Original Plays [First Series]

"Original Plays [First Series]" by W. S. Gilbert is a collection of theatrical works written in the late 19th century. This volume features several plays, including "The Wicked World," which introduces a whimsical exploration of love, morality, and the contrasting lives of fairies and mortals. The characters are engaging, with fairies contemplating the nature of the human world and its seemingly wicked ways while grappling with their own ideas of righteousness. The opening of "The Wicked World" presents a group of fairies in a fantastical setting, discussing their perception of the human realm as wicked and sinful. Among them, Zayda expresses her curiosity about this 'wicked world,' while Selene, the Fairy Queen, suggests that the fairies might benefit from experiencing humanity firsthand. Their conversation reveals their naivety and highlights the fairies' disdain for human flaws such as vanity and jealousy. They decide to summon their mortal counterparts to their fairy land to teach them about a life devoid of sin, setting the stage for a comedic exploration of both the virtues and vices of love. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. The popularity of these works was supported for over a century by year-round performances of them, in Britain and abroad, by the repertory company that Gilbert, Sullivan and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte founded, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. These Savoy operas are still frequently performed in the English-speaking world and beyond.