Overview

Author
George Bernard Shaw
Year Published
1903
Type
Play
Genre
Comedy, Satire
Tense
Man and Superman is written in the present tense.
About the Title
Shaw read about Friedrich Nietzsche's (1844–1900) concept of Superman. Shaw models
the character John Tanner on this concept. This character rejects conventional morality and
searches for his definition. The Superman seeks more self-awareness and more self-
consciousness. Shaw contrasts his Superman character with his other male characters who
do not strive for self-awareness.

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Man and Superman | Context

Victorian England
Alexandrina Victoria (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901.
The cultural trend known as Victorianism lasted throughout her reign. This trend
encouraged strict religious belief, social goodwill, moral responsibility, discipline, and
sexual repression. Art created during this period reflected these cultural traditions.

The first decades of the Victorian era appealed to an uneducated audience who demanded
emotional drama without any intellectualism. Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855–1934) was an
important playwright in late Victorian England. He wrote social dramas that appealed to an
upper-class audience whose values were those of traditional Victorianism. The plays of
Henry Arthur Jones (1851–1929) were also examples of the artistic acceptance of the
Victorian moral code. Jones wrote melodramatic, sentimental plays like The Silver
King (1882) about a man falsely accused of murder. His work was not popular among
liberal audiences because Jones accepted the rigid and conservative Victorian moral code.
His plays were more commercially successful than the plays of Shaw or Henrik Ibsen
(1828–1906).
There was a trend toward more dramatic innovation in the 1890s. Queen Victoria's reign
was coming to an end as was the strict moral code of Victorianism. Oscar Wilde's (1854–
1900) work was an example of the trend toward more sophisticated and free-spirited
drama. The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) is considered to be among the best high
comedies of the English language. The 1890s also brought translations of Ibsen's plays
performed in London. His play A Doll's House (performed 1890) broke from the Victorian
traditions of social organization. The wife in the play declares her independence from her
husband, takes her children, and leaves the marriage. The more realistic drama influenced
Shaw to write Widowers' Houses (performed 1892) about the scandal of slum landlordism
in London. Shaw followed this with Mrs. Warren's Profession (written 1893, performed
1902) about organized prostitution. With these works Shaw broke free from the Victorian
constraints on artistic expression. He continued to write comedic drama with a
philosophical and political context well into the 20th century.

Edwardian England
Queen Victoria died in 1901, and Edward VII (1841–1910) ascended the throne that same
year. The cultural mood of Edwardian England allowed more freedom to express modern
and liberal ideas than Victorian England had allowed. Shaw's works were far more suited
to Edwardian times than to the constraints of the Victorian era. With the industrialization
and the development of science and technology beginning in the late 19th century, many
believed that positive world transformations would come in the 20th century. The mood
was one of optimism tinged with some apprehension.

Many writers during this period turned away from the melodramatic and sentimental work
of the Victorian era toward a more realistic and naturalistic style. One of these was
playwright John Galsworthy (1867–1933). He wrote realistic plays about political and
social issues. His play Strife (1909) explored the conflict between capitalists and the

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working-class. He followed this with Justice (1910) which expressed his support of penal
system reform. Another contributing influence toward more cultural realism and naturalism
was the book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) by Charles
Darwin (1809–82). This seminal book radically changed humans' view of their evolution
and their resulting place in the world. Darwin's theory led many people to appreciate and
focus on science and believe that science would help the human race advance.
Shaw's incisive intelligence and curiosity led him to study and formulate many ideas that
he believed could advance the human race. He cultivated his knowledge of economics,
politics, and social issues. He wrote about these issues in his iconoclastic plays. The plays
were witty entertaining comedies but filled with serious ideas. Shaw had enjoyed debating
groups in London when he was in his twenties. The dialogue in his plays like Man and
Superman (published 1903, performed 1905) is evidence of his polemical expertise. The
characters debate politics, war, marriage, and the dynamic between the sexes. Shaw had
strong opinions on these topics.

Shaw on Socialism
Shaw wrote an academic article on socialism for Encyclopedia Britannica in 1926. This
was the year after Shaw had received the Nobel Prize in Literature for Humanistic Ideals
and Political Satire (1925.). When he was asked to write this article he was proud to point
out that in his youth he had read the entire Nice addition of the encyclopedia except for the
science articles.
In his Britannica article, Shaw explained that the goal of socialism was to transform private
property into public property and to divide income equally among an entire population.
Shaw pointed out that socialism could not evolve from capitalism. The inevitable course of
capitalism made the rich richer and the poor poorer. Shaw cited the success of nationally
controlled factories versus the private munitions industry during World War I (1914–18.)
This war was an international conflict including most of the nations of Europe, as well as
Russia, the US, and the Middle East. At this time the national factories were far more
productive than the private ones. The socialist movement of which Shaw was a member
was active and alive in Great Britain in the early 20th century. Shaw believed that the two
main tenets of socialism were the evolution of private property into public property and
equality of income. Shaw wrote about these issues in his plays to spread the merits of
socialism.

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Man and Superman | Characters

Character Description

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was an internationally recognized

George
writer. He was a theater critic, music critic, lecturer, and essayist. His
Bernard Shaw
writing shaped culture and politics for several generations after his death.

John Tanner is striving to find his moral code. He is sincerely striving not
John Tanner
just to be a man, but also to be a Superman.

Ann Whitefield is the conniving pursuer of John Tanner. She will stop at
Ann Whitefield
nothing to make him her husband.

Octavius Octavius Robinson is the eager, naive but spurned suitor of Ann Whitefield.
Robinson She takes advantage of him to make John Tanner jealous.

Ana represents Ann Whitefield in hell. She believes she has lived a virtuous
Ana
life and deserves to live in heaven.

The devil represents Mendoza in hell. Hell is the place where its inhabitants
The devil
pursue pleasure and play.

Don Juan represents John Tanner in hell. Don Juan wants to leave hell for
Don Juan
heaven because heaven is where its inhabitants work and contemplate.

Hector Malone is the son of millionaire father Malone. He has married

Hector Malone Violet Robinson in secret while his father wanted him to marry a British
woman with a title.

Malone is the millionaire father of Hector Malone. Malone is against the

Malone marriage of his son Hector Malone but accepts Violet Robinson as his
daughter-in-law.

Mendoza is the socialist Spanish brigand. He loves to steal from the rich
Mendoza and give to the poor. He is a hopeless romantic about both his politics and
women.

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 Roebuck Ramsden is a well-off, highly respectable man. He accepts
Roebuck
conventional morals and lives his life accordingly. He is the opposite of
Ramsden
John Tanner who is striving to be a Superman.

Violet Robinson is the sister of Octavius Robinson. Her personality is the

Violet
opposite of her brother's. She is willful, headstrong, and always gets her
Robinson
way.

The statue represents Roebuck Ramsden in hell. He leaves heaven to visit

The statue
hell because heaven is boring for him.

Henry Straker is the chauffeur of John Tanner. He is outspoken,

independent, and an engineer as well as a chauffeur. He is valuable to John
Henry Straker
Tanner not only for his automobile skills but also for his pragmatic and
perceptive advice on women.

Louisa Straker does not appear in the play but she is mentioned as the love
Louisa Straker
interest of Mendoza. She is the sister of Henry Straker.

Mrs. Mrs. Whitefield is the mother of Ann Whitefield and Rhoda Whitefield.
Whitefield She understands how manipulative Ann Whitefield is.

Rhoda Rhoda Whitefield is Ann Whitefield's sister. Ann forbids Rhoda to be alone
Whitefield with John Tanner because she wants John Tanner for herself.

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Man and Superman | Character Analysis

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw wrote the play Man and Superman in 1903. His ideas on social and
political issues are reflected in this play. In Man and Superman Shaw defines the roles of
men and women in society and what he believes should be the ideal goals of individuals
and governments. He presents the idea that man is the spiritual creator and woman is the
creator of the human being. Shaw writes that The Life Force demands of both genders that
the human species continue. Shaw believed that human evolution through procreation was
the means of advancing the self-consciousness and the self-awareness of the human being.

John Tanner
John Tanner is the protagonist of Man and Superman. He is the character who is striving
to become superman. He has written "The Revolutionist's and Pocket Companion by John
Tanner, M.I.R.C., Member of the Idle Rich Class." John Tanner rejects conventional
morality and strives to create his moral code. Ann Whitefield relentlessly pursues him to
be her husband. John Tanner resists giving up his independence and self-determination. In
a dream he sees that Ann Whitefield marries Octavius Robinson and he is relieved because
he does not want to marry her. He says, "I am fighting for my freedom, for my honor, for
myself." John Tanner unhappily gives in and marries Ann Whitefield.

