A Study of Mrs. Warren’s Profession Essay

Although George Bernard Shaw finished writing Mrs. Warren’s Profession in 1893, he was unable to get a license to stage it until 1902. Since this play deals with the double standards between rich and poor and men and women the inability for it to be performed in London for nine years is both poignant and ironic. This time lapse emphasizes the â€Å"the victimization of young women and girls, not just in brothels . . . to which society conveniently turned a blind eye† (Dierkes-Thrun 293). The royal censor chose to ignore the issues Shaw’s play presents in favor of more conventional, happier plays. Although nominally about Mrs. Warren’s profession as a prostitute and madam, the play also deals with incest, the relationship between Victorian men and women, and the relationship between Mrs. Warren and Vivie Warren. The theme that drives the play is the victimization of the poor caused by the underpaying and overworking of women and men by the social institutions in England. Broad and Broad cite the preface to Getting Married† where in 1908 Shaw wrote, â€Å"I have shewn [sic}]that Mrs. Warren’s Profession is an economic phenomenon produced by our underpayment and illtreatment [sic] of women who try to earn an honest living† (64-5). Shaw illustrates this victimization with the relationships between the four male characters and the two women. These men all appear to have the same interest and relationship in Vivie as they do in her mother, Kitty Warren. Praed, the first male appearing on stage has an artistic temperament and a long term friendship with Mrs. Warren. He denies that he has a sexual relationship with her and has had â€Å"nothing to do with that side of Mrs. Warren’s life [her profession as a prostitute and madam], and never had. † He claims that he is just a friend who helps Kitty Warren â€Å"escape from her own beauty† (Shaw 66). He appears to have come to meet Vivie and become her friend in the same fashion. The effect is that both women are his friends and serve the same role as one another. Sir George Crofts represents the English upper class gentleman and is later revealed as Kitty Warren’s business partner. The two have a long history together: they were intimate before he became Sir George and she became Mrs. Warren. Crofts has an eye for both Mrs. Warren and Vivie. This prospect that he may be Vivie’s father does not deter him. Almost immediately after meeting Vivie, Crofts queries Mr. Praed to find out if he knows who Vivie’s father is. When Praed denies the knowledge Crofts asks for the favor of being told if he knows because he feels attracted even though he may be Vivie’s father. He assures Praed that â€Å"it’s quite an innocent feeling. That’s what puzzles me about it. Why, for all I know, I might be her father† (Shaw 66). Despite his protests of innocence his interest appear more sinister than not. When Frank Gardner first appears on stage he reveals to Praed, who appears to be becoming a confidant for all of the characters, that he knows Vivie and that she loves him (Shaw 67). Despite this declaration Frank Gardner flirts outrageously with Kitty Warren that evening even suggesting that she accompany him to Vienna. She responds and gives him a kiss before she dismisses him by telling him to go and â€Å"make love to Vivie† (Shaw 69). The last gentleman is the Reverend Samuel Gardner, father of Frank, who represents the Church. He had an indiscretion with Kitty Warren prior to his having studied for the clergy. During their romance he wrote her several love letters and later, embarrassed by what she has become and fearful of what she might do with the letters, he asks for them back. Mrs. Warren flatly refuses to return the letters because â€Å"[k]nowledge is power . . . and I never sell power† (Shaw 68). Apparently Sir George Crofts, Reverend Gardner, and Mrs. Kitty Warren have a past together when they were young and were known as George Crofts, Sam Gardner, and Miss Vavasour (Shaw 68). Later in the play Crofts tells Frank Gardner that Vivie is his half-sister as a result of the liaison between Reverend Gardner and Kitty Warren. The similarity between the way these men treat both women indicates they view women as interchangeable parts instead of having value as individual people. It is not just the men who uses Mrs. Warren; Vivie also makes use of her mother as a tool. Shaw describes Vivie as â€Å"an attractive specimen of the sensible, able, highly-educated young middle-class Englishwoman† (Shaw 62). At the beginning of the play Vivie does not even bother picking up her mother at the train station. This is understandable because Vivie does not really know her mother who has spent most