The one-act play ‘Augustus Does His Bit’ is set in the background of the first-word war. There was a war going on between England and Germany. This play humorously highlights the fruitlessness of war.
About Augustus Does
His Bit
Augustus Does His Bit is a comic (हास्यप्रद) one-act play by George Bernard Shaw. The play is about
a dim-witted (मूर्ख)
aristocrat (सामन्ती)
who is outwitted (छल गर्नु) by a female spy (जासूस) during World War I.
Characters in
Augustus Does His Bit
a) Lord Augustus Highcastle (लर्ड अगस्टस हाईकासल): He is a distinguished member of the governing class. In
the play, he is keen on the ongoing war between Britain and Germany. He
receives information about a woman spy who is seeking to obtain possession of a
state paper that is under his supervision.
b) Horatio Beamish (होरासिओ बेमिस): He is a clerk of Augustus. He
doesn’t like the colonel and his emphasis on war.
c) A Lady: She is the spy who successfully obtains the
secret paper from Augustus.
Summary of Augustus Does
His Bit
The main character of the
play, Lord Augustus Highcastle, is
the Mayor of the small town of Little
Pifflington (पिफलिङटन). He is forty-five years
old. Augustus is in his office room
putting his heels on a writing table and reading "The Morning Post". The Mayor is properly dressed in his
colonel uniform.
The Mayor's clerk, Beamish, enters the office room. The
clerk is casually dressed. Augustus and the clerk discuss about ongoing war
between Britain and Germany. Augustus glorifies, praises, and highlights the significance of war and
adores the frontline soldiers who are fighting on behalf of Britain, their
motherland. On the other, the clerk condemn and belittle war.
The two characters debated hotly about the issue of war. The Mayor gets furious when the clerk criticizes war. The clerk argues that war has created a severe impact on the economy and social life. The clerk criticizes the Mayor for prioritizing war and disregarding other serious issues like the increasing child death rate.
August does not like the way the
clear treats him. The Mayor feels insulted for such misbehave. When August
feels proud of his effort to support the war, the clerk talks about the meaningless
of war.
Augustus expresses bitter anger
towards the British who are not ready to fight for their motherland. He adds
that he has saved money for the war by cutting off the price of the allowance
of petrol.
The clerk expresses his
dissatisfaction with the Mayor's decision for shutting up the picture gallery,
museum, theaters, and cinema halls. Augustus gets furious when the clerk goes
on commenting the Mayor August. He orders the clerk Beamish to bring a cup of
coffee and rolls every morning at half past ten. The clerk explains that he
cannot have any rolls because the only baker who baked rolls was a German and
he was dismissed from his work. The clerk reports that not all British are
patriotic and serious about war like Augustus. Some of them are ready to sell
their motherland if profit is offered.
Augustus accuses the clerk Beamish for not respecting the war and being unpatriotic. He orders Beamish to replace the gas stove with an ordinary grate to economize gas. But the clerk explains that the Minister of Munitions has ordered to use gas instead of coal to save materials.
The clerk, then, asks the Mayor to
raise his salary. Augustus clarifies that he is unable to increase his salary
during the war crisis. Augustus wants Beamish to contribute for war sacrificing
his personal needs. The clerk's gradual complaint takes the nerves of the
Mayor. Augustus angrily tells Beamish to leave the room at once. The clerk
leaves the room.
In the meantime, the telephone rings.
Blueloo speaks on the phone and informs Augustus about a lady spy who is
visiting him (Augustus) to steal some important and secret war documents.
Augustus confidently replies that he won't let the document be stolen.
The clerk enters the room and informs
Augustus that a lady has come to meet him downstairs. Augustus wants an
appointment to meet him because he is concerned about the safety of the war
document. But later, he agreed to meet her when he knew the lady is beautiful.
The lady starts flattering Augustus
and makes him believe that she is an honest lady and she has come there to help
him. But, in fact, she has come to Augustus to steal the important document
about gun placement. She is a German spy. Augustus tells the lady that he has
relatives (three German brothers-in-law) in the foreign office. He also adds
that the foreign office has warned him about a female spy who is determined to
obtain the secret document (list of gun emplacements).
The lady, then, plays tricks on
Augustus. She tells that the lady who is coming to get the document is an
intimate friend of his brother Blueloo. Augustus gets excited about being
informed of such a big secret and trusts the lady with what she says. She tells
Augustus that the spy has made a bet with Blueloo that she would come to meet
Augustus and obtain the paper. Having complete trust in the lady, Augustus
reveals many secrets related to war and official confidentiality.
The lady asks August to be aware of
the spy because she is very cunning. Augustus, then, searches the document in
his office drawer and plans to keep it in his pocket as a measure of security.
But he couldn't find the document.
In the meantime, the clerk enters the
room and shows a paper to Augustus that he has left in a hotel. It was the
document (list) the lady was looking for. She quickly snatches the document
from Augustus and puts it in her bag.
Augustus does not like the clerk's
presence between them. He seizes the clerk and rushes him through the door. In
the meantime, the lady exchanges the original document with other official
paper from the stationery rack. As Augustus returns, the lady gives the
exchanged paper. Without checking the paper Augustus keeps it in his pocket.
The lady, then, leaves the room taking the original document.
Beamish enters Augustus's room. The lady (spy) calls Augustus from the street. She wants the clerk to verify that she has left the room without any document. The lady returns and phones Blueloo in War Office and informs him that she has won the bet by obtaining the secret paper from Augustus. Augustus checks the list in his pocket and finds that it is blank.