Characters in the Play:
1. Charteris - the hero, whom the title philanderer refers to
2. Mrs. Grace - a widow but in love with Charteris
3. Julia Craven - also in love with Charteris
4. Sylvia Craven - sister of Julia Craven, also attracted by Charteris
5. Colonel Craven - father of Julia and Sylvia, supposed to suffer from liver complaint
6. Cuthbertson - father of Grace, a theatre critic
7. Dr. Paramore - the one whom Julia finally marries
Summary of the Play:
Charteris is the philanderer( one who has sexual relationship with many women) who openly admits to Mrs. Grace that Julia is among many women who are attracted towards him. The arrival of Julia there leads to quarrel between her and Grace. Colonel Craven who is supposed to have liver complaint has no hope of surviving next Easter after knowing these quarrels. Cuthbertson, the theatre critic as well as father of Grace gets shocked to know the triangle Charteris-Julia-Grace relationship However, Charteris tells both the fathers that he is going to marry only Grace.
The next scene set up in Ibsen Club reveals the inner dirtiness in each character. Dr. Paramore who has planned vivisection (experiment or surgery on live animals or human beings) with Colonel Craven comes to know that the latter's disease really does not exist and he resents on it. Charteris reveals that both Grace and Julia are in love with him but he is not at all going to marry either. The Ibsen Club scene presents the change of interest in most of the characters. Julia dances with Dr.Paramore but tries to trap Charteris alone. Her sister Sylvia is interested in Charteris and tells him that Julia is in love with Dr. Paramore. Grace is also attracted by Dr. Paramore and retires with him privately. Charteris who could not endure the connection between Dr. Paramore and Grace, arouses Julia's jealousy by pointing out their private meet. Again both Grace and Julia quarrels with each other but this time for Dr. Paramore, not for Charteris. Julia takes Dr. Paramore away from the Club and in the next scene accepts him to marry. Julia and Grace get reconciled and congratulate each other for having escaped from Charteris. Charteris who, a philanderer, is considered "no fit husband" is delighted at this union of Dr. Paramore and Julia. For the same play, Shaw's own ending in manuscript is divorce but he has dropped out this at his friend's suggestion. According to this, after 4 years of their marriage, Dr. Paramore is tired of Julia and she is bored of marriage. The suggestion given by Charteris is divorce since Dr. Paramore wants to marry Grace now. Most of the stages choose only the marriage, not divorce at the end.
Criticism:
Who is Charteris? Is he Shaw himself? In his mid-thirties,Shaw himself had sexual affairs with many women,especially with a widow, elder to him and with an actress slightly younger in age. Thus in the first place, the play is autobiographical as well as unpleasant as Shaw himself designates it as one of the Unpleasant Plays. What about Ibsen Club? It is a place where upper class people with modern and advanced ideas about marriage socialize. It is employed by Shaw skillfully to drive home his ideas about marriage. The hero Charteris is unheroic; the husband-hungry hyperemotional lady Julia is tempestuous and accepts the infactuated but ambitious Dr. Paramore and rejects Charteris; Club scenes get flavoured with mannish Sylvia. The plot is weaved on grotesque sexual combats.Shaw himself was unwilling to update the unpleasant play and said, "The human nature in it is still in fashion."
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