of her time in Brussels and Vienna with occasional visits to England (Shaw 64). Although she admits her mother always provided for her by paying for her caregivers and schools, there is no daughter-mother relationship. Vivie fancies herself as being in control of her life. She plans on being the modern woman or new woman who will make her own way by using the mathematics she has studied and excelled in to work â€Å"in the City, and work at actuarial calculations and conveyancing [sic] . . . with one eye at the Stock Exchange† (Shaw 63). She wants nothing from her mother except my fare to London to start there to-morrow earning my own living . . . † (Shaw 64). This is clearly the boasting of someone who has never had to provide for herself but has had her livelihood and education handed to her. She tells of her work experience when she had She had worked for six weeks the previous May where she did calculations, but her view of working is not realistic with thoughts of day to day working that may become drudgery, but more like the imaginings of a school girl who temporarily worked beneath her financial station as lark. She imagines this experience has not only provided her with tools to make her own living, but will satisfy her social life as because when she stayed with her friend Honoria she spent her evenings with her friend where â€Å"in the evenings we smoked and talked, and never dreamt of going out except for exercise. And I never enjoyed myself more in my life. I cleared all my expenses . . . (Shaw 63). Vivie is naive and innocent of the realities of life. Doing something for six weeks as a lark is one thing; doing the same thing for the rest of your life just â€Å"clearing expenses† and being subject to the accidents and difficulties one faces in real life is something quite different and, at times, not that enjoyable. Vivie challenges her mother by saying â€Å"Everybody knows my reputation, my social standing, and the profession I intend to pursue† (Shaw 74). The implication being that her mother’s life has been hidden and she should make it known. When Vivie declares that, â€Å"The poorest girl alive may not be able to choose between being Queen of England or Principal of Newnham; but she can choose between ragpicking [sic] and flowerselling [sic], according to her taste. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them† (Shaw 75), it becomes too much for Mrs. Warren and she tells Vivie about her circumstances. When she worked fourteen hours a day as a waitress and dishwasher Kitty Warren earned only four shillings per week and board. When Vivie discovers her mother’s profession she finds herself shocked but admiring her mother for the sacrifices she has made, â€Å"my dear mother: you are a wonderful woman† and asks her mother if they can be friends (Shaw 77). However, the next morning when Crofts tells her that he is her mother’s partner and they are still operate brothels throughout Europe, Vivie changes her mind about her mother and immediately leaves to start her working career in London. When she is followed by Praed, Frank, and her mother, she summarily dismisses them from her life and determines to make her own way in life. One cannot help but wonder if Vivie Warren would not have suffered the same or a similar fate as her mother if she had not had the benefit of her mother’s money that allowed her to study at college and to go into business. At the play’s end Vivie Warren has been liberated. She has said goodbye to her mother, Frank, and the others, with the possible exception of Praed who may still be a friend. She has rejected the possible romance with Frank, who may be her brother, she has refused the marriage proposal of Sir George Crofts, who may be her father, and has rejected the lifestyle of her mother who continues to make money from her brothels. She has chosen to an unconventional life, but in a rather more acceptable, conventional fashion than did her mother. Although it was rare in the Victorian age for a woman to work in an office it was far more acceptable than being either a madam or a prostitute and was becoming more acceptable with each passing year. Ultimately, there is not that much difference between Vivie and her mother. Each sought and found a way to create independence for herself. Vivie has been forced to make a decision that is not popular with society to gain her own independence, just as her mother had to do twenty years earlier. Just as her mother had to reject her conventional life, Vivie had to reject the life offered to her by Kitty Warren. Liggins offers an interesting analysis about Vivie’s rejection of her mother’s lifestyle by making mention of the concept of the new woman. Vivie