Monologue

Vivie Monologue from Mrs. Warren's Profession

From Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw

female · defiant · 1:07 min

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Culture! My dear Mr Praed: do you know what the mathematical tripos means? It means grind, grind, grind for six to eight hours a day at mathematics, and nothing but mathematics. I’m supposed to know something about science; but I know nothing except the mathematics it involves. I can make calculations for engineers, electricians, insurance companies, and so on; but I know next to nothing about engineering or electricity or insurance. I don’t even know arithmetic well. Outside mathematics, lawn-tennis, eating, sleeping, cycling, and walking, I’m a more ignorant barbarian than any woman could possibly be who hadn’t gone in for the tripos. PRAED What a monstrous, wicked, rascally system! I knew it! I felt at once that it meant destroying all that makes womanhood beautiful!

About this piece

Vivie expresses her frustration with the educational system that prioritizes rigorous mathematics over a well-rounded understanding of the world, revealing her feelings of ignorance and the impact of societal expectations on women.

20s · disgust · identity · education · gender roles · societal expectations

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