Shaw’s Candida: Multifarious Roles of Woman
Dr. Shiv Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Pritee College, Bhuta, Bareilly
Candida, by George Bernard Shaw, written in 1894 was published four years later in 1898, after initial refusal by many production houses. It was produced as a part of his Plays Pleasant. The play has received different reviews from the critics who differ in their opinion about the theme and hold their views largely on the basis of their gender. On the one hand Candida received positive reviews about the strong protagonist in the form of Candida while simultaneously most of the twentieth century women admirers have criticized it for presenting a conventional image of woman who chooses her shallow husband over her lover who was passionate about her. Thus it is apparent that the theme of the play revolves around three main characters, James Morell a clergyman, his wife Candida and a poetic scholar Eugene Marchbanks who tries to win over Candida’s love and affection. Shaw has carefully constructed the story of this play as it reflects the political issues of the time and has raised questions on the Victorian ethics and notions of love and marriage seeking the answer of what is it that a woman desire from her husband. In the early years after the publication and performance of the drama on stage in 1904 the play acquired immense popularity, up to the extent that a new term was coined as "Candidamania". As The New York Sun, puts it:
A new complaint has become widespread. It may be described as 'Candidamania.' It is a contagious disease, frequently caught in street cars, elevated trains, department stores, restaurants, and other places where people talk about what they did the night before. 'Have you seen Candida?' is the question of the hour. Thousands are dragging their friends to see Mr. Shaw's play. (Wikipedia)
Candida has a very conventional plot- love triangle between a middle aged clergyman his wife and a young poet but certainly his treatment of the theme is unique and interestingly all the three major characters share equal space in the play. The play is an incredible combination of different situations, suspense, sympathy and impetuous of noble human characteristics depicted by Candida. It is a satire of the prevailing society with that of a careless husband and a young eighteen years old poet who develops affinity towards the former’s wife who is obviously senior to him in age and experience. Morell’s character is constructed in a way that he fails as a husband to understand his own wife, ironically when he himself is a preacher. Shaw’s art of characterization is highly commendable as he uses irony while depicting the Character of Morell, as he being a socialist and a preacher of equality doesn’t consider his wife as equal to him. Morell typically treats Candida like a servant without respecting her enough, he falls on her for all the emotional and moral support but does not value the efforts put in by her. Being a woman Candida is altogether dependent on him for all her needs. Their marriage is only functional because it’s Candida who puts in the efforts of making and keeping Morell on a pedestal. The character of Candida written by Shaw proves much justice to her as the name itself means “white” or “pure” she is a very realist character, unlike Morell who is not honest even when his job requires him to be. Candida is perfectly honest and doesn’t really hold a very good rapport of Morell, she thinks of him. Most of the people who listen to him at church call him very eloquent and hold a high regard for him but its Candida who knows the reality behind it. She knows that people are attracted to him only for his handsome personality. This makes Morell a fraud.
The human need to be loved and be worshipped by someone is very natural and the opportunity presented itself to Candida, too through the character of Eugene Marchbanks who is a young poet scholar. “Candida is in fact a resolutely naturalistic play in which Shaw for the first time attempts to give poetry its due."( Louis 1969 : p 36) Eugene Marchbanks was the representative of poets of the nineties. He was a worshipper of beauty and love. He does not like that Candida should perform most menial tasks as a homemaker. Her husband takes her love for granted. Eugene Marchbanks brought the passion and the fire of romance in the life of Candida. Eugene wanted to fill the voids of love in her life that were caused due to her husband Morell. Candida was also attracted by this flame of passion but in a different way.
For Morell, married life was a result of planning done by almighty. Alexander Mill was surprised to know what Morell thinks about Candida. He finds it hard to understand his opinion for Mrs. Morell, Candida. He explains Alexander affectionately about marriage in reference to Candida.
Morell (tenderly) Ah, my boy, get married: married to a good woman; and then you’ll understand. That’s a foretaste of what will be best in the Kingdom of Heaven we are trying to establish on earth. That will cure you of dawdling. An honest man feels that he must pay Heaven for every hour of happiness with a good spell of hard unselfish work to make others happy. We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it]. (Shaw 9)
The constitution of marriage was extremely pure and sacred for Morell but Candida was just a woman. Morell without noticing had cultivated this enormous distance between himself and his wife both “Morally and Intellectually” (Louis 36).
Morell was entirely taken over by the sentiments of his duty to church and socialism. Morell considers himself lucky enough to be married to Candida but had unknowingly reduced her life to mere drudgery. Even though Candida despises him in her heart but still honors the sanctity of her marriage with Morell, despite feeling the distance between them she chooses to stay with the hollowness of the emotions of Morell. With the progress in the play, we see that Morell is so full of himself that he is oblivious to the reality of his marriage which was hanging by a thread. He kept assuming how he was worshipped not only by his disciples but by his helpless wife Candida, too. Candida stays true to herself and doesn’t back down upon the situation of calling Morell out on the duplicity of the situation and the fraud that he was committing in the name of God.
“Candida: James, for what it went I should care very little for your sermons: mere phrases that you cheat yourself and others with every day.” (Shaw 53)
There is another important observation to make here, Candida is a rare name given by Shaw to a female protagonist. She stands true on the meaning of her name; she is open and forwards and even communicates about the young poet’s feelings towards her. She is honest about everything and discusses about her grown fondness towards Marchbanks. The feelings in Candida for Morell were very innocent almost mother like. She can’t even be blamed for infidelity as she never crossed her boundaries because of Morell and the fondness can be justified as she was a neglected wife. She was awestruck by Marchbank’s passion and novelty and this endeavor felt like a distraction from her every day anxiety.
