Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw
Misalliance is a play by George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1910. It is set in the country house of the wealthy Tarleton family on a hot summer day. The family is expecting a visit from a young aviator, but instead a strange assortment of characters arrive, including a Polish acrobat, a gun-maker, a socialist, and a young woman who claims to be the aviator's fiancée. The play follows the characters as they interact with each other and the Tarletons, and explore the themes of marriage, class, and the changing roles of men and women in society. Through the characters' conversations, Shaw examines the idea of a "misalliance" between people of different social classes, and the consequences of such a union. In the end, the characters come to realize that love and marriage should not be based on social class, but on mutual respect and understanding.
By George Bernard Shaw · First published 1914 · Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance · 32,014 words
First lines
_Johnny Tarleton, an ordinary young business man of thirty or less, is taking his weekly Friday to Tuesday in the house of his father, John Tarleton, who has made a great deal of money out of Tarleton's Underwear. The house is in Surrey, on the slope of Hindhead; and Johnny, reclining, novel in hand, in a swinging chair with a little awning above it, is enshrined in a spacious half hemisphere of glass which forms a pavilion commanding the garden, and, beyond it, a barren but lovely landscape of hill profile with fir trees, commons of bracken and gorse, and wonderful cloud pictures._
What this Textopian page supports
Misalliance is listed on Textopian as a play by George Bernard Shaw, dated 1914 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: George Bernard Shaw
- Date: 1914 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Satire
- Length: 32,014 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1,197 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Comedy — Misalliance is a comedic play written by George Bernard Shaw. It is a farce that satirizes the Edwardian society and its conventions.
- Drama — Misalliance is a dramatic play written by George Bernard Shaw. It is a witty and thought-provoking exploration of the Edwardian society and its conventions.
- Romance — Misalliance is a romantic play written by George Bernard Shaw. It contains a love story between two characters, John Tarleton and Hypatia, and explores the idea of arranged marriages.
- Satire — Misalliance is a satirical play written by George Bernard Shaw. It is a farce that pokes fun at the Edwardian society and its conventions.
Tags
20th century · Drama · England · English drama · Mate selection · Social life and customs · bentley · bunny · business · child · door · english literature