Unity Of Power, Religion And Knowledge

Major Barbara is one of Bernard Shaw's influential plays and is of central significance in the whole oeuvre of Shaw's works. The play was written in 1905 when British society underwent the rapid change and many new ideas appeared with the advancement of science, economy, culture and social ideology, thus people's thinking tended to be more and more complex. More importantly, the whole western society got into the crisis of faith since Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God. The play Major Barbara truthfully reflects Bernard Shaw's attitude towards the social reform and development of the time. Therefore, a thorough study of this play will help us better understand Bernard Shaw's world outlook, his notion of social reform as well as his aesthetic pursuit.The present thesis aims at approaching Major Barbara from the perspective of Nietzschean philosophical ideas which have great influence upon Bernard Shaw, such as the idea of Superman as well as Dionysian spirit and Apollonian spirit in an attempt to show Bernard Shaw's sharp criticism and deconstruction of Victorian ideology, morality as well as the conventional mode of thinking of the late 19th century, and to reveal his notion of ideal society as well.The thesis is divided into five parts. The introduction gives a brief survey of the critical views of both western and Chinese scholars on Bernard Shaw, and Shaw's peculiar childhood experiences, the influence of Nietzschean philosophy upon him as well as his aesthetic thought. Chapter 1 discusses the main character Undershaft in the light of the Dionysian spirit in Nietzschean theory. Chapter 2 analyzes the important character Barbara, Undershaft's daughter, who possesses the qualities of Apollo. Chapter 3 examines the characterization of Cusins, Undershaft's son-in-law, from the perspective of Nietzschean theory of superman. Shaw creates Shavian superman with the typical characteristics of the modern man in twentieth-century western countries. The prospect held out in Shaw's ideal society is of a unity of power, religion, and knowledge.