Opera Chapter

About the Opera

The Pirates of Penzance

During the initial run of H.M.S. Pinafore, Carte clashed with his backers, and the Comedy Opera Company was dissolved –– with hard feelings on both sides. Carte formed a partnership with Gilbert and Sullivan and the triumvirate went on to produce The Pirates of Penzance. Ever since Pinafore, the company had been distressed by American entrepreneurs who had been producing unauthorized Gilbert and Sullivan operas without paying royalties. Carte decided the best way to solve that problem would be to open their new show in New York rather than London. So the trio came to New York and opened The Pirates of Penzance at the Fifth Avenue Theater on December 31, 1879. The opera opened in London’s Opera Comique the following spring and had a run of 363 performances –– considerably less well received than its predecessor but still a great success.

The story line satirizes the Victorian proclivity toward an excessive devotion to duty, even when such devotion leads to ridiculous actions. This illustrates another Gilbertian brand of humor: the ultimate result of carrying a good thing too far. Sullivan’s music is generally described as a parody of Italian opera, nowhere better illustrated than in the famous number where the pirates belt out “With cat-like tread, upon our prey we steal,” as they stomp across the stage.

Characters

Penzance
Even in Gilbert’s time this was a well-known resort town on the southwest tip of England, equivalent perhaps to America’s Cape Cod.
Major-General
A British army officer of the lowest grade of general officers, ranking just below a lieutenant-general (229). Stone (284) mentions that in the U.S. Army the rank of brigadier general is yet lower than that of major general.
Cornwall
A county in the extreme southwestern corner of England, known for its rocky, picturesque coast.

