Style
George Bernard Shaw style was unique; in fact, he was one of the few playwrights to have an adjective named after him based on his writing (Shavian). Chekov and Shakespeare are the only other two to reach this feat.
Shaw works are described as:
Plays of ideas – he uses intellect to connect to his audience and his plays contain monologues and dialogue where characters participate in intellectual debates.
Socially conscious – he used theater to explore social issues, also bringing awareness to many social problems that plagued his time.
They are also very comedic and are usually distinguished by clever language. Shaw uses wit to keep the audience laughing while at the same time bringing social issues in front of them. In this way, he achieves his goals of educating, challenging, and enlightening his audiences.
In regards to his characters, Shaw rarely shows us the malice or pain behind them on stage.
“The conflict is not between clear right and wrong: the villain is as conscientious as the hero, if not more so; in fact, the question that makes the play interesting is which the villain and which is the hero?”
He wants his characters to speak and understand the many ways we can speak the English language. The dialogue is diverse grammatically but is performed with diverse accents.
Shaw’s background in music also influenced the tone and mood of his plays.
“Nobody nursed on letters alone will ever get the Mozartian joyousness into comedy.”
- George Bernard Shaw
For more information:
"Pygmalion Writing Style." Shmoop. Shmoop University , n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.shmoop.com/pygmalion/writing-style.html>.
Wansley, Sarah. "Shaw's Style In Contextby By Sarah Wansley." Mrs. Warren's Profession: McCarter Audience Guide. McCarter Theater , n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mccarter.org/education/mrs-warrens/html/6.html>.
Shaw works are described as:
Plays of ideas – he uses intellect to connect to his audience and his plays contain monologues and dialogue where characters participate in intellectual debates.
Socially conscious – he used theater to explore social issues, also bringing awareness to many social problems that plagued his time.
They are also very comedic and are usually distinguished by clever language. Shaw uses wit to keep the audience laughing while at the same time bringing social issues in front of them. In this way, he achieves his goals of educating, challenging, and enlightening his audiences.
In regards to his characters, Shaw rarely shows us the malice or pain behind them on stage.
“The conflict is not between clear right and wrong: the villain is as conscientious as the hero, if not more so; in fact, the question that makes the play interesting is which the villain and which is the hero?”
He wants his characters to speak and understand the many ways we can speak the English language. The dialogue is diverse grammatically but is performed with diverse accents.
Shaw’s background in music also influenced the tone and mood of his plays.
“Nobody nursed on letters alone will ever get the Mozartian joyousness into comedy.”
- George Bernard Shaw
For more information:
"Pygmalion Writing Style." Shmoop. Shmoop University , n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.shmoop.com/pygmalion/writing-style.html>.
Wansley, Sarah. "Shaw's Style In Contextby By Sarah Wansley." Mrs. Warren's Profession: McCarter Audience Guide. McCarter Theater , n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mccarter.org/education/mrs-warrens/html/6.html>.