'Admirable Bashville' Summary

In the play, Lucian, a playwright, has written a novel called "Cashel Byron's Profession." He wants to adapt it for the stage, but he discovers that a man named Bashville has already registered the stage rights. Bashville is a shady character who has no interest in producing a quality play. He just wants to make money by selling the rights to the highest bidder. Lucian is outraged, but he knows that he has no legal recourse. He must either buy the rights from Bashville or give up on his dream of seeing his play on stage. Lucian tries to negotiate with Bashville, but Bashville is greedy and demanding. He refuses to sell the rights for anything less than a substantial sum of money. Lucian doesn't have that kind of money, so he's forced to give up on his dream. The play ends with Lucian delivering a speech about the importance of protecting the rights of authors. He argues that the current copyright law is unjust and that it stifles creativity. He calls for a new system that would give authors more control over their work and allow them to benefit from its success. The Admirable Bashville is a clever and witty satire that shines a light on the absurdities of the British copyright law. Shaw's play is still relevant today, as it continues to raise important questions about the rights of authors and the nature of creativity.