# Franklyn Barnabas — Back to Methuselah character guide

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

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Franklyn, Franklyn Mr. Joyce Burge, Franklyn Interrupting, Franklyn Gently, Franklyn Shaking, Franklyn Severely, Franklyn Mr. Haslam, Franklyn One, Franklyn The, Franklyn Astonished, Franklyn Man, Franklyn Queen Victoria, Frank

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

## Snapshot

A former clergyman turned evolutionary prophet, convinced that men only fail at life because they die before they can learn it.

## Who they are

Franklyn Barnabas, brother of the biologist Conrad, hosts a country-house gathering where he argues that the Church, the state, and every human institution are stunted by the brevity of life. He confesses he left the pulpit after twenty years because he was not within a hundred and fifty years of the wisdom he pretended to. His cheerful, relentless insistence that longevity would remake civilization is the intellectual engine of the play's middle acts, and his patience with ordinary men like Haslam shows the humane side of his radical creed.

## Relationships

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

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

### [Confucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/confucius)

_friendship_

Mutual respect and philosophical exchange between the ancient sage and the modern thinker.

### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/eve)

_friendship_

Eve and Franklyn share a visionary kinship, both seeking to transcend human limitations.

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

_romantic_

Franklyn and Joyce share a deep personal connection, though their differing worldviews create tension.

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

_family_

Franklyn and Mr. Barnabas are father and son, with a relationship of mutual respect and intellectual inheritance.

### [Sir Fuller Eastwind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/sir_fuller_eastwind)

_professional_

Franklyn and Sir Fuller Eastwind interact as political and social figures, often at odds over policy.

### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/back_to_methuselah_se/characters/eve)

_friendship_

Eve and Franklyn share a visionary kinship, both seeking to transcend human limitations.

## Links

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