The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith
Encyclopedia
The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith is a play by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. It was first produced on 13 March 1895, with Mrs Patrick Campbell
playing the lead role of Agnes Ebbsmith. The theme of the play is social radicalism. The title character is a vehement critic of all social conventions, especially marriage, and an advocate of free love
.
politician who abandoned his wife and career for Agnes. They met when she was sent to Italy
to nurse him through a bout of malaria
contracted in Rome
. She had been married unhappily, and after her husband died became a prominent radical lecturer, and then a nurse to earn a living. Lucas was also unhappy in his marriage and they fell in love. Now they (or at least she) envision a future of writing passionate essays against marriage, lecturing and campaigning.
His relatives do not accept his decision. His uncle the Duke comes to Venice to "arrange" matters. He suggests a sham reconciliation between Lucas and his wife, and for Agnes, "The suburban villa, the little garden, a couple of discreet servants - everything à la mode." Agnes sneers at this, of course, but is horrified to discover that Lucas actually considers it. She reluctantly agrees.
Gertrude, though shocked by Agnes' open "immorality", has come to appreciate her philosophy. She now urges Agnes to reject this hypocritical arrangement, and instead to come with her and Amos to their home in Yorkshire
. Amos also appeals to her, urging her to pray for guidance. Agnes agrees to go with them.
Lucas now rejects the Duke's proposal, and the Duke asks Gertrude and Amos to stop interfering.
Sybil Lucas now appears. She confronts Agnes, and - bizarrely - asks her to return to Lucas and get him to return to London. She despises Lucas, but she loved him once, and doesn't want to see him "uttterly wasted". Also (though this is unspoken) an apparent reconciliation would relieve her of a great humiliation. This even though he made her as miserable as Agnes' husband did her. Agnes breaks down and agrees. But then Gertrude intervenes: this path will corrupt and destroy Agnes.
Sybil now breaks down and repudiates the deal.
Lucas makes a last effort to join with Agnes, and resume their "free love" life, but Agnes has had it; she thought she was a leader, a moral example, who would show the world "how men and woman may live independent and noble lives without rule, guidance or sacrament", but she proved weak and corruptible. And she can't sit in judgment of Sybil any longer; she will go with Amos and Gertrude, and she urges Lucas to learn to pray.
Agnes also upbraids the Duke for his life of unearned luxury, while the masses starve and toil.
But in addition, Agnes is hostile to traditional social conventions. She doesn't want to be "pretty", she is offended when Lucas buys her an elegant gown, and she is disgusted when Lucas waxes conventionally poetical about their future life as not public radicals.
However, the play also, more subtly, attacks the conventions of the radicalism of the time. The "Free Union" between Lucas and Agnes collapses. Even before the Duke proposes the "reconciliation", Lucas has already decided that he and Agnes should not become professional radicals as she had planned. Sybil shows that he is as much to blame for their estrangement as she is. The Duke reveals Lucas as "in morals - an epicure"; that is, a playboy posing as a reformer.
Agnes, in the end, abandons radicalism for at least a while, and turns to religion. Gertrude and Amos are the figures who are not exposed or condemned.
Mrs Patrick Campbell
Mrs Patrick Campbell was a British stage actress.-Early life and marriages:Campbell was born Beatrice Stella Tanner in Kensington, London, to John Tanner and Maria Luigia Giovanna, daughter of Count Angelo Romanini...
playing the lead role of Agnes Ebbsmith. The theme of the play is social radicalism. The title character is a vehement critic of all social conventions, especially marriage, and an advocate of free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
.