Act I

Sherry
A fortified Spanish wine made from grape juice twice fermented. This seems a rather elegant beverage for a band of cut-throats, but it has the virtue of rhyming with merry. Walters (302) suggests that “pirate sherry” may really have been rum. On the other hand, Kravetz (182) and Turnbull (294) think that Gilbert is hinting at what is revealed in the end, which is that the pirates are all noblemen who have gone wrong. Drinking out of glasses is another clue. Kravetz also suggests that their being noblemen explains why they never attack a party weaker than themselves. Not cricket, you know.
Bumper [Let the pirate bumper pass ]
A glass or mug so full that, courtesy of surface tension, it bumps up in the middle (56).
’Prentice [For today our pirate ’prentice ]
Apprentice; one bound to a master for a given period to learn a trade or art.
Indenture [Rises from indenture freed ]
A service contract. In days of yore, before copy machines changed our lives, contracts were written and signed in duplicate on the same parchment, which was then torn, or cut in a zig-zag line, down the middle, each half going to one of the signers. The indentations could later be used to prove that the two parts belonged together –– which explains how contracts came to be called “indentures.” Isn’t this exciting?
Scent [Strong his arm and keen his scent is ]
Samuel is referring to Frederic’s sense of smell, not his lack of personal daintiness. Hyder (161) opines that reference is being made to Frederic’s skill in sniffing out treasure-laden ships.
Scuttling [a keener hand at scuttling a Cunarder or cutting out a P. & O. never shipped a handspike ]
Deliberately sinking a ship by knocking holes in her bottom.
Cunarder
A ship of the Cunard fleet, presumably a passenger liner.
Cutting out
To isolate and capture or destroy one ship of a fleet.
P. & O.
A ship of the Peninsular and Oriental line, presumably a passenger liner.
White Star
A well-known steamship line later associated with the ill-fated Titanic. This term is used rather than “P. & O.” in the first night edition (3).
Handspike
A wooden pole used as a lever, usually in a capstan. To ship a handspike means to insert it into the capstan. (A capstan is a reel on a vertical axis, used to pull in lines.)
Pilot
A person qualified to guide a ship entering or leaving a harbor.
Breakers [on breakers always steering ]
Waves distorted by shallow water, as over a reef or close to shore. Read: always making disastrous mistakes.
Hear, hear!
An Englishman’s expression of approval or even approbation. Brewer (55) explains that at one time disapproval of a speaker was indicated by humming. To offset that, those in favor of the speaker cried “Hear him,” which eventually became “Hear, hear!” See also Iolanthe, The Mikado, and The Zoo.
Mercantile navy
The totality of a nation’s ships and seafarers engaged in commerce, more commonly called the merchant marine.
Top of the tide [Well, it’s the top of the tide and we must be off ]
High tide. Getting a sailing ship out of port is greatly eased if you wait until the tide is running out, which phenomenon invariably occurs shortly after high tide.
Sally [sally forth ]
To set out on a voyage or excursion.
Circumspect
Taking regard of all aspects of a situation. In short, prudent.
Custom House [Can it be Custom House? ]
This refers to the customs bureau, charged with collecting import or export taxes. (It is somewhat equivalent to the U.S. or Canadian Coast Guards, but includes on-shore patrols.)
Dower [What is such a dower ]
Contribution of wealth (or, in this case, affection) a woman brings to a marriage.
Take heart of grace
Brewer (54) defines this as meaning to pluck up your courage. It may be based on Paul’s teaching that we should rely on God’s grace (His freely granted favors) for strength. Moral courage was at one time believed to reside in the heart (55).
Lowers [Take heart; no danger lowers ]
Rhymes with cowers.
Threatens.
Tether [Free them from their tether ]
A rope or chain to keep an animal from getting away. Figuratively: “Give them their freedom.”
Glass [The glass is rising ]
Barometer.
Pianissimo [the Girls continue chatter pianissimo ]
Very softly.
Homely duty
Domestic life.
Felicity
Contentment.
Parsonified, conjugally matrimonified
Some of Gilbert’s finest creations, which you may interpret as referring to marriage before a parson. These serve to remind us of Bierce’s definition of marriage: “The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, two” (39).
Doctor of divinity
A person who has earned the highest educational degree in theology. See also The Sorcerer.
Caravanserai [Ere your pirate caravanserai proceed, against our will, to wed us all ]
A strongly protected Arabian hostelry with a large courtyard for caravan beasts of burden. Perhaps the best interpretation we can place on it is to call it a poetically embroidered form of caravan –– which we can interpret broadly as a gathering of wayfarers, in this case piratical rovers. We may also suspect that Gilbert was digging deep for something (anything!) to rhyme with Wards in Chancery.
Wards in Chancery
Wards of the Court of Chancery, i.e., persons under that court’s protection. This perhaps explains why Major-General Stanley could be the father of so many lovely girls all between the ages of 18 and 22. How he managed to have this charming collection farmed out to him has never been explained. Bradley (48) advances what seems to me to be a rather unlikely hypothesis; but you may look it up if you’re curious.
Marathon [From Marathon to Waterloo ]
In 490 B.C. the Athenians and Spartans defeated the Persian army in a decisive battle on a plain near the village of Marathon, about 26 miles north-east of Athens.
Waterloo
Napoleon met his final defeat in 1815 in a battle against British and Prussian forces just south of the Flemish town of Waterloo.

[Note: The allusion here is to Creasy’s book, The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World from Marathon to Waterloo (81), first published in 1851.]

Categorical [in order categorical ]
According to type or class. Creasy presents his fifteen battles in chronological order, so the major-general has seemingly taken the trouble to rearrange them by type (e.g., naval vs. land) before committing them to memory.
Equations, both the simple and quadratical
A simple equation is one in the form of Y = aX + b, where Y is the unknown value, X is a variable value, and a and b are fixed values. For example if you want to convert a temperature reading from centigrade to Fahrenheit, you would use this simple equation:

Degrees Fahrenheit = (9/5) times (degrees centigrade) + 32

A quadratic equation is one in which the highest power of the unknown quantity is a square. Quadratical is a Gilbertian original term, but his meaning is clear.

