The Man of Destiny Bernard George 9781444420371 Books
Download As PDF : The Man of Destiny Bernard George 9781444420371 Books
The Man of Destiny is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Bernard Shaw is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Bernard Shaw then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.
The Man of Destiny Bernard George 9781444420371 Books
With good actors this seldom performed Shaw one act could be highly entertaining. Napoleon meets his match in a brilliant woman agent. The supporting characters are both funny. They cause chaos, but no real harm. As often with Shaw the stage directions are virtually novel length. Modern actors and directors would be rolling on the floor at the first read through. Still, Shaw wrote for the reader as well as the cast. Perhaps readers will still find these explicit descriptions helpful. In Shaw's best plays these nuanced instructions contribute. In his middling plays they can be tolerated. In the rest they make the writing seem klunky. Shaws dialogue still makes reading them worth the effort.Product details
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Tags : The Man of Destiny [Bernard George] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Man of Destiny is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Bernard Shaw is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Bernard Shaw then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.,Bernard George,The Man of Destiny,Aeterna,1444420372
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The Man of Destiny Bernard George 9781444420371 Books Reviews
The title of this comedic play is ironic. It is 1796. Napoleon is 26 year old, just promoted to general, and is involved in a war against Austria. He is bombastic, over-sure of himself, confident about his destiny, and not at all the Napoleon of his mature years. He is impetuous and lacks cool wisdom.
Napoleon's lieutenant is ordered to bring him dispatches, but is duped out of them by a beautiful woman disguised as a man. Napoleon, staying on the fringes of the battle in a hotel, discovers the woman and demands that she hand over the papers. He grabs them but doesn't read them. The interplay between the two - both their behavior and speech - is humorous, for the woman is doing her best to dupe the general.
She tells him that she is not a spy. She is only interested in stopping him from receiving one letter, which is from a married woman to a man she loves. She claims that she is a friend of the married woman who begged her to get the letter. Napoleon asks her why the letter was placed among his dispatches and sent to him. Is she telling the truth? Is he the cuckolded husband? If he reads the letter, will he feel that he must act in ways that will ruin his career? Is it better that he never knows what the letter contains? Should he return the letter to the woman unread? If so, how will he be able to disguise the fact that he received the letter and may have read it? Won't this cause problems? Will the letter-snatching woman outwit the general or will he succeed at the end?
Bernard Shaw had a huge influence on me because of his remarks on the way the world works (for instance why we ask more morality from the poor than from the rich - or delightful dialogs like this one"Why do you pray?" "To remind myself that I have a soul." Shaw's influence has diminished after his death in 1950. Before his death, he was so influential that if he had the flu, it made the first page of European newspapers. Why is he mainly forgotten today, except for a few plays like Pygmalion (My Fair Lady)? There are several reasons 1) his plays are more cerebral than sentimental, they lack sensitivity. 2) Shaw maintained 19th century socialist views in the 20th century. He remained largely unaware of the dangers of communism and was a proponent of eugenics. Worst of all in my view, he was a supporter of Irish neutrality during World War 2.
Now about this play. The subject is Napoleon during the Italian campaign. Napoleon is described as a future despot without a conscience, which he well deserves. The play is a long discussion between him and a woman who stole his mail to prevent him to discover that his wife is unfaithful. It is not Shaw's best play despite a few funny moments. There is more ethics discussion than action. A better view on the subject of narcissistic despots came from Charlie Chaplin The Great Dictator. And if you are interested in the subject and care for music, I recommend Shostakovich Against Stalin The War Symphonies.
With good actors this seldom performed Shaw one act could be highly entertaining. Napoleon meets his match in a brilliant woman agent. The supporting characters are both funny. They cause chaos, but no real harm. As often with Shaw the stage directions are virtually novel length. Modern actors and directors would be rolling on the floor at the first read through. Still, Shaw wrote for the reader as well as the cast. Perhaps readers will still find these explicit descriptions helpful. In Shaw's best plays these nuanced instructions contribute. In his middling plays they can be tolerated. In the rest they make the writing seem klunky. Shaws dialogue still makes reading them worth the effort.
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