Ann Whitefield
Ann Whitefield is a devious, deceitful, and hypocritical young woman who relentlessly
pursues John Tanner to be her husband. She allows Octavius Robinson to pursue her
without regard for his feelings. She knows she will never marry Octavius Robinson because
she has set her sights on John Tanner. She uses Octavius Robinson to make John Tanner
jealous. She "inspires confidence as a person who will do nothing she does not mean to
do," but she also inspires fear because it is clear she will stop at nothing to accomplish her
goal. Ann Whitefield subtly and insidiously ensnares John Tanner in marriage.

Octavius Robinson
Octavius Robinson is the sincere and eager suitor of Ann Wakefield. He faces consistent
rejection from her but does not give up his relentless pursuit. He is naive and easily taken
advantage of. He is the opposite of John Tanner in that he is a man who does not aspire to
be superman. He accepts the moral code of the day and follows its rules. In the end he
graciously accepts that John Tanner and Ann Whitefield will marry because he believes it
will make her happy.

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Man and Superman | Plot Summary

Summary
Act 1
The setting of Act 1 of Man and Superman is the study of Roebuck Ramsden's resplendent
London mansion. It is the beginning of the 20th century. Roebuck Ramsden is a middle-
aged proper English gentleman who prides himself on being an advanced thinker while his
politics are decidedly conservative. Octavius Robinson enters the room. He is a pleasant-
looking young fellow whom Roebuck Ramsden regards as a son. The socialist John
Tanner arrives at the house next and Roebuck Ramsden is not pleased. John Tanner is a
robust man who wrote The Revolutionists' Handbook. Roebuck Ramsden adamantly
disagrees with John Tanner's politics.
A charming and composed Ann Whitefield enters the study with her mother Mrs.
Whitefield. Before he died, Mr. Whitefield who was Ann Whitefield's father appointed both
Roebuck Ramsden and John Tanner to be her guardians. Ann Whitefield is quite happy to
have both Roebuck Ramsden and John Tanner as her guardians despite their intense dislike
of each other. It fits into her plan to entrap John Tanner in marriage.
Roebuck Ramsden reports distressing news to the group telling them that Violet Robinson
who is the sister of Octavius Robinson is not only pregnant but also unmarried. All the
characters leave the study except Ann Whitefield and John Tanner. When they are alone, it
is clear from Ann Whitefield's words and actions that John Tanner is her prey. John Tanner
protests and tells her that he does not love her. Roebuck Ramsden and Octavius Robinson
return to the study. Violet Robinson appears at the door a little later, self-assured and
impenitent. John Tanner tells her that he respects her courage to be pregnant out of wedlock
despite the disapproval of the rest of her family. She reveals that she is married and leaves
the house.

Act 2
John Tanner's motor car has broken down on a road near a country house outside London.
Henry Straker is John Tanner's chauffeur and he is repairing the car. He is proud that he is
also an engineer. He is a self-possessed and independent young man. Octavius Robinson
walks from the house and joins them to talk about Ann Whitefield. Octavius Robinson has
asked Ann Whitefield to marry him and she told him he had to ask John Tanner because he
is her guardian. John Tanner is angry with Ann Whitefield for doing this and for telling her
sister, Rhoda Whitefield that she cannot be alone with him. John Tanner asks Ann
Whitefield to prove her independence from her mother by accompanying him in his motor
car to Nice. He is surprised and disconcerted when she agrees because his invitation was
not sincere. Roebuck Ramsden, Mrs. Wakefield, Octavius Robinson, and Hector Malone
come from the house to join John Tanner and Ann Whitefield. Hector Malone is an Eastern
American and son of a successful businessman. He offers to drive Violet Robinson to Nice
in his car. Octavius Robinson and John Tanner tell Hector Malone that is not possible
because Violet Robinson is another man's wife. Hector Malone reveals to John Tanner that
it is he who is Violet Robinson's husband. Hector Malone cannot reveal this to his father.
His father's wish was that Hector Malone marry a British woman with a title. Violet
Robinson does not want

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The plan is for John Tanner, Henry Straker, Ann Whitefield, and Octavius Robinson to
drive to Nice in John Tanner's motor car. Henry Straker informs John Tanner that it is not
Octavius Robinson that Ann Whitefield is pursuing but it is John Tanner himself. John
Tanner is so shocked that he and Henry Straker jump in the car and leave for Nice without
Ann Whitefield and Octavius Robinson.

