Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas continue to enjoy popularity worldwide, in both amateur and professional settings. Their 1884 collaboration Princess Ida¸ however, remains a contested work regarding its representation of women and feminism. In this thesis, I argue that Gilbert and Sullivan were attempting to satirize men’s reactions to feminism, rather than feminism itself. This thesis situates Princess Ida within its Victorian social context to determine to what extent a proto-feminist interpretation of the operetta is valid. Princess Ida is based on, and a parody of, Tennyson’s The Princess (1847). Tracing the chronology of Ida’s story from its beginnings in Tennyson’s poem through to Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta clarifies what Gilbert chose to satirize in his libretto. Victorian masculinity emerges as a central theme in Princess Ida, and the complexities of Gilbert and Sullivan’s representations of men in their operetta informs my discussion of proto-feminism. This thesis historically contextualizes Princess Ida and examines the operetta through the lens of feminist critiques of Western art music.

The operas by playwright W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan have been considered some of the most popular and successful pieces of musical theatre in the English language. While their joint creative output neared perfection, Gilbert and Sullivan's working relationship was fraught with conflict. The two men's opposing personalities led them to favor disparate styles and work towards different goals. However, the ability to balance contrasting tones, such as sarcasm and sympathy, resulted in their overwhelming success. I analyze this "winning formula" by looking at the influence of feminism, especially the "New Woman" literary movement, on the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. Gilbert frequently used common female stereotypes and gave his female characters humorous yet demeaning flaws that kept the audience from fully admiring them. Sullivan, on the other hand, countered Gilbert's derisive attitude by composing sophisticated music for the female characters, granting emotional depth and a certain level of respectability. The struggle between Gilbert's mocking tone and Sullivan's empathetic music led to the men's ultimate success. I examine Gilbert's female characters, explore the counteractive effect of Sullivan's music, and analyze Princess Ida—their opera most directly related to the New Woman—in depth.

Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Princess: A Medley has posed interpretative difficulties for readers since its 1847 debut. Critics, editors, and artists contemporary with Tennyson as well as in this century have puzzled over the poem's stance on the issue of the so-called Woman Question. Treating Tennyson as the first reader of the poem yields an understanding of the title character, Princess Ida, as an ambassador of Tennyson's optimistic and evolutionary views of human development and links his work to that of visionary educators of nineteenth-century England. Later artists, however, produced adaptations of the poem that twisted its hopefulness into satirical commentary, reduced its complexities to ease the task of reading, and put it to work in various causes, many ranged against the improvement of women's condition. In particular, a series of editions carried The Princess into various nations, classrooms, and homes, promoting interpretations that often obscure Tennyson's cautious optimism.