Androcles and the Lion (1912 Shaw), play

<bibexternal title="Androcles and the Lion" author="Shaw"/>

Androcles and the Lion (1912) is a play by George Bernard Shaw.

Abstract

George Bernard Shaw (like Feuillade just before him) turned the ancient tale of Androcles into a "Christian" tale.

"The play is Shaw's retelling of the tale of Androcles, a slave who is saved by the requited mercy of a lion. In the play, Shaw portrays Androcles to be one of the many Christians being led to the Colosseum for torture. Characters in the play exemplify several themes and takes on both modern and supposed early Christianity, including cultural clash between Jesus' teachings and traditional Roman values."--Publisher description.

Shaw added to the play a long introduction, in which he expressed his view of Jesus, a benevolent genius whose teachings were somehow forgotten by his movement, as they rather followed the new teachings of Paul of Tarsus.

The play was first performed in 1912 in German translation in Berlin, and then the following year in London and in 1915 in New York.

Characters

• Androcles (main character)
• The Lion
• Antoninus Pius

Editions

Published in London, England: Constable, 1913.

Translations

• Androklus und der Löwe = Androcles and the Lion (1913 @1912 Shaw / Trebitsch), play (German ed.)

• Androcles et le lion = Androcles and the Lion (1913 @1912 Shaw / Hamon, Hamon), play (French ed.)

• Андрокл и лев = Androcles and the Lion (1914 @1912 Shaw / Vengerova, Lebedev), play (Russian ed.)

• Androcles y el león = Androcles and the Lion (1915 @1912 Shaw / Broutá), play (Spanish ed.)

• Androclo e il leone = Androcles and the Lion (1928 @1912 Shaw / Agresti), play (Spanish ed.)

• Androkles és az oroszlán = Androcles and the Lion (1930 @1912 Shaw / Hevesi), play (Hungarian ed.)

• Androcles ile aslan = Androcles and the Lion (1945 @1912 Shaw / Adıyaman, Dönmez), play (Turkish ed.)

• Androklo i lav = Androcles and the Lion (1951 @1912 Shaw / Peičić), play (Croatian ed.)

• Androkles a lev = Androcles and the Lion (1954 @1912 Shaw / Tetauer), play (Czech ed.) ??

• Androkles a lev = Androcles and the Lion (1956 @1912 Shaw / Sobieniowski), play (Czech ed.)

• اندروكليز والأسد = Androcles and the Lion (1966 @1912 Shaw / Ṣābir), play (Arabic ed.)

Performance History

• Androklus und der Löwe = Androcles and the Lion, German ed. (1912 / @1912 Shaw), Berlin production, world premiere (play) 25 November 1912 Berlin Trebitsch tr.

• Androcles and the Lion (1913 Granville-Barker / @1912 Shaw), London production (play) Harley Granville-Barker and Lillah McCarthy -- St. James's Theatre -- 1 September 1913

• Androcles and the Lion (1915 Barker / @1912 Shaw), New York (Broadway) production (play) 22 January 1915

• Androcles and the Lion (1925 Moeller / @1912 Shaw), New York (Broadway) production (play)

• Androcles and the Lion (1938 Davis / @1912 Shaw), TV film (play)

• Androcles and the Lion (1938 Rosen / @1912 Shaw), New York (Broadway) production (play)

External links

• Wiki.en