| The Pirates of Penzance revolves around a series of mistakes. When Frederic was a |
| lad, Ruth, his nurse, apprenticed him to be a pirate rather than a pilot because she |
| heard the word incorrectly. Now that he is 21, and his apprenticeship is almost over, |
| he plan to leave the band and perhaps marry Ruth who wants to marry him. But |
| Frederic sees Major-General Stanley's wards, particularly Mabel, and knows he made |
| a mistake accepting Ruth. Frederic wins Mabel's heart and the pirates seize the |
| wards. When Major-General Stanley arrives, he dissuades the pirates from marrying |
| his daughters by telling them he is an orphan. The pirates--all orphans--free him |
| and his wards. |
| Further mistakes involve all of the characters in Act II. Major-General Stanley |
| realizes his ruse is a serious mistake, although he is comforted by his wards and |
| Frederic's plan to lead the police against the pirates. Then, the Pirate King and Ruth |
| reveal to Frederic another mistake: his indentures bind him until his twentieth-first |
| birthday. Since he was born on February 29th, by birthdays, he is only five years old. |
| Bound by his sense of duty, Frederic rejoins the pirates and tells them of the Major |
| General's deception. They seize the Major-General and his wards. The police |
| come to the rescue, but the pirates defeat them. Though defeated, the police demand |
| that the pirates surrender "In Queen Victoria's name." They do. Ruth, this time, |
| clears up all the mistakes: the supposedly lawless pirates are "noblemen who have |
| gone wrong." Because of the pirates' loyalty to the queen, they are pardoned and |
| allowed to marry the Major-General's wards. |
| Through these mistakes, a traditional basis of drama, Gilbert and Sullivan make light |
| of the conventions of play-making, poke fun at the Victoria sense of duty, parallel |
| piracy and parliament, and entertain with their wit and captivating music. The |
| Pirates of Penzance attracts audience today in the same way it attracted audience of |
| Gilbert's and Sullivan's times. It is a classic musical entertainment for all times. |