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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:gilbert:9bba68d0e776",
    "title": "GILBERT",
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    "verified_text": "gilbert, sir william schwenk (1836- ), english playwright and humorist, son of william gilbert (a descendant of sir humphrey gilbert), was born in london on the 18th of november 1836. his father was the author of a number of novels, the best-known of which were _shirley hall asylum_ (1863) and _dr austin's guests_ (1866). several of these novels--which were characterized by a singular acuteness and lucidity of style, by a dry, subacid humour, by a fund of humanitarian feeling and by a considerable medical knowledge, especially in regard to the psychology of lunatics and monomaniacs--were illustrated by his son, who developed a talent for whimsical draughtsmanship. w. s. gilbert was educated at boulogne, at ealing and at king's college, graduating b.a. from the university of london in 1856. the termination of the crimean war was fatal to his project of competing for a commission in the royal artillery, but he obtained a post in the education department of the privy council office (1857-1861). disliking the routine work, he left the civil service, entered the inner temple, was called to the bar in november 1864, and joined the northern circuit. his practice was inconsiderable, and his military and legal ambitions were eventually satisfied by a captaincy in the volunteers and appointment as a magistrate for middlesex (june 1891). in 1861 the comic journal _fun_ was started by h. j. byron, and gilbert became from the first a valued contributor. failing to obtain an _entree to punch_, he continued sending excellent comic verse to _fun_, with humorous illustrations, the work of his own pen, over the signature of \"bab.\" a collection of these lyrics, in which deft craftsmanship unites a titillating satire on the deceptiveness of appearances with the irrepressible nonsense of a lewis carroll, was issued separately in 1869 under the title of _bab ballads_, and was followed by _more bab ballads_. the two collections and _songs of a savoyard_ were united in a volume issued in 1898, with many new illustrations. the best of the old cuts, such as those depicting the \"bishop of rum-ti-foo\" and the \"discontented sugar broker,\" were preserved intact. while remaining a staunch supporter of _fun_, gilbert was soon immersed in other journalistic work, and his position as dramatic critic to the _illustrated times_ turned his attention to the stage. he had not to wait long for an opportunity. early in december 1866 t. w. robertson was asked by miss herbert, lessee of the st james's theatre, to find some one who could turn out a bright christmas piece in a fortnight, and suggested gilbert; the latter promptly produced _dulcamara_, a burlesque of _l'elisire d'amore_, written in ten days, rehearsed in a week, and duly performed at christmas. he sold the piece outright for l30, a piece of rashness which he had cause to regret, for it turned out a commercial success. in 1870 he was commissioned by buckstone to write a blank verse fairy comedy, based upon _le palais de la verite_, the novel by madame de genlis. the result was _the palace of truth_, a fairy drama, poor in structure but clever in workmanship, which served the purpose of mr and mrs kendal in 1870 at the haymarket. this was followed in 1871 by _pygmalion and galatea_, another three-act \"mythological comedy,\" a clever and effective but artificial piece. another fairy comedy, _the wicked world_, written for buckstone and the kendals, was followed in march 1873 by a burlesque version, in collaboration with gilbert a beckett, entitled _the happy land_. gilbert's next dramatic ventures inclined more to the conventional pattern, combining sentiment and a cynical humour in a manner strongly reminiscent of his father's style. of these pieces, _sweethearts_ was given at the prince of wales's theatre, 7th november 1874; _tom cobb_ at the st james's, 24th april 1875; _broken hearts_ at the court, 9th december 1875; _dan'l druce_ (a drama in darker vein, suggested to some extent by _silas marner_) at the haymarket, 11th september 1876; and _engaged_ at the haymarket, 3rd october 1877. the first and last of these proved decidedly popular. _gretchen_, a verse drama in four acts, appeared in 1879. a one-act piece, called _comedy and tragedy_, was produced at the lyceum, 26th january, 1884. two dramatic trifles of later date were _foggerty's fairy_ and _rozenkrantz and guildenstern_, a travesty of _hamlet_, performed at the vaudeville in june 1891. several of these dramas were based upon short stories by gilbert, a number of which had appeared from time to time in the christmas numbers of various periodicals. the best of them have been collected in the volume entitled _foggerty's fairy, and other stories_. in the autumn of 1871 gilbert commenced his memorable collaboration (which lasted over twenty years) with sir arthur sullivan. the first two comic operas, _thespis; or the gods grown old_ (26th september 1871) and _trial by jury_ (royalty, 25th march 1875) were merely essays. like one or two of their successors, they were, as regards plot, little more than extended \"bab ballads.\" later (especially in the _yeomen of the guard_), much more elaboration was attempted. the next piece was produced at the opera comique (17th november 1877) as _the sorcerer_. at the same theatre were successfully given _h.m.s. pinafore_ (25th may 1878), _the pirates of penzance; or the slave of duty_ (3rd april 1880), and _patience; or bunthorne's bride_ (23rd april 1881). in october 1881 the successful _patience_ was removed to a new theatre, the savoy, specially built for the gilbert and sullivan operas by richard d'oyly carte. _patience_ was followed, on 25th november 1882, by _iolanthe; or the peer and the peri_; and then came, on 5th january 1884, _princess ida; or castle adamant_, a re-cast of a charming and witty fantasia which gilbert had written some years previously, and had then described as a \"respectful perversion of mr. tennyson's exquisite poem.\" the impulse reached its fullest development in the operas that followed next in order--_the mikado; or the town of titipu_ (14th march 1885); _ruddigore_ (22nd january 1887); _the yeomen of the guard_ (3rd october 1888); and _the gondoliers_ (7th december 1889). after the appearance of _the gondoliers_ a coolness occurred between the composer and librettist, owing to gilbert's considering that sullivan had not supported him in a business disagreement with d'oyly carte. but the estrangement was only temporary. gilbert wrote several more librettos, and of these _utopia limited_ (1893) and the exceptionally witty _grand duke_ (1896) were written in conjunction with sullivan. as a master of metre gilbert had shown himself consummate, as a dealer in quips and paradoxes and ludicrous dilemmas, unrivalled. even for the music of the operas he deserves some credit, for the rhythms were frequently his own (as in \"i have a song to sing, o\"), and the metres were in many cases invented by himself. one or two of his librettos, such as that of _patience_, are virtually flawless. enthusiasts are divided only as to the comparative merit of the operas. _princess ida_ and _patience_ are in some respects the daintiest. there is a genuine vein of poetry in _the yeomen of the guard_. some of the drollest songs are in _pinafore_ and _ruddigore_. _the gondoliers_ shows the most charming lightness of touch, while with the general public _the mikado_ proved the favourite. the enduring popularity of the gilbert and sullivan operas was abundantly proved by later revivals. among the birthday honours in june 1907 gilbert was given a knighthood. in 1909 his _fallen fairies_ (music by edward german) was produced at the savoy. (t. se.)",
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