Thinking about Social Injustice

In Gilbert and Sullivan's famous comic opera, The Mikado, the two young lovers, Nanki-poo and Yum-Yum, are being thwarted by rules, deception, and magnificent confusion. At one point three players in the game have mistakenly arranged for the execution of Nanki-poo, who, it turns out, is actually the Mikado's son. The three realize their mistake too late, and the Mikado informs them that according to law, they must die-preferably after he has had his lunch. In response to their profuse apologies The Mikado replies: I'm really very sorry for you all, but it's an unjust world, and virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances. This homily is followed by a rather scholastic musical commentary on the dangers of rigid legalism, the first verse of which is as follows: