Mrs Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw
Mrs. Warren's Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893. It tells the story of Mrs. Warren, a middle-aged woman who has been living off of the profits of her profession as a madam of a brothel. When her daughter, Vivie, comes to visit her, she is shocked to discover her mother's profession and the two clash over their different views on morality and the role of women in society. Vivie is determined to make her own way in the world and refuses to accept her mother's money, while Mrs. Warren is determined to protect her daughter from the harsh realities of life. The play is a commentary on the double standards of Victorian society and the hypocrisy of the upper classes. It is a powerful exploration of the power dynamics between men and women and the struggle for women's rights.
By George Bernard Shaw · First published 1981 · Genre: Drama, Comedy, Social Commentary · 5 chapters · 16,773 words
First lines
Mrs Warren's Profession has been performed at last, after a delay of only eight years; and I have once more shared with Ibsen the triumphant amusement of startling all but the strongest-headed of the London theatre critics clean out of the practice of their profession. No author who has ever known the exultation of sending the Press into an hysterical tumult of protest, of moral panic, of involuntary and frantic confession of sin, of a horror of conscience in which the power of distinguishing between the work of art on the stage and the real life of the spectator is confused and overwhelmed, will ever care for the stereotyped compliments which every successful farce or melodrama elicits from the newspapers. Give me that critic who rushed from my play to declare furiously that Sir George Crofts ought to be kicked.
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Genres
- Drama — Mrs. Warren's Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, which is a form of drama.
- Comedy — The play contains elements of comedy, such as witty dialogue and humorous situations.
- Social Commentary — The play is a commentary on the social issues of the time, such as gender roles and class structure.
- Romance — The play contains a romantic subplot between two of the characters.
Tags
19th century · 19th century literature · Banned Books from Anne Haight's list · Drama · Great Britain · Prostitutes · Prostitution · Social conditions · Working class women · business · chair · crofts
What this Textopian page supports
Mrs Warren's Profession is listed on Textopian as a play by George Bernard Shaw, dated 1981 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: 1981 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Drama, Comedy, Social Commentary, Romance
- Length: 16,773 words
- Structure: 5 chapters, 1,036 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Mrs Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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