sees herself as a new woman who has time for nothing other than business. Liggins posits that Mrs. Warren’s Profession is about the relationship between the new woman and the prostitute. Shaw portrays Kitty Warren as a incorrigible flirt who could never be accepted in society. Vivie chooses a life that exempts her from being a part of society as she has no regard for it. The new woman has carved out a new niche in life but the new woman, just like the conventional woman and conventional man regards prostitution as immoral and consequently opens the door to continued economic poverty for the poor. Mrs. Warren’s Profession is a very interesting play. By today’s standards it is fairly tame and is suitable for high school students. Shaw does a good job attacking conventional mores. However, he pulls his punches and fails to finish off the Victorian conventions (Harris 176). Therefore the reader is not entirely satisfied. One feels it could have been a stronger play than it is. Harris writes that â€Å"there is no play in all Shaw’s works as full of magnificent misses as this one. It could be one of the greatest dramas of all time and it is unforgettable, but it fails to achieve timeless greatness† (Harris 176). Harris suggests two reason why the play does not quite work; he believes that either Shaw did not know how to handle the issues, which appears to be a good conclusion since Shaw does not describe or even name Mrs. Warren’s Profession; or Shaw â€Å"was afraid to drive right through to the end of it. † In either case, as written Mrs. Warren’s Profession fails to resolve the issues; virtually everything is the same at the final curtain as it was at the beginning of the play. Kitty Warren is a madam, Vivie Warren is an independent new woman and the men are left trying to resume their â€Å"pre-Vivie lives. † Unfortunately the double standards between rich and poor, and man and woman remain. The poor are still victims of these double standards. A Study of Mrs. Warren’s Profession Essay Although George Bernard Shaw finished writing Mrs. Warren’s Profession in 1893, he was unable to get a license to stage it until 1902. Since this play deals with the double standards between rich and poor and men and women the inability for it to be performed in London for nine years is both poignant and ironic. This time lapse emphasizes the â€Å"the victimization of young women and girls, not just in brothels . . . to which society conveniently turned a blind eye† (Dierkes-Thrun 293). The royal censor chose to ignore the issues Shaw’s play presents in favor of more conventional, happier plays. Although nominally about Mrs. Warren’s profession as a prostitute and madam, the play also deals with incest, the relationship between Victorian men and women, and the relationship between Mrs. Warren and Vivie Warren. The theme that drives the play is the victimization of the poor caused by the underpaying and overworking of women and men by the social institutions in England. Broad and Broad cite the preface to Getting Married† where in 1908 Shaw wrote, â€Å"I have shewn [sic}]that Mrs. Warren’s Profession is an economic phenomenon produced by our underpayment and illtreatment [sic] of women who try to earn an honest living† (64-5). Shaw illustrates this victimization with the relationships between the four male characters and the two women. These men all appear to have the same interest and relationship in Vivie as they do in her mother, Kitty Warren. Praed, the first male appearing on stage has an artistic temperament and a long term friendship with Mrs. Warren. He denies that he has a sexual relationship with her and has had â€Å"nothing to do with that side of Mrs. Warren’s life [her profession as a prostitute and madam], and never had. † He claims that he is just a friend who helps Kitty Warren â€Å"escape from her own beauty† (Shaw 66). He appears to have come to meet Vivie and become her friend in the same fashion. The effect is that both women are his friends and serve the same role as one another. Sir George Crofts represents the English upper class gentleman and is later revealed as Kitty Warren’s business partner. The two have a long history together: they were intimate before he became Sir George and she became Mrs. Warren. Crofts has an eye for both Mrs. Warren and Vivie. This prospect that he may be Vivie’s father does not deter him. Almost immediately after meeting Vivie, Crofts queries Mr. Praed to find out if he knows who Vivie’s father is. When Praed denies the knowledge Crofts asks for the favor of being told if he knows because he feels attracted even though he may be Vivie’s father. He assures Praed that â€Å"it’s quite an innocent feeling. That’s what