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