Man and Superman: Analysis of Setting
"Man and Superman," a play by George Bernard Shaw, intricately weaves multiple settings that reflect its themes of social morality, modernity, and philosophical debate. The play opens in Ramsden's office in London, a symbol of Victorian conservatism that serves as the backdrop for protagonist Jack Tanner's challenge to conventional values. This office space highlights the tension between tradition and progressive thought, particularly through the character of Ann Whitefield, who seeks to disrupt societal norms.
Act 2 shifts to the Whitefield house, located in Richmond, introducing an outdoor setting that emphasizes the significance of the automobile, aligning with the emerging modern technological landscape represented by Henry Straker. The narrative then transports the audience to the Sierra Nevada mountains in Act 3, evoking Spain's cultural Golden Age and providing a dramatic context for Tanner's philosophical musings in the dream sequence "Don Juan in Hell," which is set in a conceptualized void of Hell, allowing for profound discussions beyond the constraints of time.
Finally, Act 4 takes place in Granada, within a garden that overlooks the famed Alhambra ruins, enriching the emotional stakes of Tanner and Ann's relationship with a sense of exoticism. This setting enhances the dramatic tension surrounding Violet's secret marriage and deepens the exploration of the characters' desires and conflicts, making their interactions resonate within the rich tapestry of Moorish Spain. Overall, the diverse settings in "Man and Superman" play a crucial role in reflecting and challenging the societal norms of Shaw's time.
Man and Superman: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1903
First produced: 1905
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Play of ideas
Time of work: c. 1900
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
Ramsden’s office
Ramsden’s office. London workplace in which Jack Tanner works. As a bastion of ossified conservatism, the office becomes a symbol of Victorian social morality and an arena for Tanner’s ferocious assault on conventional values in act 1. Its stuffy respectability provides an obvious motive for Ann Whitefield’s display of her determination to subvert convention in pursuit of her aims.
Whitefield house
Whitefield house. Suburban home in Richmond, near London, used for an outdoor setting in act 2, that establishes the importance of the automobile for subsequent action and introduces the pragmatic outlook of the modern technological man, Henry Straker.
*Sierra Nevada
*Sierra Nevada. Spanish mountain range in which Mendoza’s comic opera bandits hide out in act 3. It evokes the atmosphere of Spain’s cultural Golden Age and inspires the “Don Juan in Hell” dream sequence, embodying Tanner’s vision of a philosophical Don Juan.
Hell
Hell. Act 3 is set either in an empty void in Hell or on Hell’s border. This austere setting presents Shaw’s new version of Hell, a forum for elegant philosophical debate by bodiless spirits outside of time.
*Granada
*Granada. Province in southern Spain, where act 4 is set in the garden of a villa within sight of the famous Alhambra ruins of early Moorish occupation. Granada’s exotic ambience seems to inspire the emotional power of scenes that reveal the truth about Violet’s secret marriage and present the dramatic climax of Ann’s protracted pursuit of Tanner. The aura of Moorish Spain makes the passionate conflict of Ann and Tanner’s final scene, counterpointed by Shavian comedy, more credible.
Bibliography
Crompton, Louis. “Man and Superman.” In Shaw the Dramatist. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1969. Discusses the play’s social, philosophical, and historical background. A clear presentation of Shaw’s ideas and their sources in the nineteenth century intellectual tradition.
Holroyd, Michael. Bernard Shaw. 3 vols. New York: Random House, 1988-1991. In the first two volumes of this detailed and indispensable biography—The Search for Love and The Pursuit of Power—Holroyd emphasizes Shaw’s musical structure in the play and shows how Shaw inverts popular conventions as part of his attack on conventional morals.
Nethercot, Arthur H. Men and Supermen: The Shavian Portrait Gallery. 2d ed. New York: Benjamin Blom, 1954. Elaborate treatment of Shaw’s ideas on the superman. Discusses Man and Superman and its underlying philosophy and relates the work to a number of other plays.
Silver, Arnold. “Man and Superman: Erecting a Creed.” In Bernard Shaw: The Darker Side. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1982. Starts with the premise that the play is a fairly standard romantic comedy and relates it to Shaw’s courtship of Charlotte Payne-Townshend at the time he was writing the play.
Wisenthal, J. L. “Man and Superman.” In The Marriage of Contraries: Bernard Shaw’s Middle Plays. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1974. Discusses how Shaw presents and ultimately unifies the varying view and philosophies represented by the play’s characters.