Binomial theorem
A theorem is a mathematical statement that can be proven to be true. A binomial is an algebraic expression containing two terms joined by a plus or minus sign. A + B and A - B are two examples. The binomial theorem is a general equation for finding the product of a binomial expression multiplied by itself any number of times.
Hypotenuse
A hypotenuse is the longest leg of a right triangle, i.e., the one across from the 90 degree corner. The “many cheerful facts” alludes to the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras (582-507 B.C.) and his theorem, which states that you can find the square of (the length of) the hypotenuse by summing the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.
Integral and differential calculus
The calculus is a useful branch of mathematics that approaches problems by considering the behavior of small increments of the object under study. Integral calculus finds cumulative values such as areas or volumes. Differential calculus deals in differences in values such as rates of change. For a comprehensive exposition, see Asimov (11).
Beings animalculous
Adjective form of animalcule: a minute or microscopic animal. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who first observed bacteria, called them animalcules (little animals) (89).
Sir Caradoc
The name Caradoc and variations such as Caradog and Garadue are not uncommon in various British encyclopedias (93, 103, 104, 223, 288). In the context, however, the exceptionally valorous Sir Caradoc of King Arthur’s round table is the strongest candidate.
Acrostics [I answer hard acrostics ]
A composition, often in verse, in which the first (or perhaps last) letters of the lines form a word or phrase when taken in order. Brewer (54) explains that the word comes from the Greek akros for outermost, and stichos for line of verse. We are sure Major-General Stanley knew this, and so you should, too.
Paradox [I’ve a pretty taste for paradox ]
A statement that sounds self-contradictory or absurd, and yet is in fact correct.
Elegiacs [I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus ]
ell-eh-JIE-acks
Stedman (273) kindly provides this definition and commentary –– with guidance from the OED (228): “This refers to the classical verse form, the elegiac, in which elegies (mournful verses) were written. The elegiac distich consisted of an hexameter and a pentameter, and the metre was dactylic. So it is appropriate for the major-general, because it is classical and also relatively difficult and abstruse; but I suppose he had a classics master at school who made him put things into elegiac verse!” Cameron (66) adds that setting a passage into Latin elegiacs was a standard exercise for English schoolboys. Dealing with the life and fate of Heliogabalus was no doubt considered a cautionary lesson. But press on.
Heliogabalus
Roman emperor A.D. 218-222. His name is also spelled Elagabalus. He imposed the worship of false idols upon the Roman world, appointed misfits to high office, and executed more than his share of dissident generals. Above all, he outraged public opinion with his openly homosexual orgies. He was killed by the Praetorian Guards after a short but newsworthy reign. See the paragraph on the fellow in Utopia, Limited. More crimes exposed to the public gaze!
Conics [In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous ]
Rhymes with tonics.
Study of the geometric properties of a cone cut by imaginary planes (i.e., parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas).
Floor
To conquer, as in wrestling.
Parabolous
Pertaining to parabolas. Gilbert’s variation on parabolic.
Raphaels [I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies ]
Paintings by the Italian master Santi Raphael (1483-1520). Some of his murals adorn the Vatican. He is looked upon as the first of the great religious painters. Some Victorians looked upon him as a symbol of the start of the decline of art. Our next chapter has more to say about how they revolted against his influence.
Gerard Dows
Dutch painter from Leyden (1613-75). A student of Rembrandt, famous for his rich coloring and excellence of detail. Dow is an anglicized version of his real name: Dou. Stedman (274) comments that his paintings were not at all like Raphael’s.
Zoffanies
Johann Zoffany (properly Zaufelby): Bavarian-turned-British painter (1733-1810). One of the original members of Britain’s Royal Academy, founded in 1769.
The Frogs [the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes ]
A witty comedy produced in 405 B.C. in Athens. The framework for the story involves the god Dionysus’s descent into hell to find a competent poet, there being none left on earth. This leads to a comical competition between the shades of Aeschylus and Euripides, each finding fault with the other’s works. This competition inspires much ribald commentary from Dionysus. “The whole is enlivened by the grotesque costumes and the brek-ke-ke-ke coax refrain from the chorus of frogs, whose original habitat was the precinct of Dionysius in the marshes” (105). Now you, too, know something about the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes. How many of your neighbors can make that claim?
Aristophanes
Greek writer of satiric plays, some more ribald than others. He lived around 450-380 B.C.
Fugue
Let me avoid this thicket by quoting Elson (102): “It is a composition in the strict style, in which a subject is proposed by one part and answered by other parts, according to certain rules.” By subject he means a musical theme (tune). By parts he means different musical instruments or singers. The major-general, you may be sure, could not by himself do justice to a fugue by humming. But, who among the pirate band was about to challenge him on that delicate point?
Washing bill [I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform ]
A laundry list.
Cuneiform
Wedge-shaped writing (on clay tablets) of ancient Babylon, etc. It is possible that the reference was inspired by an exhibition of Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities that had recently been exhibited by Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (207).
Caractacus
An early British king who fought a series of delaying battles against the Roman invaders in the first century A.D. Whether he ever wore a uniform is open to considerable doubt (302). Bradley (48) avers that his usual battle dress was simply body paint. His final defeat, in A.D. 47, led to his capture. Taken before the Roman emperor Claudius, his eloquence won him his pardon. His children became Christians and introduced that religion into Britain.

