Diese Opposition ist wahrscheinlich die offensichtlichste. Sie kann Aufschluß über den Zeithintergrund eines Stückes geben: in einer Zeit, wo Frauen eine eher untergeordnete Rolle im Leben spielen, wird man überwiegend Stücke finden, in denen mehr Männer als Frauen mitspielen. Oder, um genau zu sein, man wird mehr Stücke finden, in denen Männer eine wichtige Rolle spielen als Stücke mit weiblichen Heldinnen.

2. Opposition Alt - Jung

Auch diese Opposition ist leicht zu unterscheiden. Häufig beobachtet man zwischen den beiden dargestellten Gruppen den Versuch, den Generationenkonflikt zu lösen. Parallel läßt sich häufig eine Diskrepanz zwischen den Moralvorstellungen erkenn, z. B. die „aufgeschlossene“ Jugend gegen die verbohrten Alten. Rein vom Alter her würde eine Aufteilung der Figuren dann folgendermaßen aussehen:

In „Mrs Warren’s Profession“ wird eine andere Aufteilung den Figuren und deren Altersstruktur eher so gerecht:

3. Opposition gentry - non gentry

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Diese Gegenüberstellung soll verdeutlichen, welchen sozialen Hintergrund die Figuren haben.

4. Weitere Oppositionen

a) Town - country

b) Affectation - Nature

5. Tabellarische Gegenüberstellung der Figuren

Vivie Warren Mrs Kitty Warren

+ attraktiv + attraktiv + jugendlich - jugendlich + gentry - gentry

- Stadt + Stadt

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- nature - nature

- wit (witless) - wit

- libertine + libertine

- Eleganz - Eleganz + business + business + arrogant + „Glucke“

Praed Frank Gardner Reverend Gardner Sir Crofts + attraktiv + attraktiv - attraktiv - attraktiv + jugendlich + jugendlich - jugendlich - jugendlich +gentry + gentry + gentry + gentry +Stadt - Stadt - Stadt + Stadt +nature - affectation - affectation -affectation + wit - witless - witwoud - witless

- Wüstling + Wüstling + Wüstling (früher) + Wüstling + Eleganz - Eleganz - Eleganz - Eleganz

- business - business + business + business + charmant + angeberisch - linkisch - brutal

II. Figurenkonstellation oder: Wer mit wem?

∞ Mrs Warren |♥ Reverend Samuel Gardner | Mrs Gardner (tritt nicht |♥ Sir George Crofts | in Erscheinung) |♥ Praed | | ^| | | Vivie Warren will Vivie heiraten<--Frank Gardner

1. Vivie Warren

• Tochter von Mrs Kitty Warren

• Tochter von Reverend Samuel Gardner

• Freundin und Halbschwester von Frank Gardner, dieser will sie

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• freundliches Verhältnis zu Praed

• schlechtes Verhältnis zu Crofts, dieser will sie heiraten

• hat eine Bekannte in London, Honoria Fraser, für die sie gearbeitet hat.

2. Mrs Warren

• Mutter von Vivie Warren

• Geliebte von Reverend Samuel Gardner, Crofts und Praed (?)

• freundliches Verhältnis zu Frank Gardner

3. Reverend Samuel Gardner

• ehemaliger Geliebter von Mrs Warren

• Vater von Frank und Vivie

• schlechtes Verhältnis zu seinem Sohn, wird ständig von ihm gehänselt, erkennt die wahre Natur dieses Verhältnisses aber nicht

• verschweigt seine Vaterschaft bezüglich Vivie

4. Frank Gardner

• Sohn von Reverend Samuel Gardner

• Freund und jüngerer Halbbruder von Vivie Warren

• freundliches Verhältnis mit Mrs Warrenund Praed

• schlechtes, fast feindliches Verhältnis mit Croft

5. Praed

• vermutlich ehemaliger Geliebter von Mrs Warren

• gutes Verhältnis mit allen anderen bis auf Croft

• ist Vivie fast väterlich verbunden

6. Sir George Crofts

• grobschlächtiger Unsympath

• Geschäftspartner von Mrs Warren

• will Vivie heiraten

• kennt die Geheimnisse von Mrs Warren

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III. Konfiguration

Unter Konfiguration versteht Pfister „die Teilmenge des Personals, die jeweils an einem bestimmeten Punkt des Textverlaufs auf der Bühne präsent ist; durch den Wechsel der Konfigurationen wird ein neuer Auftritt, eine neue scène, konstituiert.(S. 235)“

