Androcles and the Lion

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is revered as one of the great British dramatists, credited not only with memorable works, but the revival of the then-suffering English theatre. Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, left mostly to his own devices after his mother ran off to London to pursue a musical career. He educated himself for the most part, and eventually worked for a real estate agent. This experience founded in him a concern for social injustices, seeing poverty and general unfairness afoot, and would go on to address this in many of his works. In 1876, Shaw joined his mother in London where he would finally attain literary success. "Androcles and the Lion" is Shaw's take on the tale of Androcles, addressing the irreconcilable differences between the teachings of Jesus and traditional Roman values. Though the play deals with the heavy topics of Christianity and its social influence, Shaw uses comedy as a vehicle to propel this memorable theatrical work which is still read and performed to this day.