?Shaw was an unashamedly didactic writer. Does Shaw’s use of humor and wit in this instance enhance or detract from the demonstration of a serious philosophical dilemma? George Bernard Shaw was a didactic playwright who seeked to instruct rather than entertain in his works. Furthermore, his use of humor and wit in this extract from Act II enhances the demonstration of the serious philosophical dilemma. The dilemma consists of Dr. Ridgeon having to decide whether to give the cure to Blenkinsop, an honest but feeble doctor, or Dubedat, “a charming sociopath who happens to be an extraordinary artist”.
Whoever doesn’t get the cure will die and Shaw uses wit and humor to make serious issues such as this “trolley dilemma” easier to digest. Shaw calls it a tragedy and very conspicuously and persistently uses humor to deal with a topic as serious as the allocation of scarce medical resources. His use of tragic comedy prompts the audience to examine the motives of the medical profession, insurance companies and how we came as a society to accept a healthcare system still driven in large part by financial gain.
The extract starts with Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington repeating ‘Goodnight’ “several times, in varied musical tones”. This displays an over the top character and forces the audience to disregard him as a serious individual, even less so as a reputable doctor. He is the doctor that will be taking care of the patient that Ridgeon doesn’t choose, enhancing the lack of hope for the patient and making the death of the patient more definite. This is exemplified by his “Gooooooood-night Paddy”, at which Sir Patrick merely grunts at him. The elongation of “good” makes B. B. seem immature and juvenile and Shaw makes B.
B seem like a joke of a character, not only through his actions but also through the way that the other characters such as Patrick react to him. The grunt indicates how Patrick has such low regard for B. B that he does not even dignify him with a response. The stage directions given also have a sense of sarcasm as he “goodnights himself into the hotel”. This all adds to the philosophical dilemma as even though Ridgeon feels that he can release himself of the responsibility by giving him to another doctor, we can see the gravity of the situation and fate of the untreated patient from the character of B.
B. Furthermore, he reminds Ridgeon not to “lose sight of your interesting patient and his very charming wife,” and this mention of Mrs Dubedat immediately reminds the audience of Ridgeon’s potential motives. The use of the word “very” puts emphasis on Mrs Dubedat rather than on Mr Dubedat and adds humor to the piece, as it seems odd that the wife would be put into the equation when considering Mr Dubedat’s case.
This adds to the demonstration of a philosophical dilemma as we do not only have the issue of whether Ridgeon should play God and how he can choose between both patients but also a question of his motives and whether he is in the rightful position to make such a decision when he is in fact attracted to one of his patient’s “very charming wife”. Shaw also uses sarcasm when Sir Patrick calls Ridgeon “Mr Savior of Lives”, as even though he is saving one life, he will inevitably be killing another, by leaving them in the hands of B.
B. This enhances the serious dilemma as it forces the audience to ask the question as to whether Ridgeon has the right to make such a decision, especially given his hidden agenda. This sarcasm is juxtaposed with Ridgeon’s later declaration that “I’m to kill my patient”. The use of tragic irony enhances the demonstration of the serious philosophical dilemma as Ridgeon, “a member of a high and great profession” is meant to have the power to heal, not the power to kill.
The bluntness in which he says it is humorous in order to soften the blow for the audience and to make it easier for them to digest it. The way he says it makes it seem as though he is half-joking but the true fact of the matter is that he will inevitably be killing one patient by saving another. Shaw uses blunt humor later on in the extract through Ridgeon’s words in order to soften the blow of weighty and hard facts, such as Ridgeon asking if Blenkinsop is “any use?
” This is a serious dilemma as Ridgeon must decide whether to save his friend, a below average doctor, or the husband of a woman that he is attracted to, who is a “rotten blackguard” but also a “source of pretty and pleasant and good things”. When making a decision, Ridgeon must weigh up both patients using a form of utilitarianism and in doing so has to decide inadvertently which life is worth more. In this case, asking whether Blenkinsop is “any use? ” may seem harsh and unforgiving but is one of the questions that need to be asked when making such a decision.
Shaw’s use of humor makes the question seem more of a joke despite the underlying truth. Sir Patrick asking Ridgeon to choose between a world with many beautiful pictures but rotten men and women or vice versa is another example of Shaw’s use of comedy in order to highlight the seriousness of the dilemma. The use of these two extreme situations is comical as it simplifies the situation, making it seem like it is an easy decision to make, when it is in fact a lot more complex than “a plain choice between a man and a lot of pictures”.
There are many other factors, such as Ridgeon’s motives, which makes the dilemma an even harder one to solve. The use of alliteration in “devilishly difficult” is effective as it gives evil connotations to the dilemma, which is highlighted by the fact that Ridgeon will be inevitably killing one of the patients. Additionally, Ridgeon’s sarcastic reply is an effective use of humor as it makes it seem as though Ridgeon does not take the situation that seriously and makes the audience question whether being a good person even holds much value in such a decision.
Ridgeon’s final decision is to save Blenkinsop and reasons that Dubedat’s death will be a benefit because it will preserve his reputation but it will also potentially benefit Ridgeon, as he is attracted Mrs Dubedat. He is very blunt about his motives as he declares; “Now if I let Dubedat die, I’ll marry his widow”. Shaw’s use of dry humor in Sir Patrick’s reply, “Perhaps she won’t have you, you know” is effective as it highlights how untoward Ridgeon’s statement by trying to make a joke of it.
Furthermore, we are forced to question who Ridgeon is to play God when his own motives and morality are questionable, adding to the demonstration of the philosophical dilemma. To conclude, Shaw’s use of humor and wit in this extract enhances the demonstration of a serious philosophical dilemma as he uses these literary tools in order to force the audience to pay attention to the hard facts that they would otherwise ignore. It allows the audience to digest the grave decision that Ridgeon has to make and analyze his flippant assessment of the factors that help him to make his decision.