1. Konfigurationsstruktur in der Reihenfolge des Auftretens:

Act I II III IV

Vivie Warren 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 (21 scenes)

Praed 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 (20 scenes)

Crofts 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (18 scenes)

Mrs. Warren 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10 (19 scenes)

Gardner jun. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 (25 scenes)

Gardner sen. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (11 scenes)

Jede Figur erhält für ihre Präsenz auf der Bühne eine 1, sobald sie abtritt, wird ihr eine 0 zugeordnet. So läßt sich erkennen, daß es jede Figur den anderen Figuren irgendwann auf der Bühne begegnet, es gibt keine sogenannte alternative Figur, die nie gemeinsam en einer Konfiguration beteiligt ist. Besonders deutlich wird dies, wenn man sich Akt I, 12, Akt II, 3 und Akt III, 1 ansieht: hier sind alle Figuren auf der Bühne anzutreffen. Nur in Akt IV gibt es dieses Treffen nicht, es ist dies auch der einzige Akt, wo eine Szene nur von einer einzigen Figur getragen wird: die Schlußszene, als Vivie Warren allein zurückbleibt. Auch kann man feststellen, welche Figur besonders häufig und welche Figur weniger häufig auftritt.

2. Konfigurationsstruktur der einzelnen Akte

Act I 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Praed 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 Sir George Crofts 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 Rev. Samuel Gardner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Frank Gardner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 Vivie Warren 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Mrs. Kitty Warren 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

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Act II 0102 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 Praed 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 Sir George Crofts 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Rev. Samuel Gardner 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 Frank Gardner 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 Vivie Warren 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 Mrs. Kitty Warren 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1

Act III 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 Praed 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Sir George Crofts 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 Rev. Samuel Gardner 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Frank Gardner 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 Vivie Warren 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 Mrs. Kitty Warren 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Act IV 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 Praed 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 Sir George Crofts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rev. Samuel Gardner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Frank Gardner 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Vivie Warren 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 Mrs. Kitty Warren 0 0 0 1 1 1 0

Nimmt man alle vier Akte von „Mrs Warren’s Profession zusammen, so ergeben sich insgesamt 37 scènes, davon zwölf in Akt I, elf in Akt II, 7 in Akt III und sieben in Akt IV. In diesen scènes treten unterschiedlich viele Figuren auf, und sie sind von unterschiedlicher Dauer.

3. Ausgewählte Konfigurationen

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In „Mrs Warren’s Profession“ gibt es in allen vier Akten jeweils drei „Zweierszenen“, wobei Vivie Warren und Frank Gardnermit jeweils sieben Zweierszenen am häufigsten darin vorkommen:

a) Vivie Warren:

• Akt I, scène 1: Vivie und Praed S. 64, Z. 13 - 75, 20

• Akt II, scène 4: Vivie und Frank 101,11 - 103, 10

• Akt II, scène 11: Vivie und Mrs Warren 109, 6 - 124, 10

• Akt III, scène 4: Vivie und Frank Gardner 133,1 - 136, 6

• Akt III, scène 6: Vivie und Crofts 136, 19 - 145, 21

• Akt IV, scène 1: Vivie und Frank 147, 4 - 148, 7

• Akt IV, scène 6: Vivie und Mrs Warren

Die einzige Figur, die keine Zweierszene mit Vivie Warren hat, ist der Reverend Samuel Gardner. Die Tatsache, daß diese zwei Figuren sich niemals allein begegnen mag darin liegen, daß der Reverend es so gut wie möglich verhindern will, mit seiner unehelichen Tochter in Kontakt zu kommen, und für Vivie Warren ist der Reverend nichts weiter als der Vater von Frank, bis sie die Wahrheit erfährt.

b) Frank Gardner:

• Akt I, scène 11: Frank Gardner und Reverend Samuel Gardner

• Akt II, scène 1: Frank und Mrs Warren

• Akt II, scène 4: Frank und Vivie

• Akt III, scène 1: Frank Gardner und Reverend Samuel Gardner

• Akt III, scène 4: Frank und Vivie

• Akt IV, scène 1: Frank und Vivie

• Akt IV, scène 3: Frank und Praed

Hier ist die Figur mit der keine Zweierszene zustandekommt Sir George Crofts, wodurch man den Rückschluß ziehen kann, daß diese beiden Figuren sich in Konkurrenz befinden. Dem ist tatsächlich so, beide wollen Vivie Warren heiraten.