Act 3
The setting of Act 3 is a mountain camp of brigands in the Sierra Nevada, Spain. It is
evening and the group of about a dozen men is listening to their leader Mendoza. He
confirms their purpose in this mountainous area is to steal from the rich. At that moment
the group sees the motor car of John Tanner on the road below. The brigands have put nails
on the road to flatten the tires of a passing car. John Tanner's car comes to a halt, and the
brigands bring John Tanner and Henry Straker to their camp. John Tanner and Mendoza
strike up an unlikely friendship. Mendoza is a practicing socialist while John Tanner is a
theoretical one but it is enough of a common bond. John Tanner tells Mendoza he will pay
him any ransom within reason.
It is nighttime in this camp, and the setting changes to a strange dream in Hell with the
music of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni in the background. Don Juan who was a Spanish
nobleman of the 15th or 16th century appears out of the void. He resembles John Tanner.
A wandering old woman named Ana appears and can transform herself into a 27-year-old
woman who resembles Ann Whitefield. Don Juan and Ana recognize each other as John
Tanner and Ann Whitefield. The statue resembling Roebuck Ramsden and the devil
resembling Mendoza appear next. The four characters engage in philosophical debates
about the purposes of men and women and the all-important Life Force. Don Juan reveals
to the group his goal to be Superman, to pursue the Life Force, and to attain deeper self-
understanding and self-consciousness. The dream comes to an end as Don Juan leaves Hell
for Heaven, and the devil and the statue descend deeper into Hell. Ana vanishes into the
void.
It is now morning in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, Spain. Three cars are coming
down the road below the camp. The first two are armored cars full of soldiers. The third
car brings Ann Whitefield, Hector Malone, Violet Robinson, Octavius Robinson, and
Roebuck Ramsden.

Act 4
The setting is the garden of an elegant villa in Granada, Spain. An elderly millionaire
gentleman named Malone enters the garden. He is the father of Hector Malone who has
married Violet Robinson in secret. Malone is not happy about his son's marriage because
he wanted his son to marry a British woman with a title. Hector Malone is dependent on
his father for an income but no longer wants to take money from him. Malone is joined in
the garden by his son Hector Malone, John Tanner, Roebuck Ramsden, Octavius Robinson,
and Ann Whitefield. Hector Malone reveals to everyone that he and Violet Robinson are

8
man and wife. When John Tanner and Octavius Robinson offer them money to help them
out, Hector Malone's father gives in. He wants Hector Malone to take money from him.

Ann Wakefield untruthfully tells Octavius Robinson that her mother and father have
decided that she must marry John Tanner. Octavius Robinson's heart is broken. She has her
sights set on John Tanner just as she has from the beginning. When Ann Whitefield and
John Tanner are alone, John Tanner tells her how much he does not want to be married. It
is the Life Force that compels him to marry her. The Life Force ensures the survival of the
species.

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Man and Superman | Symbols
Don Juan
Don Juan is the symbol of a libertine, a person who behaves without moral values in
religion or sexual matters. Don Juan is a fictional character of popular legend first
conceived in literature in the Spanish drama The Seducer of Seville (1630) by Tirso de
Molina (1584–1648.) The character of Don Juan inspired many later artists including the
French dramatist Molière (1622–73) who wrote the play "Don Juan" (1665.) Lord Byron
(1788–1824) was an English poet who wrote the long satiric poem "Don Juan" (1819–24).
Don Juan also captured the imagination of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) who
wrote one of his most famous operas Don Giovanni (1787) centered on this character. All
these artists portrayed Don Juan with his original personality which was that of an amoral
libertine.
Shaw was also inspired in his play Man and Superman by the character of Don Juan. Don
Juan appears in Act 3 of the play which takes place in hell in a dream sequence. Different
from other artists, Shaw did not demonize Don Juan. Don Juan was not a libertine in the
play. He was the same as the traditional Don Juan in not being a conventional thinker, but
he was not amoral. He thought deeply about morality and virtue and devised his code of
what he believed to be the right way to live. John Tanner who is the Earth-bound version
of Don Juan is not a libertine either. He does not shamelessly pursue women. Ann
Whitefield in Man and Superman pursues John Tanner. She does so with a decided lack of
truth and morals. She plays one man against another as she tries to win John Tanner. John
Tanner defends his morality to Roebuck Ramsden when he says, "you know perfectly well
that I am as sober and honest a citizen as yourself, as truthful personally, and much more
truthful politically and morally." John Tanner emerges as the hero of the play.

