Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of musical theater. This may be due in part to the fact that I seem to lack whatever aesthetic gene or neuron inclines us against corniness, but I like to think that it’s rather because I have a deep appreciation for storytelling in song. My favorite musical of all time is Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, which is a brilliantly complex story about the perils of deontology. (In fact, the subtitle of the comic opera is “The Slave of Duty.”) In it, the lead character Frederick, who was pledged to the service of pirates until his 21st birthday by a hard-of-hearing nursery maid (who mistook “pilot” for “pirate”) when Frederick was a boy, struggles with the moral complexities of his accidental station in life. Because he has an over-developed sense of duty, Frederick fulfills his pledged service, but (for the same reason) he suffers a nagging conscience all those 21 years as he must engage in the nefarious activities of piracy. When he reaches his 21st birthday, his obligation satisfied, Frederick tries to leave the pirates and lead an honest life, only to find out that he was actually born on the 29th of February in a leap year and so, technically, is only 5 years old.
Much hilarity ensues. If I didn’t think I would be tarred and feathered for doing so, I would show The Pirates of Penzance every time I taught Kant. It is an excellent treatment of the conflict between freedom and obligation, as well as farcical reflection on the accidents of life.
Anyway, one of the most famous tunes from The Pirates of Penzance is sung by the father of Frederick’s paramour, who is a self-described “modern Major General.” The lyrical dexterity displayed in this song is impressive just to read, but it’s truly spectacular in performance. Here it is:
I know all the words to this song AND I can sing it at tempo. *micdrop*
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