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The motivations of Mrs Warren and Vivie Warren

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In "Mrs. Warrens Profession", Shaw writes about a topic that is often discussed behind closed doors but never publicly. That topic is prostitution. This play was banned from the stage when it was originally published in 1898 and it wasn’t until 1902 that it was allowed private showings; finally, in 1926, it was allowed public performances in Britain. Mrs. Warren learns early in her life that the only possibilities for a woman is to prostitute herself to gain wealth, or to live a life of poverty and hardship. When she was very young she worked in a bar probably getting manhandled by drunk customers and only barely scraping up a living by working long, arduous hours and making pitiful wages. Then her sister came to where she worked flaunting herself in fine clothes and makeup and told her how she could leave this life of squalor and live in luxury. Mrs. Warren, faced with the real alternatives of her situation, quite understandably chose ease, warmth, and wealth, even at the cost of ‘respectability’. To Mrs. Warren this was an easy choice to make as she had seen her other sisters literally work themselves to death. In fact, one of her sisters "worked in a white lead factory twelve hours a day for nine shillings a week until she died of lead poisoning. She only expected to get her hands a little paralyzed; but she died". These were the choices and conditions that women in the Victorian period had to face every day; work yourself to death in sweatshops, prostitute yourself, or get married, which to her was just another form of prostitution. Mrs. Warren chose the path of immorality for herself first, and her daughter second. But her daughter Vivie knew the error of this path in act three when she leaves her mother’s estate for the city and we are led to first side with the mother and then with her daughter. Her daughter chose the life of hard, but honest work to eke out a living when she told her mother at the end of act four "I am my mother’s daughter. I am like you: I must have work, and must make more money than I spend. But my work is not your work, and my way not your way". Vivie understood that there were few, if any choices for a woman to attain equal status with men socially and economically. But she knew that her mother, although rich and surrounded by all the right people from society, would only be a rich prostitute to those people. And if Vivie continued to let her mother pay her way through life, she would only be the rich, intelligent daughter of a prostitute.

The three stages of Vivie Warren

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Mrs Warren’s Profession was written by Bernard Shaw in 1893 at the age of 37. This dramatic play was censored against publication for five years by the Lord Chamberlain. While public performances were prohibited in Britain until 1926. Mrs Warren’s Profession shows a young lady who is extremely independent and sure of herself, Vivie. Vivie evolves through three different stages within the play. She changes from a woman who is very sure of herself and does not care much about anyone else to one who is caring and loving toward her mother, the prostitute, and then recovers her old mold of caring only for herself. Vivie’s emotional evolution is visible through the stage directions stated within the play. Within the first page of the play Vivie is described in the stage directions as "striding to the gate and opening it for him". Vivie is able to do things on her own because she knows who she is and what she wants. She doesn’t need to be coy to try to "catch" a man. "She brings the chair forward with one swing". Vivie is displaying her strength to Praed. She is showing him that she can do things on her own, and that she isn’t what he thinks she is, a woman who likes art, culture and needle work. "Prompt, strong, confident, self-possessed". Is how she was described in the opening passage describing the characters. Vivie was able to be who she was because she was always shipped off to boarding schools and college and was rarely around her mother to learn her mother’s bad habits, and to learn to act like her. This helped her become her own woman and to be who she is instead of what her mother wanted. Vivie didn’t care what other people thought about her instead she learned to live for herself and to do what she wanted instead of doing what other people wanted her to do. She was this way until she came to an understanding with her mother where Vivie learned to respect Mrs Warren.