Superman
Superman is the symbol of the most self-aware, most conscious, and most enlightened of
all human beings. The writing of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) inspired Shaw's concept
of the Superman. Nietzsche spoke at length about the concept of Superman. He believed
that the Superman could recognize society's definition of morality as biased. It was a
socially-constructed definition to keep a population well organized. Nietzsche believed that
the Superman should closely critique the conventional morality of his time. In the process
of doing this, the Superman would discover a deep sense of his morality. The Superman
could then dedicate himself to the advancement and betterment of humanity. Nietzsche said
the Superman's "distance from the ordinary man is greater than the distance between man
and ape."
Shaw confers the role of the Superman to John Tanner in Man and Superman. John Tanner
is the character who struggles to define his morality. He is rich but he is also a socialist. He
is self-aware because he tells Mendoza who is the Spanish brigand, "I am a gentleman: I
live by robbing the poor." John Tanner is aware of his societal flaw and the large gap of
income inequality. He is aware of his contribution to it. Don Juan in hell represents the
Earth-dwelling John Tanner. Don Juan equates the role of the philosophic man with that of
Superman. He says, "No: I sing, not arms and the hero, but the philosophic man: he who
seeks in contemplation to discover the inner will of the world, in invention to discover the
inner will of the world, in invention to discover the means of fulfilling that will, and in

10
action to do that will by the so-discovered means." John Tanner is the hero of Man and
Superman. He is the person striving to evolve to the position of Superman.

Heaven and Hell

Shaw redefines the traditional symbolism of heaven and hell the same way that he redefines
the traditional character of Don Juan. The dream sequence of Act 3 of Man and
Superman takes place in hell. Don Juan explains to Ana the nature of hell with "Hell is the
home of honor, duty, justice, and the rest of the seven deadly virtues. All the wickedness
on Earth is done in their name." Don Juan's view is that much violence and evil is done in
the name of religion, nationalism, and civilization. These so-called virtues are in hell but
not in heaven. Don Juan goes on to state, "Nothing is real here. That is the horror of
damnation." Don Juan explains that old age is not tolerated in hell. Those who live in hell
cultivate their hearts because their souls are damned. The statue that resembles the Earth-
dwelling Roebuck Ramsden explains to Ana, "Hell, in short, is a place where you have
nothing to do but amuse yourself."
Ana believes she deserves to be in heaven because she believes she has lived a virtuous
life. The statue tells her heaven is very dull and maintains, "A number of people sit there
in glory, not because they are happy, but because they think they owe it to their position to
be in heaven." Don Juan tells Ana that "heaven is the home of the masters of reality." Don
Juan prefers heaven because there he can live and work instead of play and pretend as they
do in hell. He wants to escape from the activities of hell which he describes as "the tedious,
vulgar pursuit of happiness." Don Juan prefers to spend his eons in contemplation
consistent with his goal of becoming a Superman. Don Juan wants to contemplate Life
which to him is "the force that ever strives to attain greater power of contemplating itself."
Don Juan tells the devil the difference between heaven and hell with "to be in hell is to
drift: to be in heaven is to steer." Don Juan wants an eternity of contemplation so he can
strive for self-awareness and self-consciousness. He will leave the pleasure-seekers of hell
for the intellectual pursuits of heaven.

