George Bernard Shaw

The Apple Cart George Bernard Shaw

The Apple Cart is Shaw's comedic play in which the King defeats an attempt by his popularly elected Prime Minister to deprive him of the right to influence public opinion through the press: in short, to reduce him to a cipher. An office in the royal palace. Two writing-tables face each other from opposite sides of the room, leaving plenty of room between them. Each table has a chair by it for visitors. The door is in the middle of the farthest wall. The clock shews that it is a little past 11; and the light is that of a fine summer morning. Sempronius, smart and still presentably young, shews his right profile as he sits at one of the tables opening the King's letters. Pamphilius, middle aged, shews his left as he leans back in his chair at the other table with a pile of the morning papers at his elbow, reading one of them. This goes on silently for some time. Then Pamphilius, putting down his paper, looks at Sempronius for a moment before speaking. PAMPHILIUS. What was your father?SEMPRONIUS [startled] Eh?PAMPHILIUS. What was your father?SEMPRONIUS. My father?PAMPHILIUS. Yes. What was he?SEMPRONIUS. A Ritualist. PAMPHILIUS. I dont mean his religion. I mean his profession. And his politics. SEMPRONIUS. He was a Ritualist by profession, a Ritualist in politics, a Ritualist in religion: a raging emotional Die Hard Ritualist right down to his boots. PAMPHILIUS. Do you mean that he was a parson?SEMPRONIUS. Not at all. He was a sort of spectacular artist. He got up pageants and Lord Mayors' Shows and military tattoos and big public ceremonies and things like that. He arranged the last two coronations. That was how I got my job here in the palace. All our royal people knew him quite well: he was behind the scenes with them. PAMPHILIUS. Behind the scenes and yet believed they were all real!SEMPRONIUS. Yes. Believed in them with all his soul. PAMPHILIUS. Although he manufactured them himself?SEMPRONIUS. Certainly. Do you suppose a baker cannot believe sincerely in the sacrifice of the Mass or in holy communion because he has baked the consecrated wafer himself?