Description

George Bernard Shaw’s domestic drama revolves around a love triangle which pits two men against each other as they compete for the affections of one woman. Candida is the woman in question, and although she is married to Christian clergyman James Morrell, that does not stop the young, romantic poet Eugene Marchbanks from falling desperately in love with her. Morrell believes that his wife needs his care and protection, when in reality she is the one responsible for his success. Marchbanks, who returns with Candida from a trip, believes that she is trapped in a dull, emotionless life. Believing himself to be her rescuer, Marchbanks’ extravagant feelings for Candida portray her as something divine and ethereal. Throughout the play, the men verbally duel over Candida, arguing about what she means to them and what she wants. But in the final jaw-dropping twist, both Morrell and Marchbanks realize that they did not know Candida as well as they assumed. Every bit the strong woman, Candida reveals a character of surprising depth as well as a profound independent streak.

About the Author

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was born into a modest Dublin family. As a child, Shaw struggled throughout his schooling, resisting the rigid structure and rules that he felt were unnecessarily imposed by strict educational institutions. After leaving school in his teenage years, Shaw worked as a clerk, not sure of the direction his life would take. His parents, however, separated around this time and Shaw left his father’s home in Dublin in order to join his mother and sisters in London and try his hand at writing. London offered Shaw the kind of freedom and opportunities that he needed in order to develop. He was able to spend time reading and perfecting his literary craft in libraries around the city. He joined like-minded peers in the Fabian Society, a well-known London group of progressive political thinkers. In the 1890s, Shaw saw his first successes on the London stage, and went on to produce dozens of plays, novels, and works in prose, including Pygmalion, St. Joan, and Cashel Byron’s Profession. Shaw is perhaps best known for his play Pygmalion, which was adapted into the musical “My Fair Lady,” enjoying long-lived success on the stage and screen.

Learn more about this author.

Opening Lines (Experimental)

A fine October morning in the north east suburbs of London, a vast district many miles away from the London of Mayfair and St. James's, much less known there than the Paris of the Rue de Rivoli and the Champs Elysees, and much less narrow, squalid, fetid and airless in its slums; strong in ...