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Man and Superman | Themes

Socialism
George Bernard Shaw attended a lecture by the American socialist Henry George (1839–
97) in 1882 in London. Shaw adopted socialist views that he maintained throughout his
whole life after hearing this lecture. The characters in his play Man and Superman engage
in much debate on various topics one of which is politics. The protagonist of the play John
Tanner is the author of The Revolutionist's Handbook, a manifesto of socialist ideas. He
defines Socialism as the redistribution of wealth among all and the ownership of production
by the whole society and not just the wealthy few. John Tanner has no allies in his beliefs
among the other characters in his social circle. In particular Roebuck Ramsden opposes his
views and refuses to "soil his mind" by reading The Revolutionist's Handbook. Roebuck
Ramsden is a financially successful businessman leading the life of a proper English
gentleman. John Tanner meets someone who shares his political views when he is
kidnapped by the Spanish brigand Mendoza. John Tanner and Mendoza share an amusing
exchange. Mendoza tells him, "I am a brigand: I live by robbing the rich." John Tanner
replies "I am a gentleman: I live by robbing the poor." This simple exchange reveals John
Tanner's self-knowledge and of the role he plays in a capitalist society despite his socialist
views. On the other hand, he admits to Mendoza that he is willing to pay his ransom with
the statement "I am rich enough to pay anything in reason."
During the dream sequence in Act 3 of the play, the devil delivers a long monologue on his
social and political views. The devil strongly resembles the socialist brigand Mendoza, and
they share the same views. The devil says that governments enthusiastically spend millions
on the business of war and slaughter but refuse to spend an extra penny "against the poverty
and pestilence through which they themselves daily walk." He goes on to say that the power
that governs the Earth is the power of death and not life. This is a decidedly anti-socialist
view and one that Mendoza and the other socialists deplore. The socialists believe that all
humanity should benefit from the profits of production and business instead of only the
wealthy minority.

The Male and Female Roles

Shaw has much to say in Man and Superman about the roles of men and women. He sets
up the opposing roles of the two at the beginning of the play with the relationship
between Ann Whitefield and John Tanner. Ann Whitefield relentlessly pursues John
Tanner who adamantly tries to resist. He tells Octavius Robinson his view of women in
general. "Vitality in a woman is a blind fury of creation." John Tanner believes that women
are the creators of the species and will stop at nothing to fulfill their role. He believes that
the role of men is to advance their self-knowledge and self-understanding. He sees these
two roles in direct conflict with one another. He states, "Of all human struggles there is
none so treacherous and remorseless as the struggle between the artist man and the mother
woman." John Tanner believes that when a man submits to marriage he must sacrifice his
task of self-understanding which is a task that would benefit not just himself but all of
humanity.
John Tanner and Roebuck Ramsden agree on these male and female roles even though they
do not share the same socialist views. Roebuck Ramsden who is represented by the statue

12
in the dream sequence admits that when he gave in and married his wife "I knew that I was
planting thorns in my pillow, and that marriage for me, a swaggering young officer thitherto
unvanquished, meant defeat and capture." John Tanner shares the same view when he
expresses his feelings of resistance about marrying Ann Whitefield. He says, "I am fighting
for my freedom, for my honor, for myself, one and indivisible." He is fighting for all this
because he believes that in the role of husband he will be unable to strive to be Superhuman.
This is the goal he considers to be more important. He believes that his role as a man is to
add to self-knowledge, and he points out "he who adds a jot to such knowledge creates new
mind as surely as any woman creates new men." He is fighting to escape marriage to pursue
this higher goal.

Morality
Shaw's characters express adamant views on morality. His protagonist John
Tanner explains himself to Ann Whitefield. He tells her he has the moral passion of a
reformer and as such he is an iconoclast who wants to "shatter creeds and demolish idols."
He does not wish to accept the conventional morality of the day without examining it
closely. He wants to align it with his sense of justice, self-knowledge, and self-
understanding. Along with this John Tanner believes that men and women should not
unthinkingly adopt the views of their parents. He states, "the man who pleads his father's
authority is no man: the woman who pleads her mother's authority is unfit to bear citizens
to a free people."
In the dream sequence of Act 3, the devil in hell who represents Mendoza questions the
validity of the accepted forms of virtue. He uses verbal irony to define these virtues
differently. He says, "Hell is the home of honor, duty, justice, and the rest of the seven
deadly virtues. All the wickedness on Earth is done in their name" The irony is that he calls
these virtues "deadly" and attributes to them all the wickedness done on Earth. In this dream
sequence, the devil also makes fun of conventional Englishmen with the words, "An
Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable." This is a shallow way of
feeling moral. The devil in hell has more to say about morality. He believes that man
measures his faith by his destructiveness rather than by a well-conceived moral code. He
questions, "What is his religion? An excuse for hating me. What is his law? An excuse for
hanging you. What is his morality? Gentility! An excuse for consuming without
producing."
Don Juan and Ana represent John Tanner and Ann Whitefield in hell, and they engage in a
debate about morals. Ana argues that a woman who bears a child out of wedlock is less
virtuous than her. Don Juan heartily disagrees and does not make a moral judgment on an
unmarried mother. He maintains, "The confusion of marriage with morality has done more
to destroy the conscience of the human race than any other single error." He then elaborates
on the subject of marriage with "The Life Force respects marriage only because marriage
is a contrivance to secure the greatest number of children and the closest care of them. For
honor, chastity and all the rest of your moral figments it cares not a rap." This opinion of
Don Juan is one of several opinions that he and John Tanner share on the subject of the Life
Force.

