Candida: Important Exam Questions (10 Marks)
Q1. The Auction Scene: Significance and Resolution
The "Auction Scene" in Act III is the climax of the play. In this scene, Candida is asked to choose between her husband, Morell, and the poet, Marchbanks. It is called an "auction" because both men try to "bid" for her love. Morell offers his strength, honesty, and authority, while Marchbanks offers his weakness and need. Surprisingly, Candida chooses the "weaker" of the two—who turns out to be Morell. She realizes that while Marchbanks can stand alone in the world, Morell is dependent on her care and "spoiling." This scene resolves the play by re-establishing the domestic order, but with a new understanding: the husband is not the master, but the protected child of the wife.
Q2. Conflict: Eugene Marchbanks vs. Reverend Morell
The central conflict in Candida is between two opposing ideologies: Christian Socialism vs. Romantic Poeticism. Reverend Morell represents the active, practical life of public service and conventional morality. He believes in "doing" good works. In contrast, Eugene Marchbanks represents the world of art, intuition, and feeling. He sees through Morell’s rhetoric and calls it mere "wind." While Morell is physically strong and confident, he is emotionally fragile. Marchbanks appears weak and shy, but he possesses a terrifying psychological strength. The conflict is not just over Candida’s love, but over the definition of true strength and the purpose of life.
Q3. Candida as a "Play of Ideas" (Problem Play)
Shaw’s Candida is a classic "Problem Play" or "Drama of Ideas" because it deals with a serious social issue—the nature of Victorian marriage. Unlike a romantic comedy where the goal is simply getting married, this play analyzes the reality of a marriage. Shaw presents the view that the Victorian ideal of the dominant husband and submissive wife is a myth. In the Morell household, it is actually Candida who holds all the power. Shaw challenges the audience to think about the economic and emotional foundations of marriage. He suggests that a stable marriage requires a woman to often play a maternal role towards her husband, managing his ego rather than just obeying him.
Q4. Justification of the Subtitle "A Mystery"
The subtitle of the play is "A Mystery." This refers primarily to the secret in the poet’s heart at the end of the play. When Marchbanks leaves, Shaw writes that he carries a "secret" that Morell and Candida do not know. This mystery is the realization that life is greater than happiness. The poet realizes he does not need the domestic comfort (the "greasy fool’s paradise") that Candida offers Morell. He belongs to the solitary world of dreams and art. The "mystery" is the higher destiny of the creative genius, which ordinary people cannot understand. It also hints at the mysterious power of a woman’s maternal instinct which governs the home.
Q5. Character Sketch: Eugene Marchbanks
Eugene Marchbanks is an 18-year-old poet who serves as the catalyst in the play. Physically, he is shy, awkward, and weak, often stumbling over furniture. However, mentally, he is fiercely perceptive and honest. He is the only character who dares to tell Morell the truth—that his sermons are empty and his domestic happiness is an illusion. Initially, Eugene's love for Candida is immature and idolizing; he wants to protect her from domestic chores like peeling onions. By the end, he matures. He rejects the conventional happiness of a home and walks out into the "night," accepting the loneliness of the artist. He transforms from a boy into a man with a vision.
— End of Answer Key —
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