The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance, or "The Slave of Duty," is a Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta in two acts. Music by Sir Arthur S. Sullivan, libretto by Sir William S. Gilbert. It was first performed in Paignton, Devon, England on December 30, 1879.

Plot

Act I: Frederic is seen celebrating his twenty-first anniversary in the company of a group of pirates. His nurse Ruth appears and reveals that she had apprenticed Fredric to the pirate band by mistake, many years ago ("When Frederic was a little lad"). Although Frederic is sympathetic to his pirate friends (they being all orphans whose gentle natures make their piratical careers difficult) he nonetheless resolves to leave the band. He invites the Pirate King to go with him, but is refused ("Oh! better far to live and die"). Frederic sees a group of beautiful young girls on the shore, and appeals to them for affection ("Oh! is there not one maiden breast") to help him reform; one of them, Mabel, responds to his plea ("Poor wandering one"). Frederic warns the girls of the pirates nearby, but they are interrupted by the arrival of said pirates, who wish to capture all the girls for wives. This plan is in turn interrupted by the arrival of the Major-General, the father of all the girls ("I am the very model of a modern Major-General"). On learning of the pirates' marital plans, he appeals to them for clemency on the grounds that he's an orphan. The soft-hearted pirates are sympathetic, and release the girls.

Act II: The Major-General sits in his family mausoleum, surrounded by his daughters. He laments his tortured conscience at the lie he told the Pirate King, while they attempt to console him ("Dear Father, why leave your bed?"). The Police Sergeant and his policemen enter to announce their readiness to go forth and arrest the pirates ("Tarantara"; "Go, ye heroes"). Frederic, who is to lead the group, pauses for a moment's reflection, at which point he encounters Ruth and the Pirate King. They inform him that his apprenticeship was worded so as to bind him to them until his twenty-first birthday - and, because that birthday happens to be on the extra day of Leap Year, that means that technically only five birthdays have passed ("A most ingenious paradox"). Frederic is convinced by this logic, and thus informs the Pirate King of the Major-General's lie.

After a farewell to Mabel ("Oh, leave me not to pine") the dutiful Frederic returns to fulfil his apprenticeship with the pirates. The police and their Sergeant are told they must go alone, and lament their fate ("When a Felon's not engaged in his employment"). They hide on hearing the approach of the pirates, who have stolen onto the grounds, meaning to avenge themselves for the Major-General's lie ("With cat-like tread"). The Major-General himself appears, insomniac with guilt, and his daughters follow him. The pirates, of course, leap to the attack, and the police to the defense; but the police are easily defeated. The Sergeant plays his trump card, demanding that the pirates yield "In Queen Victoria's name;" the pirates, overcome with patriotism, do so. Ruth appears to reveals that the orphan pirates are in fact noblemen; all is forgiven, Frederic and Mabel are reunited, and the Major-General is happy to marry his daughters to the noble pirates after all.

Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)

