Heartbreak House

Brief Overview

Heartbreak House is a play by Bernard Shaw, written between 1916 and 1917 and first published in 1919. The events unfold in the country house of Captain Shotover, where a group of unusual and eccentric guests gather, each symbolizing specific social vices and ideals of the early 20th century. The atmosphere of the play is infused with irony and satire aimed at the English aristocratic society of the time, particularly its inactivity, cynicism, and detachment from reality. Through the characters' dialogues, Shaw touches on themes of love, idealism, politics, war, and social responsibility, ironically critiquing the moral and social shortcomings of his contemporaries. Heartbreak House serves as a metaphor for a ship drifting aimlessly in a sea of ignorance, symbolizing a lost generation on the brink of global change.