The Devil's Disciple

The play The Devil's Disciple is a classic work by George Bernard Shaw, not a writer named Lancaster, though the 1959 film version was produced by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions. Set during the American Revolutionary War in colonial New Hampshire, the satirical melodrama introduces Richard Dudgeon, a self-proclaimed "Devil's Disciple" and local outcast. In a surprising twist of character and fate, the cynical reprobate sacrifices himself to save the local Presbyterian minister, challenging the town's rigid notions of conventional goodness and villainy. This play cemented Shaw's reputation and remains a witty, paradoxical examination of heroism, duty, and true morality.