what is the central theme of he drama "the Bishop's Candlestick
Answers
The theme of the play “The Bishop's Candlesticks” is love, kindness and redemption.
“The Bishop's Candlesticks” by Norman McKinnel is adaptation of an extract from the play Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is about how a simple act of kindness reforms a convicted criminal from a beast to a man.
In the play, a convict breaks into a Bishop's house and demands for food,threatening the Bishop’s life in the process. The Bishop offers him not just food and shelter, but his sympathy too. Instead of being grateful, the convict steals the Bishop’s candlesticks, his prized possessions, and escapes. He is soon caught and arrested by a Sergeant, who presents him to the Bishop. The Bishop, however, claims to have given the candlesticks to the convict as a gift and demands him to be released. This simple act restores the convict's faith in humanity and convinces him to go back to leading an honest life.
The play demonstrates how criminals are not born,but circumstances turn a person into a criminal.