Shaw’s Major Barbara as a Thesis Play

Abstract

Shaw’s Major Barbara has always been controversial and has largely created problems for critics and audiences alike.In recent years Shavian literary criticism has focused increasingly on Major Barbara, perhaps the most debatable and well-known of George Bernard Shaw's major plays. The current trend of opinion seems inclined to take Major Barbara as Shaw's finest masterpiece or as one of his two or three masterpieces. There seems to be general agreement on the brilliance of its comedy, characterization, and dialogue. However, the argument usually arises from what to make of the conclusion. We have here many controversial questions to be asked. Can we regard it as a thesis play or anti-thesis play? A thesis play is a drama which deals with a very specific problem and, very probably, offers a solution at the end. Obviously, the play ends with some sort of a realistic solution which is the unity between the three different powers or characters. However, one may argue whether such a realistic leap is far convincing or not? And to what extent such finality can be applied as a tenable peaceful resolution? To put it more precisely, the paper attempts to examine the tenability of Shaw’s ideas and solutions offered in the play when seen on other settings and situations like the Palestinian case. It offers a perspective analysis to the end of the play and to what extent we can regard it as a thesis play.