puzzles me about it. Why, for all I know, I might be her father† (Shaw 66). Despite his protests of innocence his interest appear more sinister than not. When Frank Gardner first appears on stage he reveals to Praed, who appears to be becoming a confidant for all of the characters, that he knows Vivie and that she loves him (Shaw 67). Despite this declaration Frank Gardner flirts outrageously with Kitty Warren that evening even suggesting that she accompany him to Vienna. She responds and gives him a kiss before she dismisses him by telling him to go and â€Å"make love to Vivie† (Shaw 69). The last gentleman is the Reverend Samuel Gardner, father of Frank, who represents the Church. He had an indiscretion with Kitty Warren prior to his having studied for the clergy. During their romance he wrote her several love letters and later, embarrassed by what she has become and fearful of what she might do with the letters, he asks for them back. Mrs. Warren flatly refuses to return the letters because â€Å"[k]nowledge is power . . . and I never sell power† (Shaw 68). Apparently Sir George Crofts, Reverend Gardner, and Mrs. Kitty Warren have a past together when they were young and were known as George Crofts, Sam Gardner, and Miss Vavasour (Shaw 68). Later in the play Crofts tells Frank Gardner that Vivie is his half-sister as a result of the liaison between Reverend Gardner and Kitty Warren. The similarity between the way these men treat both women indicates they view women as interchangeable parts instead of having value as individual people. It is not just the men who uses Mrs. Warren; Vivie also makes use of her mother as a tool. Shaw describes Vivie as â€Å"an attractive specimen of the sensible, able, highly-educated young middle-class Englishwoman† (Shaw 62). At the beginning of the play Vivie does not even bother picking up her mother at the train station. This is understandable because Vivie does not really know her mother who has spent most of her time in Brussels and Vienna with occasional visits to England (Shaw 64). Although she admits her mother always provided for her by paying for her caregivers and schools, there is no daughter-mother relationship. Vivie fancies herself as being in control of her life. She plans on being the modern woman or new woman who will make her own way by using the mathematics she has studied and excelled in to work â€Å"in the City, and work at actuarial calculations and conveyancing [sic] . . . with one eye at the Stock Exchange† (Shaw 63). She wants nothing from her mother except my fare to London to start there to-morrow earning my own living . . . † (Shaw 64). This is clearly the boasting of someone who has never had to provide for herself but has had her livelihood and education handed to her. She tells of her work experience when she had She had worked for six weeks the previous May where she did calculations, but her view of working is not realistic with thoughts of day to day working that may become drudgery, but more like the imaginings of a school girl who temporarily worked beneath her financial station as lark. She imagines this experience has not only provided her with tools to make her own living, but will satisfy her social life as because when she stayed with her friend Honoria she spent her evenings with her friend where â€Å"in the evenings we smoked and talked, and never dreamt of going out except for exercise. And I never enjoyed myself more in my life. I cleared all my expenses . . . (Shaw 63). Vivie is naive and innocent of the realities of life. Doing something for six weeks as a lark is one thing; doing the same thing for the rest of your life just â€Å"clearing expenses† and being subject to the accidents and difficulties one faces in real life is something quite different and, at times, not that enjoyable. Vivie challenges her mother by saying â€Å"Everybody knows my reputation, my social standing, and the profession I intend to pursue† (Shaw 74). The implication being that her mother’s life has been hidden and she should make it known. When Vivie declares that, â€Å"The poorest girl alive may not be able to choose between being Queen of England or Principal of Newnham; but she can choose between ragpicking [sic] and flowerselling [sic], according to her taste. