Ethical Literary Criticism Interpretation Of Mrs. Warren’s Profession

George Bernard Shaw(1856-1950) is a British modern outstanding realistic playwright. He wrote many works with humorous and dramatic language reflected the nature of the problem in capitalist society, ironically criticized hypocrisy and evil of capitalism, mercilessly exposed contradictions and unreasonable phenomena in aspects such as politics, economy, culture, showing the real explicit society in front of the public. His works are famous for tortuous and interesting plot, witty and humor dialogue, distinctive characters, among them Mrs. Warren’s profession is the most typical and famous one.Mrs. Warren’s profession criticizes immoral and greedy bourgeois life. Bernard Shaw takes off the luxurious and hypocritical coat of capitalists to see their fall, extravagant life, but also gives deep sympathy for Mrs. Warren such kind of prostitution practitioners. Mrs. Warren’s special profession is brothel owner as the core, Shaw exposes the sensitive topic of woman’s prostitution in the society, by which Mrs. Warren and her daughter break up. It shows that it’s difficult to reconcile the contradictions between the British social individual class’ s identity and one’s ethical demands, delivering profound ethical implication.This paper takes Mrs. Warren’s special profession as foothold, from the perspective of ethical literary criticism, it analyzes ethical characteristics of this drama and characters’ ethical identity. Based on the background of capitalist society, the literary text and characters are interpreted from three aspects of moral criticism, ethical selection and ethical enlightenment. This has great significance to the understanding of living environment and culture under the social system of capitalism.This paper consists of six parts. The introduction part mainly introduces Bernard Shaw’s life and the drama Mrs. Warren’s profession. Subsequently domestic and foreign evaluation and literature review of this drama are reviewed, and it elaborates on the central argument and structure.Chapter one introduces the definition, origin and development of ethical literary criticism and the main contents of the methods of ethical literary criticism. On the basis of ethical literary and it delves concrete application of the methodology of ethical literary. These theoretical features set a foundation for this paper. Chapter two makes moral criticism on social ethics and moral evaluation of prostitute status from the view of different people. It shows the moral living expression of the characters and the ethical ideas for prostitution under the capitalist social system. Chapter three takes Mrs. Warren and her daughter’s special ethical identities as representative, respectively from the three aspects of ethical environment, ethical identity, ethical awareness analyzes inevitabilities and reasons for their ethical selections. It includes Mrs. Warren’s difficulty as a single mother and Vivie’s self pursuit as prostitute’s daughter and new modern woman. Chapter four is the ethical enlightenment of Mrs. Warren’s Profession from two aspects of social morality and family morality. On human’s social morality and responsibility. Through combing the relationship of Mrs. Warren and her daughter reveals the importance of family ethics, deep excavating work’s moral and emotional value.The final one is the conclusion. By interpreting Mrs. Warren’s Profession from view of ethical literary criticism, it shows Shaw’s concerns for the ethical dilemma of human. With the facts that Mrs. Warren’s ethical identity is the owner of brothel, it reveals the ugly and unethical performance under the capitalist society, gives understanding of Mrs. Warren and Vivie’s ethical dilemma, so we advocate establishing a symbiotic harmonious ethical society.