Characters
- Agnes Ebbsmith
- Lucas Cleeve
- Sybil Cleeve, wife of Lucas
- Sir Sandford Cleeve, BaronetBaronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, brother of Lucas - The Duke of St. Olpherts, uncle of Lucas
- Mrs. Gertrude Thorpe, a young widow, friend of Agnes
- Rev. Amos Winterfield, bachelor older brother of Gertrude
- Sir George Brodrick, a prominent BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician - Dr. Kirke, a British physician in VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
- Fortune, manservant of Lucas
- Antonio Poppi, servant of Agnes and Lucas
- Nella, servant of Agnes and Lucas
- Hephzibah, servant of Gertrude and Amos
Plot
Agnes, a 33 year old widow, is staying in Venice with Lucas, to whom she is not married, though the servants and her friend Gertrude have assumed so. Lucas was a rising young ToryConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who abandoned his wife and career for Agnes. They met when she was sent to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to nurse him through a bout of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
contracted in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She had been married unhappily, and after her husband died became a prominent radical lecturer, and then a nurse to earn a living. Lucas was also unhappy in his marriage and they fell in love. Now they (or at least she) envision a future of writing passionate essays against marriage, lecturing and campaigning.
His relatives do not accept his decision. His uncle the Duke comes to Venice to "arrange" matters. He suggests a sham reconciliation between Lucas and his wife, and for Agnes, "The suburban villa, the little garden, a couple of discreet servants - everything à la mode." Agnes sneers at this, of course, but is horrified to discover that Lucas actually considers it. She reluctantly agrees.
Gertrude, though shocked by Agnes' open "immorality", has come to appreciate her philosophy. She now urges Agnes to reject this hypocritical arrangement, and instead to come with her and Amos to their home in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Amos also appeals to her, urging her to pray for guidance. Agnes agrees to go with them.
Lucas now rejects the Duke's proposal, and the Duke asks Gertrude and Amos to stop interfering.
Sybil Lucas now appears. She confronts Agnes, and - bizarrely - asks her to return to Lucas and get him to return to London. She despises Lucas, but she loved him once, and doesn't want to see him "uttterly wasted". Also (though this is unspoken) an apparent reconciliation would relieve her of a great humiliation. This even though he made her as miserable as Agnes' husband did her. Agnes breaks down and agrees. But then Gertrude intervenes: this path will corrupt and destroy Agnes.
Sybil now breaks down and repudiates the deal.
Lucas makes a last effort to join with Agnes, and resume their "free love" life, but Agnes has had it; she thought she was a leader, a moral example, who would show the world "how men and woman may live independent and noble lives without rule, guidance or sacrament", but she proved weak and corruptible. And she can't sit in judgment of Sybil any longer; she will go with Amos and Gertrude, and she urges Lucas to learn to pray.
Themes
The chief theme in the play is criticism of conventional social institutions, primarily marriage: ?the choked-up, seething pit", "the right to destroy years and years of life". Agnes justifies her adulterous "Free Union" arrangement with Lucas by telling of her miserable marriage, and by dismissing Sybil as "the shrew, the termagant he has now fled from..." She upbraids the Duke for his hypocrisy in marrying a wealthy woman to maintain his position while continuing his debauchery with other women. Gertrude confesses that her late husband made her unhappy, and that she was in love with another man (who is also dead). Sybil tells of her unhappiness with Lucas.Agnes also upbraids the Duke for his life of unearned luxury, while the masses starve and toil.
But in addition, Agnes is hostile to traditional social conventions. She doesn't want to be "pretty", she is offended when Lucas buys her an elegant gown, and she is disgusted when Lucas waxes conventionally poetical about their future life as not public radicals.
However, the play also, more subtly, attacks the conventions of the radicalism of the time. The "Free Union" between Lucas and Agnes collapses. Even before the Duke proposes the "reconciliation", Lucas has already decided that he and Agnes should not become professional radicals as she had planned. Sybil shows that he is as much to blame for their estrangement as she is. The Duke reveals Lucas as "in morals - an epicure"; that is, a playboy posing as a reformer.
Agnes, in the end, abandons radicalism for at least a while, and turns to religion. Gertrude and Amos are the figures who are not exposed or condemned.