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them† (Shaw 75), it becomes too much for Mrs. Warren and she tells Vivie about her circumstances. When she worked fourteen hours a day as a waitress and dishwasher Kitty Warren earned only four shillings per week and board. When Vivie discovers her mother’s profession she finds herself shocked but admiring her mother for the sacrifices she has made, â€Å"my dear mother: you are a wonderful woman† and asks her mother if they can be friends (Shaw 77). However, the next morning when Crofts tells her that he is her mother’s partner and they are still operate brothels throughout Europe, Vivie changes her mind about her mother and immediately leaves to start her working career in London. When she is followed by Praed, Frank, and her mother, she summarily dismisses them from her life and determines to make her own way in life. One cannot help but wonder if Vivie Warren would not have suffered the same or a similar fate as her mother if she had not had the benefit of her mother’s money that allowed her to study at college and to go into business. At the play’s end Vivie Warren has been liberated. She has said goodbye to her mother, Frank, and the others, with the possible exception of Praed who may still be a friend. She has rejected the possible romance with Frank, who may be her brother, she has refused the marriage proposal of Sir George Crofts, who may be her father, and has rejected the lifestyle of her mother who continues to make money from her brothels. She has chosen to an unconventional life, but in a rather more acceptable, conventional fashion than did her mother. Although it was rare in the Victorian age for a woman to work in an office it was far more acceptable than being either a madam or a prostitute and was becoming more acceptable with each passing year. Ultimately, there is not that much difference between Vivie and her mother. Each sought and found a way to create independence for herself. Vivie has been forced to make a decision that is not popular with society to gain her own independence, just as her mother had to do twenty years earlier. Just as her mother had to reject her conventional life, Vivie had to reject the life offered to her by Kitty Warren. Liggins offers an interesting analysis about Vivie’s rejection of her mother’s lifestyle by making mention of the concept of the new woman. Vivie sees herself as a new woman who has time for nothing other than business. Liggins posits that Mrs. Warren’s Profession is about the relationship between the new woman and the prostitute. Shaw portrays Kitty Warren as a incorrigible flirt who could never be accepted in society. Vivie chooses a life that exempts her from being a part of society as she has no regard for it. The new woman has carved out a new niche in life but the new woman, just like the conventional woman and conventional man regards prostitution as immoral and consequently opens the door to continued economic poverty for the poor. Mrs. Warren’s Profession is a very interesting play. By today’s standards it is fairly tame and is suitable for high school students. Shaw does a good job attacking conventional mores. However, he pulls his punches and fails to finish off the Victorian conventions (Harris 176). Therefore the reader is not entirely satisfied. One feels it could have been a stronger play than it is. Harris writes that â€Å"there is no play in all Shaw’s works as full of magnificent misses as this one. It could be one of the greatest dramas of all time and it is unforgettable, but it fails to achieve timeless greatness† (Harris 176). Harris suggests two reason why the play does not quite work; he believes that either Shaw did not know how to handle the issues, which appears to be a good conclusion since Shaw does not describe or even name Mrs. Warren’s Profession; or Shaw â€Å"was afraid to drive right through to the end of it. † In either case, as written Mrs. Warren’s Profession fails to resolve the issues; virtually everything is the same at the final curtain as it was at the beginning of the play. Kitty Warren is a madam, Vivie Warren is an independent new woman and the men are left trying to resume their â€Å"pre-Vivie lives. † Unfortunately the double standards between rich and poor, and man and woman remain. The poor are still victims of these double standards. Works Cited Broad, C. Lewis and Broad, Violet M. Dictionary to the Plays and Novels of Bernard Shaw. London: A. & C. Black, 1929. Dierkes-Thrun, Petra. â€Å"Incest and Trafficking of Women in Mrs. Warren’s Profession: ‘It Runs in the Family. ‘† English Literature in Transition 1880-1920 49, 3 (2006): 293-305. Dukore, Bernard F. Bernard Shaw, Playwright: Aspects of Shavian Drama. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1973. Harris, Frank. Bernard Shaw. New York: League of America, 1931). Liggins, Emma. Prostitution and Social Purity in the 1880s and 1890s. Critical Survey 15, 3 (2003). Shaw, Bernard. The Complete Plays of Bernard Shaw. London: Constable, 1931. Note, this edition does not include line numbers of the play so the page number is used for citations.