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Life Force
John Tanner seriously ponders the idea of Life Force throughout the play. His conclusions
on this theory evolve from the beginning to the end. At first John Tanner believes in striving
to follow the Life Force. "I want to know myself and my destination, and choose my path."
He considers this to be the most important goal for which to strive. Shaw himself believed
in his self-improvement in his personal life. He was an auto-didact who educated himself
with voracious reading. He attended to his health with exercise and became a vegetarian.
He believed in advancing his self-improvement, self-understanding, and self-knowledge.
John Tanner expresses a similar opinion when he appears as Don Juan in hell. He believes,
"As long as I can conceive something better than myself I cannot be easy unless I am
striving to bring it into existence." This is why Don Juan dispenses with love as a mere
pleasure. His preferred goal in life is to aspire "to higher organization, wider, deeper,
intenser self-consciousness, and clearer self-understanding." There is another side to John
Tanner's understanding of the Life Force. It is the force that guarantees the survival of the
human species. It is the reason humans procreate. John Tanner describes the force between
men and women as "the possibility of that fecundity for the sake of which the Life Force
throws them into one another's arms at the exchange of a glance."
Shaw presents a situational irony in which John Tanner submits to the latter definition of
the Life Force at the end. John Tanner surrenders to marriage and Ann Whitefield at the
expense of his quest for self-knowledge and self-consciousness. He does this because "The
Life Force enchants me: I have the whole world in my arms when I clasp you." John Tanner
is rejecting his personal goals because the Life Force compels him to marry Ann Whitefield.
She is the Life Force that guarantees the survival of the species.

Superman
The Life Force and the concept of Superman are connected in that Superman is motivated
by the Life Force to higher levels of consciousness and self-awareness. Shaw had studied
the writing of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) who spoke at length about the concept of
Superman. Nietzsche's definition was somewhat different and more theoretical than Shaw's
definition. Nietzsche believed that a person who could accept the infinite repetition of life's
events would be a Superman. This was a more abstract definition than Shaw's. Scholars
today are not able to agree on the character traits that would define such a person.
Both Shaw and Nietzsche agreed that the Superman should closely critique the
conventional morality of their times. The Superman would discover a deep sense of his
morality by doing this. The Superman could then dedicate himself to the advancement and
betterment of humanity. Don Juan in Hell equates the role of the philosophic man with that
of Superman when he says "No: I sing, not arms and the hero, but the philosophic man: he
who seeks in contemplation to discover the inner will of the world, in invention to discover
the inner will of the world, in invention to discover the means of fulfilling that will, and in
action to do that will by the so-discovered means."

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George Bernard Shaw | Biography

Early Years
George Bernard Shaw was born July 26, 1856, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the youngest of
three children of George Carr Shaw (1832–85) and Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly Shaw (1830–
1913.) He was the only son. The Shaw family were poor even though they belonged to the
landed Irish gentry who were people who owned rural estates. Shaw overcame a difficult
childhood to become one of the most significant English language playwrights since the
17th century. Shaw's father was an unsuccessful businessman. Shaw did not like any school
he attended and was tutored by an uncle. By the age of 16, Shaw was working in the office
of a land agent.

Shaw did not like formal schooling or the tutoring of his uncle so he educated himself
through his voracious reading. By the time he was 20 in 1876, Shaw was determined to
become a writer. He moved to London to live with his mother and sister. He continued the
disciplined pursuit of educating himself and spent much of his time in the British Museum
studying and writing. He gained a wide knowledge of music, literature, and art. Shaw
enjoyed being a debater in the intellectual groups of London during these years.

