Master Summary for All Questions of Candida

Candida: Complete Master Summary

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The Setting and Characters

George Bernard Shaw’s play Candida is a "Problem Play" set in the Victorian era in London. The story revolves around three main characters: Reverend James Morell, his wife Candida, and a young poet named Eugene Marchbanks. Morell is a Christian Socialist who is very popular for his sermons and public speaking. He believes he is a strong man and the master of his house. However, the play reveals that his confidence is an illusion. He is actually dependent on his wife, Candida, who takes care of everything for him.

The Conflict: Idealism vs. Reality

The conflict begins when Eugene Marchbanks, a shy and awkward 18-year-old poet, enters their lives. Although Marchbanks looks weak physically, he has a powerful mind. He is the only one who sees the truth. He challenges Morell, telling him that his sermons are just "words" and that he does not truly understand his wife. Marchbanks falls in love with Candida and claims that she belongs to the world of poetic love, not the boring domestic life Morell offers. This shakes Morell’s confidence completely. For the first time, the Reverend feels insecure and fears that his wife might actually leave him for the poet.

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The Climax: The Auction Scene

The tension explodes in Act III during the famous "Auction Scene." Morell, unable to bear the suspense, demands that Candida make a choice between him and Marchbanks. Candida takes control of the situation. She asks what each man has to bid for her. Morell offers his strength, his honesty, and his authority. Marchbanks, understanding the deeper truth, offers his "weakness" and his "desolation."

To everyone’s surprise, Candida chooses the "weaker" of the two. However, she reveals that the "weaker" man is actually her husband, Morell. She explains that Marchbanks has a rich inner soul and can live alone in the world. Morell, on the other hand, is like a child who needs her constant care, protection, and "spoiling." Without her, Morell would collapse.

Conclusion: The Mystery

Candida’s decision resolves the play. She stays with Morell not because society forces her to (like a conventional Victorian wife), but because she chooses to out of maternal instinct. She acts as a "New Woman" who exercises her own free will. The play ends with Marchbanks leaving the house into the night. Shaw mentions that the poet carries a "secret" in his heart. This secret is the realization that true greatness and art require solitude, not domestic happiness. Marchbanks has learned that he does not need a mother-figure like Candida; he needs the freedom to be a creator.

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