There is some confusion about his name. Bradley (46) says Caractacus was the Roman translation of the British name Caradoc (but not to be confused with the Sir Caradoc of Arthurian legend mentioned earlier in the song). Perhaps it is a coincidence, but his final defeat occurred “probably at Caer Caradoc,” in the region of Shropshire (105). Further light (or is it shadow?) is cast by The Encyclopædia Britannica (104), which insists that the name should be spelled Caratacus. I have a feeling this is more than you really thirsted to learn.

Mamelon [when I know what is meant by “mamelon” and “ravelin” ]
A hillock or mound, presumably a low earthen wall or fort, in the present context. Brewer (56) defines it as a mound in the shape of a woman’s breast, making this perhaps the raciest word in the entire canon.
Ravelin
A detached outer-work for protecting the ramparts of a fort.
Mauser rifle
A firearm featuring a repeating magazine. It was invented by a German, Paul von Mauser (105), and was used by the Prussian army (48).
Chassepôt rifle [A term used rather than “Mauser rifle” in earlier editions. ]
SHAHS-POE
A French Army rifle introduced in 1866 (89).
Sorties [When such affairs as sorties and surprises ]
A sortie is a sudden movement of troops from a besieged place to attack the besiegers.
Surprises
Sudden attacks without warning.
“Commissariat”
The army’s supply department.
Tactics
The science of positioning military units to best advantage against an enemy. From the Greek phrase ta taktika, meaning matters of arrangement (266).
Sat a gee [You’ll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee ]
Stedman (273) assures us that in nineteenth-century England “gee” was a commonly used slang word for horse. Farmer and Henley (115) say the same. Walters (301) adds that in England “gee-gee” is still a popular children’s word for a horse. Expressions such as “sat a horse with skill” were not uncommon a hundred years ago (208). So “sat a gee” simply means rode a horse.
Malediction
A curse. Quite the opposite, we can assure you, of the benediction you receive in church.
Valedictory
Farewell.
[Note on omitted verse] [Verse sung opening night ]
The last two terms are from a verse that was supposedly used on opening night (3) but which has since been dropped. It is sung by the pirates after the Major-General sings about telling a terrible story:

If he’s telling a terrible story,

He shall die by a death that is gory ––

One of the cruelest slaughters

That ever was known in these waters;

And we’ll finish his moral affliction

By a very complete malediction,

As a compliment valedictory,

If he’s telling a terrible story.

