# Burge — Back to Methuselah character guide

> Burge in Back to Methuselah by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Burge Stung, Burge Yes, Burge Stuff, Burge Lubin, Burge - Lubin, Mr. Burge, Burge God, Burge Good God, Burge The Liberal Party, Burge Fiercely, Burge Starting . Lubin

**First appearance:** 0055-part-ii-the-gospel-of-the-brothers-barnabas

## Snapshot

A genial, mocking politician and old classmate of the Barnabas brothers, more interested in popularity than in the uncomfortable arithmetic of human longevity.

## Who they are

Burge appears in the play's futuristic frame as the President of the British Islands, a stout, silk-smocked figure who treats government as a series of pleasant evasions and delegates the boring duties to his Accountant General. He needles Barnabas about the American's book, shrugs off the coming crisis in the Act, and prefers being liked to being right. His easy charm and shallow pragmatism represent the political order the Barnabas gospel must overcome, and his scenes with Barnabas are the play's sharpest comedy of administrative evasion.

## Relationships

### [Franklyn Barnabas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/franklyn_barnabas)

_rivalry_

Political and ideological opponents, with Burge representing conventional politics against Franklyn's radical ideas.

### [Conrad Barnabas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/conrad_barnabas)

_rivalry_

Burge and Conrad clash over political and philosophical ideals, with Burge dismissing Conrad's utopian visions.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/burge
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters