a profound discrepancy between appearances and reality, external respectability and the internal insignificance of his characters.

The main heroine of the play is a girl of easy virtue who was able to accumulate serious capital with her craft. Trying to justify herself before her daughter, who has no idea about the source of family income, Mrs. Warren talks about the sheer poverty in which she had to live earlier, arguing that it was this that pushed her to this lifestyle. Someone may not like this kind of activity, but Bernard Shaw explains to the reader that Mrs. Warren was the victim of an unjust system of society. The author does not condemn her heroine, because she just went on the occasion of the society, which says that all the ways of gain are good.

The retrospectively-analytical composition, which Shaw borrowed from Ibsen, is realized here by its very standard scheme: the truth about Mrs. Warren's life opens gradually. The final part of the play is the discussion between the main character and her daughter, the image of which was the author's first attempt to depict a positive hero.

Pieces for Puritans

All of his plays the author divided into three categories: pleasant, unpleasant and for the Puritans. In unpleasant plays, the author sought to portray the horrible manifestations of England's social system. Pleasant, on the contrary, should entertain the reader. The plays for the Puritans are aimed at exposing the author's attitude to the official falsehood.

The statements of Bernard Shaw about his plays for the Puritans are formulated in the preface to the collection, which was published in 1901. The author claims that he is not a prude and is not afraid to portray feelings, but against sharing all the events and actions of the heroes for love reasons. If you follow this principle, says the playwright, no one can be brave, kind or generous, if he is not in love.

"The house where hearts are broken"

The play "The House Where the Hearts Break", written at the end of World War I, marked a new period in Shaw's creative development. Responsibility for the critical situation of modern morality, the author laid on the British intelligentsia. To confirm this thought at the end of the play appears a symbolic image of a ship that has strayed from the course, which is floating into the unknown with the captain, who left his captain's bridge and left his team in an indifferent expectation of the catastrophe.

In this play, Bernard Shaw, whose brief biography shows his desire to modernize the literary system, dresses realism in new clothes and gives him other, unique features. The author turns to fantasy, symbolism, political grotesque and philosophical allegory. In the future, grotesque situations and characters, reflecting the fantasy of artistic types and images, have become an integral part of his dramatic art, and they are especially evident in political satire. They serve to open the eyes of the modern reader to the true state of affairs under the current political situation.

In the subtitle, the author refers to his play as "a fantasy in Russian style on English themes," indicating that the plays for him were plays by L. Tolstoy and A. Chekhov. Bernard Shaw, whose books are aimed at exposing the inner impurities of the characters, in Chekhov's study of the souls and broken hearts of the characters of his novel, who thoughtlessly waste the cultural heritage of the nation.

"Applecart"

In one of his most popular plays - "Trolley with apples" - the playwright tells about the peculiarities of the social and political situation in England in the first third of the 20th century. The central theme of the play is a discussion about the political aristocracy, King Magnus and the Cabinet. Ministers who were elected by the people, that is, in a democratic way, require the establishment of a constitutional type of government by the state, while the king insists that all power in the state belong exclusively to the government. A satirical discussion with elements of parody allows the author to display his true attitude towards the institution of state power and to explain who is actually running the country.

Bernard Shaw, whose biography depicts all his contemptuous attitude toward any tyrannical power, seeks to reflect the true background of state conflict not only in the confrontation between autocracy and quasi-democrats, but also in "plutocracy." According to the author, under the notion of "plutocracy" he means a phenomenon that, under the guise of defending democracy, destroyed the royal power and democracy itself. This happened, of course, not without the help of those in power, says Bernard Shaw. Quotations from a work can only support this opinion. For example: "The king is an ideal created by a bunch of knaves to make it more convenient to lead the country using the king as a puppet," says Magnus.

"Pygmalion"

Among the works of the Show of pre-war years, the comedy "Pygmalion" stands out clearly. When writing this play, the author was inspired by the ancient myth. It deals with a sculptor named Pygmalion, who fell in love with the statue created by himself and asked the goddess Aphrodite to revive this creation, after which the beautiful animated statue became the wife of her creator.

Shaw wrote a modern version of the myth in which the main characters are no longer mythical, they are ordinary people, but the motive remains the same: the author polishes his creation. In the role of Pygmalon, Professor Higgins speaks here, who tries to make a lady from Eliza's simple, but as a result, himself, fascinated by her naturalness, is changing for the better. It is here that the question arises who of the two heroes is the author, and who is the creature, although Bernard Shaw himself became the main creator, of course.

Elisa's biography is quite typical for women of that time, and the successful phonetics professor Higgins wants her to forget about her surroundings and become a socialite. As a result, the "sculptor" succeeded. The wonderful transformation of the protagonist Shaw wanted to show that, in fact, there is no difference between different social groups. In any person, the potential can be laid, the problem is only that the poor strata of the population do not have the opportunity to realize it.

Conclusion

Bernard Shaw, quotes from the works of which are known to every educated person, for a long time could not achieve recognition and remained in the shadows, as publishers refused to print his creations. But, despite all the obstacles, he managed to achieve his and become one of the most popular playwrights of all time. The aspiration, which sooner or later will be realized, if not to turn off the right path, became the leitmotif of the work of the great English playwright, it allowed him not only to create unsurpassed creations, but also to become a classics of drama.