For what, we ask, is life …
You don’t need to have those words explained; I merely want to call to your attention the presence of those commas around we ask. A good lesson here on the importance of punctuation and careful proofreading.
Gildest [Thou gildest e’en the pirate’s trade ]
Make more attractive.
Emollient
Something that soothes or assuages –– like reading this book.
Auspiciously [Should it befall auspiciously ]
Under favorable circumstances. Abundantly propitious.
Dimity [We display to lace and dimity ]
A thin cotton fabric reinforced with corded stripes, popular for dressmaking in those days. The allusion, of course, is to the ladies who wear “lace and dimity.” The word comes from the Greek dimitos, meaning double thread (55).

Act II

Martial [that martial cheek ]
Military or warlike.
Darksome [darksome dangers ]
The OED (229) says this is “now chiefly a poetic synonym of dark, of vaguer connotation.” (I dare say you might have guessed.)
Escutcheon [for having brought dishonour on the family escutcheon ]
A family shield displaying heraldic insignia.
Tarantara
Simulated sound of a trumpet. In a letter to Sullivan dated August 6, 1879, Gilbert explained that the word serves as a “talisman” to help the police maintain their courage. (The stage directions instruct the policemen to hold up their truncheons to imitate trumpets or bugles when they sing the word) (181).
Emeutes [For when threatened with emeutes ]
eh-MUTES
From the French word Ă©meutes, meaning riots.
Heart in boots [And your heart is in your boots ]
BEUTS
In low spirits. Brewer (56) says the expression suggests that your heart or spirits have sunk into your boots allowing you to run away.
Cornish [and every Cornish daughter ]
Pertaining to Cornwall, the county in which Penzance is located.
Alloy [mercy should alloy ]
Diminish or make less extreme.
Cranks [For cranks and contradictions queer ]
Twists of language. Example: A cross-eyed cyclops. Most meanings of crank pertain to something bent (266).
Astronomer Royal
“Official title of the head of the Greenwich Observatory, established 1675” (75). Bradley (46) says the title has not been used since 1972.
Tremorden Castle
General Stanley’s baronial mansion. Bradley (48) says, “This is a fictitious location, but a perfectly plausible name for a place in Cornwall. The Cornish word tre means hamlet or homestead and is found at the beginning of many place names in the county.” One example is pointed out by Aurora (18): Trematon Castle, near Saltash, in Cornwall.
Dire [my vengeance dire ]
Horrible, dreadful, calamitous, disastrous, threatening, formidable, or immoderately fierce. (How can such a short word have so many elongated synonyms?)
Roundelay [This joyous roundelay ]
Originally a round or country dance, the term has come to mean a short, simple song (273).
Sooth [He will be faithful to his sooth ]
Pledge.
Family descent
Pride and sense of honor arising from a long and distinguished family heritage.
Constabulary [constabulary duty ]
Pertains to constable. The term has several meanings all concerning the maintenance of law and civil order.
Coster [When the coster’s finished jumping on his mother ]
Coster is usually defined as short for costermonger: a street vendor of fruit, fish, vegetables, and so forth. The examples of usage shown in the OED (229) strongly imply that costermongers enjoyed a reputation for uncouth, bullying behavior. Knight (177) calls attention to the line from Shakespeare’s Henry VI : “Virtue is of so little regard in these costermonger times.” Samuel Johnson, in his 1756 dictionary (165), defines coster-monger as a seller of apples. Bosdêt (43) says they originally sold only French apples, which were far juicier than English apples and enjoyed a much longer shelf life. But, I wander.
Rollicking
Carefree, boisterous , and hearty. See also The Sorcerer and Patience.
Poaching [on the manor poaching ]
To poach means to trespass onto another’s property to take game or fish without permission. Here we can interpret it as meaning to encroach or invade. The manor would be the grounds of Tremorden Castle.
Plate [We are not coming for plate or gold ]
Objects such as tableware made of precious metal. See also The Gondoliers.
Crowbar [Here’s your crowbar and your centrebit ]
A heavy metal rod, tapered and bent at one end, and used to force open doors or windows.
Centrebit
A device used to cut out circular plugs in wood or metal. Bradley (48) suggests that burglars use such tools to cut holes in doors, thus allowing the burglar to reach through and release internal locks or bolts.
