# Conrad Barnabas — Back to Methuselah character guide

> Conrad Barnabas in Back to Methuselah by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Conrad, Dr. Conrad Barnabas, Dr. Barnabas, Conrad Rising, Conrad Beaten, Conrad Impatiently, Conrad Why, Conrad God, Conrad Pshaw, Conrad To Savvy, Conrad Aha, the great Conrad Barnabas, the Conrad

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

## Snapshot

A blunt biologist who insists the Life Force can stretch human existence to three centuries, and who would rather argue the point than make small talk.

## Who they are

Conrad Barnabas is the tweed-clad, low-toned brother whose biological convictions collide with his brother Franklyn's clerical eloquence. He sends Savvy his latest book only to learn she has left every page uncut, a small humiliation that sharpens his impatience with the young and the comfortable. His fixation on extending life past its present brevity drives the brothers' joint gospel and gives the play its central wager: that three hundred years might be enough to make a person worth being.

## Relationships

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

_family_

Brothers who share a deep intellectual and philosophical bond, often debating the future of humanity.

### [Burge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/burge)

_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/conrad_barnabas
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters