Arthur Wing Pinero

Arthur Wing Pinero (b. 1885–d. 1934) was one of Britain’s preeminent dramatists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. During a career spanning five decades, he wrote fifty-four plays, including witty farces, comedies of manners, and more serious problem plays and social dramas. Pinero’s works were infused with clever scene planning, as well as keen observation of human psychology. He was also the first English dramatist who wrote his plays according to the physical and intellectual suitability of his actors. He was often present during rehearsals, critiquing his cast in the style of a director. Pinero’s success as a playwright followed something of an uncertain upbringing. Born in Islington as the son of a solicitor, his education was cut short at the age of ten due to his family’s financial predicaments. He joined his father’s law office but left in 1874 to pursue acting roles, firstly at Edinburgh’s Theatre Royal and later in Henry Irving’s theatre company. This decision was inspired by his early interest in the theatrical world (following childhood trips to Sadler’s Wells); and his acting experience went on to influence his style as a playwright. His first play, Two Hundred a Year, was produced in 1877. Thereafter, Pinero had early success as a playwright, particularly with Hester’s Mystery (1880), which ran for 308 performances. However, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (first performed in 1893) could be considered the first work to bring him widespread fame and place his name alongside other popular contemporary dramatists, including Henry Arthur Jones and Oscar Wilde. It was also the first of many plays by Pinero to depict women struggling in society, a popular theme emerging as the idea of the New Woman was taking hold. Such exploration of social issues earned Pinero a solid reputation and benefited actresses, who were given more substantial roles. Aside from writing and directing, Pinero was active in social and political causes and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was knighted in 1909 and died in 1934, having seen A Cold June, his last and sadly unsuccessful work, performed two years earlier. Although Pinero’s reputation today is more modest in comparison to some of his contemporaries, his enormous popularity and influence in his day is undeniable. His plays were not only entertaining, but also brought societal problems about marriage and class divisions to the attention of his audiences, while skillfully staying inside the bounds of what was considered acceptable. Moreover, his focus on realism and humanism over the decorous morality that characterized many Victorian plays saw Pinero emerge as one of the pioneers of “new drama” in Britain. His most renowned works, including The Magistrate (1885), The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1893), Trelawny of the “Wells” (1898), and The Gay Lord Quex (1899), are still studied and performed in the twenty-first century.