Life-preserver [Your life-preserver –– you may want to hit! ]
Brewer (54) says this is “a loaded short stick for self-defence.” In his Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet,” Conan Doyle mentions someone who “took down a life-preserver from the wall” (in order to intimidate the intrepid detective). The incident is shown in an illustration that appeared when the story was first published. It shows a club a little over a foot long with about a three-inch diameter knob on the working end (96). Three of Gilbert’s revised Bab Ballad cartoons show robbers equipped with similar weapons (126). A copy of one is shown below. In his Bab Ballad “Gentle Alice Brown” Gilbert includes these lines: “He took a life-preserver and he hit him on the head / And Mrs Brown dissected him before she went to bed.” Given that clue, I would argue with Brewer about their function being confined to self-defense. They were perhaps called “life-preservers” because they could stun a victim without killing him –– equivalent to a blackjack. Halton’s view is much the same, except that he mentions a flexible shaft (147).
Silent matches
Friction matches as we know them have gone through many evolutionary developments since their invention in the early 1800s. Until the 1860s all matches had an unfortunate tendency to ignite with a tiny explosion, often spewing about bits of burning phosphorus. The most effusive specimens were referred to as “sneezy” matches. The problem was first solved, apparently, by an Austrian firm. Their matches were “distinguished above all others for excellence of quality and elegance of form, as well as for their ready inflammability, noiseless regular combustion, without scattering of the inflammable mass” (95). Not too long thereafter, the Diamond Match Company in the United States offered for sale a new variety of match called “Lu-Mets: The new silent lighters –– Heads don’t fly ––Contain no phosphorus” (53). That is presumably the sort of thing Gilbert had in mind when he has Samuel pass out “silent matches.”
Dark lantern
A portable light source with a sliding shutter for confining the emission of light.
Skeletonic key
Refers to a skeleton key: one “with part of the webs filed away, designed to open or pick a lock by avoiding the impending wards” (75).
Falsehood unatoned
A barefaced lie.
Dale
Valley, or at least a low place between hills.
Rover [Yet, the breeze is but a rover ]
Strictly speaking, one who wanders. In this case a fickle flirt.
Doing and undoing
The expression can have many meanings. Asimov (11) suggests that it means cheating and seducing. He may be right, but apparently the censorious Lord Chamberlain took a more benevolent view, perhaps something akin to kiss and tell.
Rogue [That the rogue could tell ]
The word has many interpretations ranging from a mischievous rascal down through a sly knave or cheat. In the context I think “sly knave” is about right.
Peignoirs
Dressing gowns.
Unshriven [Is he to die, unshriven –– unannealed? ]
Unconfessed and unabsolved.
Unannealed
Without having received extreme unction (i.e., last rites).
Trow [for well we trow ]
Believe.
Central Criminal Court
Pirates, fittingly enough, would be brought to trial under admiralty law. In England those cases were tried at the Central Criminal Court, more commonly known as “Old Bailey,” at the corner of Old Bailey and Newgate Streets in central London. See Goodman (140) for details.
Mien [with humbled mien ]
Demeanor, appearance, or general bearing.
Bar [Away with them, and place them at the bar ]
Take them to court and confine them in the dock (142).
Hymeneally [Hymeneally coupled, conjugally matrimonified ]
Married, after Hymen, the god of marriage. This is from the closing scene as presented on opening night (3) but now seldom used.
House of Peers
A peer is “a member of any of the five degrees of nobility in Great Britain and Ireland, namely duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron” (250). The House of Peers, more usually known as the House of Lords, is one of Britain’s two legislative bodies, the other (and more influential) being the House of Commons. All English peers of age 21 or older are qualified to sit in the House of Lords. In Gilbert’s day only limited numbers of peers from Ireland and Scotland were qualified (245). (At the present time the House finds itself being pushed toward drastic reform.)