“Candida: Eugene’s always right. He’s a wonderful boy: I have grown fonder of him all the time I was away. Do you know, James, that though he has not the least suspicion of it himself, he is ready to fall madly in love with me?” (Shaw 53)
Morell’s mind had already been poisoned by Eugene’s confession a stain on Candida’s chastity had been hurled. The confession felt like a drop of pebble in the calm water of domestic life of the Morell. Beeing a social orthodox Morell was engulfed entirely in the thoughts of danger, the danger of losing his wife. Morell’s life circled around Candida and she is completely aware of the fact how dependent on her. Candida is portrayed in the light of a motherly figure, she is constantly seen smothering him, and she is the mother, sister and his wife to him along with being the mother to her own children. Candida is aware of the anxiety and fear that would bring to Morell if she had chosen to stay away with Marchbanks.
She would go out of her way to provide convenience to Mr. Morell for petty amount which was a hint of her affection, she always hated Candida for she was attractive and had a tolerable figure and more than that how pretentious the relationship of two them was. Morell was fairly oblivious to such notions but it was Candida who made him aware of all such ongoing, she justifies the feelings of woman towards Morell by admiring his way of preaching and how splendidly that makes other women to go to the boring places like St. Dominic on Sundays, just to have a glance at him. Prossy’s devotion gives Candida a very apt chance to call it “Prossy’s complaint”, which makes her believe that all the woman of the congregation were not interested in talks of socialism and all had “Prossy’s complaint” and were only drawn towards him. Like Candida, Morell is a loyal man.
Shaw makes the readers realize that Morell was living in a bubble of happy marriage with Candida. Prossy rightly points out the awkwardness in the presentation of his relationship with Candida who is actually a neglected wife. Still Candida has a great understanding about her husband. It was a very sad moment as a multifarious woman Candida was at the disposal of two men. “These two men; a man of character and a man of intellect” (Duffin 53)
She handled the things very gently and took the charge of her destiny in her own hands. To make this decision, she asks both of them what all were they willing to offer her for her presence in their lives. Candida was in point of fact is to give a lifetime sentence to either one of them. She handled the things very gently and took the charge of her destiny in her own hands. To make this decision, she asks both of them what all were they willing to offer her for her presence in their lives. Candida was in point of fact is to give a lifetime sentence to either one of them. “Candida: I give myself to the weaker of the two”. (Shaw 79)
She continues to cosset him like his mother and sisters while explaining her choice of preference, Morell. He needed her more. In the beginning of the third act Eugene and Candida are sitting by the fire and are seen discoursing. Candida asks Eugene to top reciting poetry and just wanted to talk, taking over her wits completely she subsides her emotions. Shaw shows the strength in the character of Candida as she unchained herself from her emotional eruption and bids Eugene a farewell. Eugene tries to justify that lovers don’t have to be bounded by the age as the age of lovers is one. Later, he understands the need for self-sufficiency and cries his heart out. “With the unconventional and “immortal” things said in the play notwithstanding, the story ends conventionally by her choosing Morell”.(Harris 182) Choosing Morell was the right decision for her as he was the father of her children. If she had chosen to go away with Eugene, it would have been a sensational play.
Eugene grew on her. Nevertheless, she decides to save her farce marriage. Certainly, Candida made a good deal out of the worst. Although Morell and Candida is not an ideal couple, she still chose to be with him. Throughout her speech, Candida proves she is equal to a man and that equality should exist in marriage. Due to their dependence on women, men dominate women in marriages. Shaw's heroines are wise like other strong women. Despite the passion of others, she did not allow herself to be a victim. Unlike Marchbanks, she was capable of judging facts and facing life's evils firmly. Eugene grew on her. Nevertheless, she decides to save her farce marriage. Certainly, Candida made a good deal out of the worst. Although Morell and Candida is not an ideal couple, she still chose to be with him. Throughout her speech, Candida proves she is equal to a man and that equality should exist in marriage.
Candida is a very beautiful human filled with empathy to understand humans, she understands Eugene’s angst while being attracted to the love that he had to offer but she never crossed her boundary. She owns a rare quality of common sense, likes poetry and is very efficient in managing the chaos and even plays a role of charwoman by scrubbing floors, when the situation demands so. She used to stay away from home so she meticulously chose a secretary, Ms. Proserpine, for Morell who was neither clever nor pretty. Thus in the form of Candida, Shaw has portrayed a multifarious character who is a rare combination of dutiful wife, loving mother, efficient homemaker, caring friend, intelligent woman and above all a perfect human being with a heart full of milk of human kindness. In creating a memorable character like Candida, in fact, Shaw has immortalized himself as a playwright.
References
Shaw, George Bernard. Candida. Atlantic Publishers and Distributers (P) Ltd.,1998.
Crompton, Louis. Shaw the Dramatist. George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1969.
Duffin, Henry Charles. The Quintessence of Bernard Shaw. Folcroft Library Editions, 1975.
Harris, Frank. Bernard Shaw: An Unauthorized Biography Based on First Hand Information
Simon and Schuster, 1931.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_(play)