Vivie learned many things about how her mother had grown up and what she had gone through to get to where she at in life and social standing. This revelation made Vivie question her independence and what she thought her mother had gone through, "Sitting down with a shrug, no longer confident; for her replies, which have sounded sensible and strong to her so far, now begin to ring rather woodenly and even priggishly against the new tone of her mother". Mrs Warren had gained her wealth through prostitution and this was extremely shocking to Vivie but, Vivie respected and loved her more for her revelation. "More and more deeply moved". As more truth came out the more Vivie was moved, "turning to her...she takes her

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mother in her arms". No matter what had happened in the past Vivie was able to forgive her and move on.

Vivie was able to move on until one day while talking to Crofts she learned the truth. Mrs Warrens business was still up and running. "She stops abruptly, and puts her hand on the sundial to support herself. Then she gets quickly to the iron chair and sits down". This reaction came about through Croft’s revelation. Vivie could not believe Croft because Mrs Warren had implied that the business was no longer going on. After Croft told Vivie all she felt was "sickened, averting her face". How could Mrs Warren imply that the business was done while it was still going on? Farther on in the play Vivie is described as being "bitter" and "almost hysterical" while she is talking to Frank about finding out the truth about Mrs Warren. Vivie is back to being her old self. She is bitter, not caring about anyone but herself. "Neither understanding this nor concerning herself about it, goes on calmly". Once again she is able to concern herself with only what is going on in her life and not what her mother is up to. She is once again self-sufficient.

Vivie throughout this play went through three stages. She began the play being self-sufficient and not caring about many people. To a point in her life where she understands her mother and was able to bond with her. Then she once again turns back to being her own self and not caring what happens to other people. For a while Vivie was a caring daughter until she learned the truth about her mother. Mrs Warren is a prostitute and that is how she made all of her money. She is a very rich woman suggesting that she is extremely successful in what she does. Vivie is unable to cope with this revelation and turns within to please herself and not others and to not give a second thought about her mother.

Literatur: Manfred Pfister Das Drama Theorie und Analyse

9. Auflage München 1997

Personal, Figurenkonstellation und Konfiguration

I. Personal

Qualitative Kontrast - und Korrespondenzrelationen des Personals

1. Opposition Männlich - Weiblich

2. Opposition Alt - Jung

In „Mrs Warren’s Profession“ wird eine andere Aufteilung den Figuren und deren Altersstruktur eher so gerecht:

3. Opposition gentry - non gentry

4. Weitere Oppositionen

a) Town - country

b) Affectation - Nature

5. Tabellarische Gegenüberstellung der Figuren Vivie Warren Mrs Kitty Warren

+ attraktiv + attraktiv + jugendlich - jugendlich + gentry - gentry

- Stadt + Stadt

- nature - nature

- wit (witless) - wit

- libertine + libertine

- Eleganz - Eleganz + business + business + arrogant +„Glucke“

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Praed Frank Gardner Reverend Gardner Sir Crofts + attraktiv + attraktiv - attraktiv - attraktiv + jugendlich + jugendlich - jugendlich - jugendlich +gentry + gentry + gentry + gentry +Stadt - Stadt - Stadt + Stadt +nature - affectation - affectation -affectation + wit - witless - witwoud - witless

- Wüstling + Wüstling + Wüstling (früher) + Wüstling + Eleganz - Eleganz - Eleganz - Eleganz

- business - business + business + business + charmant + angeberisch - linkisch - brutal

II. Figurenkonstellation oder: Wer mit wem?

∞ Mrs Warren |♥ Reverend Samuel Gardner | Mrs Gardner (tritt nicht |♥ Sir George Crofts | in Erscheinung) |♥ Praed | | | | |

III. Konfiguration

Unter Konfiguration versteht Pfister „die Teilmenge des Personals, die jeweils an einem bestimmeten Punkt des Textverlaufs auf der Bühne präsent ist; durch den Wechsel der Konfigurationen wird ein neuer Auftritt, eine neue scène, konstituiert.(S. 235)“

1. Konfigurationsstruktur in der Reihenfolge des Auftretens:

Act I II III IV

Vivie Warren 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 (21 scenes)

Praed 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 (20 scenes)

Crofts 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (18 scenes)

Mrs. Warren 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10 (19 scenes)

Gardner jun. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 (25

scenes)

Gardner sen. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (11

scenes)

2. Konfigurationsstruktur der einzelnen Akte

3. Ausgewählte Konfigurationen

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a) Vivie Warren

b) Frank Gardner

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