Shaw was not successful as a writer in the 1880s. It was a period during which he wrote
novels. All the novels he submitted to publishers during this time were rejected. He still
dauntlessly continued his self-education and his developing philosophy. He became a
socialist and was active in a group called the Fabian Society which was founded in 1884.
This group aimed to establish a democratic socialist state in Great Britain, transform private
property into public property, and divide income equally among an entire population. The
group did not want to do this through revolution but rather through advancing the
intellectual lives and understanding of the British population. This was Shaw's goal when
he worked as an editor of Fabian Essays in Socialism in 1889. He developed his political
ideology and his articulate expression of it during this time.

Shaw's Initial Plays and Marriage

Shaw's focus on the English stage combined with his political ideals inspired him to break
from the Victorian tradition of the London theater. Shaw did not accept the artificiality and
hypocrisy he witnessed in British plays. He got his inspiration from the plays of Henrik
Ibsen (1828–1906) that were performed in London in the 1890s. Ibsen's work broke from
the English tradition of conventional characters and artificial situations by presenting more
realistic plots. The themes that Shaw addressed in his writing during the 1890s were slum
landlordism, exploitation of the poor, and organized prostitution. Yet his plays were not
dark and despairing. They included an edge of comedy and irony that kept them from being
pessimistic. Shaw continued his political dissension and added the dynamic between the
sexes in plays like Arms and the Man (1894) and Candida (1897).
During this period of prolific playwriting, Shaw also wrote theater criticism in which he
analyzed and interpreted the meanings of plays as he understood them. From 1895 through
1898, his critical writing on drama and politics was conceptually consistent with his
playwriting. He advised avoiding artificiality and hypocrisy in his critiques. He avoided
this in his playwriting as well. Shaw's intense writing and political work drained his

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strength and caused a minor illness to lead to a serious one when he was 42. Charlotte
Payne-Townshend nursed him back to health. He later married her in 1898, and because of
her wealth Shaw was able to devote all his time to playwriting.

Later Career
Shaw created his first great play, Caesar and Cleopatra (performed 1901) in which he
presented Caesar differently from the traditional representation of this historic figure. Shaw
presented Caesar as a lonely philosopher rather than a heroic soldier. In his play Man and
Superman (1903), Shaw defined the role of men and women in society and the ideal goals
for individuals and governments. He presented the idea that man is the spiritual creator and
woman is the creator of the human being. The Life Force demanded of both genders that
the human species continue. Shaw believed that human evolution through procreation was
the means of advancing the self-consciousness and self-awareness of the human being.
Following this play Shaw wrote Major Barbara (performed 1905). The title character and
heroine of the play is a major in the Salvation Army who discovers that her father was not
only a munitions manufacturer but also a hypocrite.
A few years later, Shaw wrote one of his most popular plays, Pygmalion (performed 1913).
This play was a charming and witty comedy about the heroine Eliza Doolittle who was a
flower-seller turned socialite. Shaw won an Academy Award for the screenplay when the
play was adapted into the popular musical My Fair Lady (1956). After Pygmalion Shaw
wrote the masterpiece St. Joan (performed 1923). Joan of Arc's canonization in 1920
inspired Shaw to write about the highly intelligent and heroic Saint Joan. In the play Shaw
questioned whether human beings would continue to kill their heroes and saints, or whether
humans could evolve beyond this behavior. Shaw won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925
for this play. He initially refused to accept the award because he did not want public
recognition. His wife convinced him to accept it because she believed it reflected well on
his home country of Ireland. Shaw took a hiatus from writing during World War II when
he was mainly a pamphleteer and orator. His message in both those media was vehemently
antiwar. Shaw left London when his wife died in 1943. He lived in a village in the British
countryside and died there at the age of 94 on November 2, 1950.

Shaw's Legacy
The success of Shaw's plays brought him international recognition. His personality and his
style also made him a widely popular figure worldwide. He was the best comic dramatist
of his day. He was a great artist not only because of his writing skill but also because he
was immersed in the issues of his time. His writing reflected the political and economic
issues surrounding him. He took thoughtful and controversial stands on many issues and
his work reflected his opinions. His superb intelligence and relentless curiosity informed
his unique view of politics, economics, and society. He was an admired theater critic of his
day, a popular music critic, a lecturer, and an essayist. His writing shaped culture and
politics for several generations after his death.

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