he-pirates-of-penzance  te-pirates-of-penzance  th-pirates-of-penzance  thepirates-of-penzance  the-irates-of-penzance  the-prates-of-penzance  the-piates-of-penzance  the-pirtes-of-penzance  the-piraes-of-penzance  the-pirats-of-penzance  the-pirate-of-penzance  the-piratesof-penzance  the-pirates-f-penzance  the-pirates-o-penzance  the-pirates-ofpenzance  the-pirates-of-enzance  the-pirates-of-pnzance  the-pirates-of-pezance  the-pirates-of-penance  the-pirates-of-penznce  the-pirates-of-penzace  the-pirates-of-penzane  the-pirates-of-penzanc  hte-pirates-of-penzance  teh-pirates-of-penzance  th-epirates-of-penzance  thep-irates-of-penzance  the-iprates-of-penzance  the-priates-of-penzance  the-piartes-of-penzance  the-pirtaes-of-penzance  the-piraets-of-penzance  the-piratse-of-penzance  the-pirate-sof-penzance  the-pirateso-f-penzance  the-pirates-fo-penzance  the-pirates-o-fpenzance  the-pirates-ofp-enzance  the-pirates-of-epnzance  the-pirates-of-pnezance  the-pirates-of-peznance  the-pirates-of-penaznce  the-pirates-of-penznace  the-pirates-of-penzacne  the-pirates-of-penzanec  the-pirates-of-penzanc  tthe-pirates-of-penzance  thhe-pirates-of-penzance  thee-pirates-of-penzance  the--pirates-of-penzance  the-ppirates-of-penzance  the-piirates-of-penzance  the-pirrates-of-penzance  the-piraates-of-penzance  the-pirattes-of-penzance  the-piratees-of-penzance  the-piratess-of-penzance  the-pirates--of-penzance  the-pirates-oof-penzance  the-pirates-off-penzance  the-pirates-of--penzance  the-pirates-of-ppenzance  the-pirates-of-peenzance  the-pirates-of-pennzance  the-pirates-of-penzzance  the-pirates-of-penzaance  the-pirates-of-penzannce  the-pirates-of-penzancce  the-pirates-of-penzancee  5he-pirates-of-penzance  rhe-pirates-of-penzance  fhe-pirates-of-penzance  6he-pirates-of-penzance  ghe-pirates-of-penzance  6he-pirates-of-penzance  yhe-pirates-of-penzance  ghe-pirates-of-penzance  tye-pirates-of-penzance  tge-pirates-of-penzance  tbe-pirates-of-penzance  tue-pirates-of-penzance  tne-pirates-of-penzance  tue-pirates-of-penzance  tje-pirates-of-penzance  tne-pirates-of-penzance  th3-pirates-of-penzance  thw-pirates-of-penzance  ths-pirates-of-penzance  th4-pirates-of-penzance  thd-pirates-of-penzance  th4-pirates-of-penzance  thr-pirates-of-penzance  thd-pirates-of-penzance  the0pirates-of-penzance  theppirates-of-penzance  the[pirates-of-penzance  the-0irates-of-penzance  the-oirates-of-penzance  the-lirates-of-penzance  the--irates-of-penzance  the-;irates-of-penzance  the--irates-of-penzance  the-[irates-of-penzance  the-;irates-of-penzance  the-p8rates-of-penzance  the-purates-of-penzance  the-pjrates-of-penzance  the-p9rates-of-penzance  the-pkrates-of-penzance  the-p9rates-of-penzance  the-porates-of-penzance  the-pkrates-of-penzance  the-pi4ates-of-penzance  the-pieates-of-penzance  the-pidates-of-penzance  the-pi5ates-of-penzance  the-pifates-of-penzance  the-pi5ates-of-penzance  the-pitates-of-penzance  the-pifates-of-penzance  the-pirqtes-of-penzance  the-pirwtes-of-penzance  the-pirztes-of-penzance  the-pirwtes-of-penzance  the-pirstes-of-penzance  the-pirztes-of-penzance  the-pira5es-of-penzance  the-pirares-of-penzance  the-pirafes-of-penzance  the-pira6es-of-penzance  the-pirages-of-penzance  the-pira6es-of-penzance  the-pirayes-of-penzance  the-pirages-of-penzance  the-pirat3s-of-penzance  the-piratws-of-penzance  the-piratss-of-penzance  the-pirat4s-of-penzance  the-piratds-of-penzance  the-pirat4s-of-penzance  the-piratrs-of-penzance  the-piratds-of-penzance  the-piratew-of-penzance  the-piratea-of-penzance  the-piratez-of-penzance  the-piratee-of-penzance  the-piratex-of-penzance  the-piratee-of-penzance  the-pirated-of-penzance  the-piratex-of-penzance  the-pirates0of-penzance  the-piratespof-penzance  the-pirates[of-penzance  the-pirates-9f-penzance  the-pirates-if-penzance  the-pirates-kf-penzance  the-pirates-0f-penzance  the-pirates-lf-penzance  the-pirates-0f-penzance  the-pirates-pf-penzance  the-pirates-lf-penzance  the-pirates-or-penzance  the-pirates-od-penzance  the-pirates-oc-penzance  the-pirates-ot-penzance  the-pirates-ov-penzance  the-pirates-ot-penzance  the-pirates-og-penzance  the-pirates-ov-penzance  the-pirates-of0penzance  the-pirates-ofppenzance  the-pirates-of[penzance  the-pirates-of-0enzance  the-pirates-of-oenzance  the-pirates-of-lenzance  the-pirates-of--enzance  the-pirates-of-;enzance  the-pirates-of--enzance  the-pirates-of-[enzance  the-pirates-of-;enzance  the-pirates-of-p3nzance  the-pirates-of-pwnzance  the-pirates-of-psnzance  the-pirates-of-p4nzance  the-pirates-of-pdnzance  the-pirates-of-p4nzance  the-pirates-of-prnzance  the-pirates-of-pdnzance  the-pirates-of-pehzance  the-pirates-of-pebzance  the-pirates-of-pejzance  the-pirates-of-pejzance  the-pirates-of-pemzance  the-pirates-of-penaance  the-pirates-of-pensance  the-pirates-of-pensance  the-pirates-of-penxance  the-pirates-of-penzqnce  the-pirates-of-penzwnce  the-pirates-of-penzznce  the-pirates-of-penzwnce  the-pirates-of-penzsnce  the-pirates-of-penzznce  the-pirates-of-penzahce  the-pirates-of-penzabce  the-pirates-of-penzajce  the-pirates-of-penzajce  the-pirates-of-penzamce  the-pirates-of-penzande  the-pirates-of-penzanxe  the-pirates-of-penzanfe  the-pirates-of-penzanfe  the-pirates-of-penzanve  the-pirates-of-penzanc3  the-pirates-of-penzancw  the-pirates-of-penzancs  the-pirates-of-penzanc4  the-pirates-of-penzancd  the-pirates-of-penzanc4  the-pirates-of-penzancr  the-pirates-of-penzancd  the-pyrates-of-penzance  yhe-pirates-of-penzance  tyhe-pirates-of-penzance  the-pirates-of-penzances 


Peck* Georgia Legislature had the right to rescind a land grant made by easily have disposed of this case before coming to the principal is to say, it was to the interest of the opposing parties to have jurisdiction of such a case, but Marshall does not even suggest his concurring opinion. In the second place, Georgia's own claim right to grant them to others was equally dubious; but this, too, procured by corrupt means, but Marshall ruled that this was not a cases in which undue influence is alleged to have induced the ordinary case. The fraud asserted against the grant was a matter scandal of the generation; and surely judges may assume to know Furthermore, when one turns to the part of Marshall's opinion evidence of personal predilection on the part of the Chief violation of vested rights, of the underlying principles.