“The Bishop’s Candlesticks” is a play by Norman McKinnell that revolves around themes of love, kindness, and redemption. The plot of the play focuses on a convict who breaks into a Bishop’s house. The convict is cold and hungry, and the benevolence of the Bishop softens his heart. Read More English Summaries.
The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary
The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary in English
The play opens with the kitchen of the Bishop’s cottage. The kitchen is plainly but substantially furnished. As the play starts and curtain rises the audience find Persome and Marie in the kitchen Persome, the Bishop’s widowed sister is arguing with Marie, kitchen-maid of the house. It is 11 o’clock at night. The Bishop has gone out to attend upon Marie’s sick mother. Persome is very much worried about the whereabouts of her brother who is overstraining himself for the sake of die poor and needy. Marie tells her that the Bishop has sold his silver salt-cellars to help a poor woman pay her rent.
Persome gets angry on hearing this and begins to cry. Just then Bishop enters the cottage.He tells Mane, the maid to run home as her mother is feeling better. He is gives her his muffler as it is very cold outside. He prays for her and her mother. Marie leaves the cottage with gratitude. Persome gets angry with her brother for giving away all that he has. She remarks that one day he will also sell his candlesticks to help some needy. The Bishop says that he would like to keep diem because they were given to him by his dying mother.
The Bishop also laments that there in so much suffering in the world and be can ! do so little. Persome goes away to sleep and the Bishop sits down to read a book. Then there enters a convict with an open knife in his band. He is a convict who has run away from prison. He catches the Bishop from behind and demands food. The Bishop greets him with a tree smile. He feels true sympathy for him. He serves the convict with food and drink. When the convict has his fill, he starts telling the Bishop the story of his woe and suffering. He says that once he stole to buy food for his wife who had been starving to death. But he was arrested and in prisoned. The night he was sentenced his wife died. The prison life was a life of hell. His sufferings made him a hardened criminal. One day they forget to chain him up, so he escaped and starved till that day. They were searching for him everywhere.
The Bishop consoles the convict. He advised him to take rest for some time. He makes for him a bed to lay down. The Bishop leaves the room leaving the convict all alone. His eyes catch the sight of silver candlesticks on the mantelpiece. He thinks of stealing them away to lead a new better life for some time. There is a struggle in his mind. He does feel for the Bishop who has been so kind to him but then he hardens himself. He hides the candlesticks in his coat and runs off cautiously.
As the convict moves out Persome wakes up and hears the noise of slamming the door and raises alarm. She comes running and finds that the convict has run away with the candlesticks. She calls the Bishop and asked the Bishop to inform the police but the Bishop does not want. He consoles himself and says: ‘He has more need of them than I. He refuses to take any action against the convict. He can’t think of sending him back in jail to suffer any more.
The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary Class 11
Just then a sergeant enters the cottage with three policemen with convict and stolen candlesticks. He tells the Bishop that they found him slinking suspiciously. On searching him, the candlesticks fell out of his pockets. As he remembered the candlesticks of the Bishop, he brought him here. He asks the Bishop if those are his candlesticks. The Bishop tells the sergeant that the man is his very good friend, and he has himself given him the candlesticks. At this the sergeant frees the convict and goes away with his men.
This last stroke of sympathetic behaviour of the Bishop shakes the convict to boot. He begs pardon of the Bishop and feels sorry for what he has done. It brings tears in his eyes. He seeks die Bishop’s permission to go to Paris and to start noble life there. When he turns to go die Bishop gives him the candlesticks. He also tells him of a lonely path through the forest by which he can escape. The convict stands with his head, bowed before the Bishop. The Bishop puts his hand lovingly on his shoulder. The Bishop asks him to remember that the poor body is die Temple of the Living God. After the convict walks out, the Bishop goes down on his knees in prayer.