Dulcamara, or the Little Duck and the Great Quack of Scene 1: This scene is based on one in Gilbert's short story, "The Adventures of Wheeler J. Calamity", which he had written for the "Fun Christmas Number" in 1865, with the song following this speech, "If you intend to stay with us, before you've been a day with us", appearing in both. "Dulcamara" was not widely reviewed, but "Fun" magazine – to which Gilbert was a regular contributor – gave it a long and favourable notice, declaring that "Mr W. S. Gilbert at once takes rank for both neatness of construction and brilliancy of dialogue beside Mr. Byron. The
The Happy Land "How shabby!" Soon the three male fairies return with news from the Fairy King: they may enjoy the privilege of "popular government." Selene rejects this with horror. The fairies will "Leave such blessings to a happy land." Gilbert created several blank verse "fairy comedies" at the Haymarket Theatre in the early 1870s beginning with "The Palace of Truth" (1870) and "Pygmalion and Galatea" (1871). "The Wicked World" was the third of these, and "The Happy Land" followed so soon on its heels that the two plays ran simultaneously. The plot of "The Happy Land" and "The Wicked World" clearly fascinated