George Bernard Shaw "You see things, and you say, Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not? This inspiring statement was made by the dramatic
genius George Bernard Shaw.
If English drama today is both worth seeing on the stage and reading as literature, it is mainly due to the work of George Bernard Shaw in drama
and dramatic criticism. Shaw was a drama critic for The Saturday Review from 1859-98. He gained considerable prominence by writing witty critical
reviews while working there. He believed the plays that English audiences appreciated at the time were pretentious farces and highly melodramatic
He once said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." This clearly reveals his
attitude toward the English audiences who he believed were stuck in primitive English customs. His freethinking spirit and views on equality for men
and women were greatly appreciated in society.
A number of Shaw's early plays described the problems of capitalism. A brilliant example of this genre is his Widower's Houses. The Apple Cart is
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Select ALL the correct answers.
Which two statements would the author of the passage most likely agree with?
O Shaw tempered his early extreme criticism of English society later in his life.
O Shaw played a major role in the political revolutions of his time.
Shaw had a major formative influence on generations of playwrights.
Shaw was underappreciated in his lifetime because his ideas were highly controversial.