Critically comment on Shaw's treatment of love in "You Never Can Tell".
PremiumCritically comment on Shaw's treatment of love in You Never Can Tell. [2019] ✪✪✪
Or, Comment on Shaw's treatment of love and marriage in his "You Never Can Tell". [2017]
Or, Evaluate "You Never Can Tell" as an anti-romantic comedy. [2017]
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), the Irish dramatist, wrote ‘You Never Can Tell’ in 1898. In this play, he rejects false romantic ideals and presents love and marriage as natural human relations. Shaw mocks dreamy love and sentimental passion. He gives love a practical and realistic meaning. The play is called an anti-romantic comedy because it breaks the old traditions of romantic literature. Through humor, wit, and logic, Shaw expresses his modern and scientific view of love.
Anti-Romantic View of Love: Shaw attacks the false emotions of romantic literature. He mocks the idea of love as worship or blind devotion. Valentine, the young dentist, loves Gloria not with flattery but with honesty. He does not kneel or sing praises like old lovers. He says,
">“Nature was in deadly earnest with me when I was in jest with her.” Here, Shaw shows that love is serious and guided by nature, not fantasy. His love is practical and full of truth.Love as a Natural Force: Shaw treats love as an inherent part of human nature. It is not a game or a poem. It is natural and strong, like life itself. Valentine’s attraction to Gloria is physical and emotional, not artificial. Gloria resists at first but later accepts his sincerity. Their love grows from truth, not imagination. Shaw believes that love joins a man and a woman for life’s purpose.
Criticism of Ideology or Ideas: Shaw expresses his idea against traditional thinking. He satirizes love and marriage and modern Victorian society. Mrs. Clandon thinks she teaches her children her philosophy and ideals, but she fails because her daughter, Gloria, disobeys her ideals and falls in love with Valentine. Mrs. Clandon tries to dissuade Gloria from falling in love with Valentine.
From this line, we understand that Mrs. Clandon thinks men use love to attract women. To her, love is not pure emotion but a trick used by men for desire and control.“How much practice it has taken to make him perfect in his chosen part in life as the Duelist of Sex.”
Scientific Explanation of Love: Shaw gives a scientific view of love. He rejects false romantic mystery. Valentine compares love to science. He says,
This witty line shows his belief that love is like a chemical reaction between a man and a woman. It happens naturally and logically. Shaw removes ideal fantasy and presents love as a fact of nature. For him, love is both physical and mental balance, not blind passion.“No, no, no. Not love: we know better than that. Let’s call it chemistry.”
Humor and Message of the Play: Shaw mixes humor with wisdom to teach truth. His comedy laughs at false emotion and pride. The old waiter, William, gives the final message of life. He says,
This line gives the moral of the play. Life and love are uncertain. Shaw uses laughter to reveal truth and teach that love, like life, is full of surprise and learning.“It’s the unexpected that always happens, isn’t it? You never can tell, sir: you never can tell.”
In termination, we can say that ‘You Never Can Tell’ is a perfect anti-romantic comedy. Shaw rejects false romantic dreams and presents love as natural and real. He teaches that marriage must grow from reason, not emotion. His characters speak with wit and honesty. Through humor, he reforms society’s ideas about love and marriage. Shaw’s play is both intelligent and humane, full of truth and laughter.