The Setting of The Pirates of Penzance
Cornwall, England, 1879 – during the reign of Queen Victoria
Synopsis of The Pirates of Penzance
ACT I – a rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall
The Pirates of Penzance tells the story of a young pirate apprentice named Frederic who,
just turning 21, has come to the end of his indentured period. Frederic has decided to
leave the pirate life forever and, though he loves his comrades dearly, devote his life to the
extermination of their kind. However, he feels obliged to point out the pirates’ weaknesses;
he thinks they are too softhearted because all a captive must do to be released is claim to be
an orphan.
Once upon the shore, Frederic, who has never seen any woman other than his old nurse,
stumbles upon a bevy of beautiful maidens. He immediately falls in love with all of them,
but it’s only Mabel who graciously offers to reclaim the “Poor Wandering One.” Suddenly the
pirates are upon them! They are delighted by the beauty of their captives and recognize the
situation as a “ rst rate opportunity of getting married with impunity.” But the girls’ father,
Major-General Stanley, arrives just in the nick of time and claims untruthfully to be an orphan,
thus winning a brief reprieve for his daughters.
——— INTERMISSION ———
ACT II – a ruined chapel by moonlight
The General is terri ed that the pirates will uncover his lie, but Frederic eases his fears,
promising to apprehend the band of pirates and put an end to their plundering. Before he
can act, however, the pirate king and Ruth arrive to tell him that he is still obligated to the
pirates. Because Frederic was born on February 29 of a leap year, he has served only ve
birthdays, not the twenty-one required by his contract. A strong sense of duty forces Frederic
to relent, and, because he is a member of the pirate band again, to reveal the truth that
Major-General Stanley is not an orphan. The pirate king vows that he will have revenge on the
major-general.
Mabel begs Frederic not to go back to the pirates, but he chooses to serve his sense of duty
instead of love. Cunningly, she alerts the police of Fred’s defection from their ranks. The
police ready their attack on the pirates, while the pirates creep in to take revenge on Major-
General Stanley. The pirates defeat the police. Ruth insists that the pirates are in fact nobles
who had lost their way. Following suit, they all loudly declare their devotion to the British
Crown. The Major-General is convinced by their display and happily announces them worthy
of his “daughters’” hands. Fred and Mabel reunite and everyone lives happily ever after.
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