The long list of pioneering dramatists always marks George Bernard Shaw as a renowned author with umpteen accolades and kudos. His journey to date receives honors.
In his lifetime his words had the rare spark that made him emerge as a classic author. His sense of presenting the engaging dramatic tone in his words unfolds his popularity thousandfold.
To people of his generation, George Bernard Shaw was a name of admiration and reverence. However, at the same time, dissentient voices also emerged that were not ready to give him a high place among the renowned British dramatists. Moreover, some competent quarters also expressed doubts about the immortality of Shaw’s plays.
It is an undeniable truth that the Irish playwright’s works are more or less dated. Almost every drama of George Bernard Shaw chooses to deal with some contemporary issues, and readers can easily understand that the dramatist’s words give solutions to those issues. And here begins an argument.
Many critics unhesitatingly argue that a time will come when the said problems or issues will no longer remain as problems to man, and as a result, they will cease to create interest in human minds. They don’t even hesitate to ask what will be the fate of the Shavian creations when the phase of diminishing interest will appear.
There is a common reality that most authors don’t get the applause that they really deserve during their time. From Shakespeare to Keats, every pioneering creator gained fame either in their ending days or after their demise. The same thing happened to Shaw. The creations of the Irish playwright were not appraised rightly when he was alive. In short, a robust perspective was absent that could analyze the expertise of George Bernard Shaw.
The Irish writer’s personal spell never allowed the coolness, which is an inevitable part to unlock literary judgment. This indeed has prevented the easy opportunity to know and understand the writer’s personality hidden behind the words in his writings. Now this absence of scope naturally behoves readers to rightly assign the Irish dramatist his true-deserved place in the rich history of the literary silk-stocking British drama.
An unprejudiced view never allows landing on two opinions on the ultimate position of George Bernard Shaw among British playwrights. His achievement as a dramatist made him matchless. His creations often marked him as second only to Shakespeare and second to no playwright in English drama.
It is a reality that George Bernard Shaw chose the stage as the fittest platform in the world to pen his words. Every writing of Shaw itself defines how he taught himself the playwright’s job. The style of characterization with the requirement displays how the Irish dramatist climbed onto the stage to draw every part of plays.
Controversies about his style and work helped him to overcome the barrier and unlocked the key to becoming one of the supreme leaders in English drama.
Some critics always opine that Shaw’s dramas fall short of perfection. But the real question should be whose do not. There is a great controversy regarding some of his characters that are said to be lively marionettes rather than true human beings.
Some critic-readers also say that the playwright has lapses in delivering a sweet dramatic taste in some of his creations. Moreover, some opine that his humour sometimes appears feeble and tiresome. However, despite all these, when William Shakespeare has finally been put in the chair of the king of English dramatists, who is to be ultimately placed second, if not G. B. Shaw?
Marlowe, Sheridan, Webster, Ben Jonson – all are great authors. But their failings, in reality, are no fewer than those of George Bernard Shaw. Maybe their failings seem different, but honestly their achievements always seem less than the Irish dramatist’s.
According to A.C. Ward, none of the above-said authors ever directed or dominated the understanding and thoughts of the most popular seventeenth as well as eighteenth centuries as G.B. Shaw dominated the thought of the most-discussed “early twentieth century in England and beyond.”
Shaw is one of those rare dramatists who possessed a robust “command of rhetoric.” His brilliant wit unfolds a sensation in readers’ minds when it mingles with a fire of moral passion.