Fragrance of Deliverance in the Slough of Agony in George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple

Abstract

The Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw has been ranked by many as the greatest English playwright since Shakespeare and he is also the fine successor and the loyal disciple of Henrik Ibsen. The Devil’s Disciple, published in 1897, is one of Shaw’s three "Plays For Puritans" and his only full-length play with a purely American atmosphere which stabilized his career as a successful dramatist in English stage. The Devil’s Disciple shows the sense of resentment and fear that were felt during the American Revolution towards Britain’s imperialism. This study intends to search into the world of American colonists and manifests their sense of fear, meanwhile, focuses on the protagonist, Richard, who with the stability on his false identity jeopardizes his life in search of freedom for his nation in order to free them from the shackles of Britain.
Key words: Nation; Self-sacrifice; Deliverance; The devil’s disciple; Britain; Imperialism