History Creator / GilbertAndSullivan

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The main antagonists of Gilbert and Sullivan operas tend to be [[AntiVillain Anti Villains]] at worst.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The main antagonists of Gilbert and Sullivan operas tend to be [[AntiVillain AntiVillains]] at worst.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The main antagonists of Gilbert and Sullivan operas tend to be [[AntiVillain]]s at worst.

* SildingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: They remain invariably on the silly end of the scale.

%%* ForeignLanguageTirade

* ReallyGetsAround: Pretteia, according to Nicemis

* SpiritualSuccessor: The ''Series/DoctorWho'' Creator/BigFinish audio play ''Doctor Who and the Pirates, Or The Lass that Lost A Sailor'' is one long Gilbert and Sullivan pastiche. Especially in Act 3, where it [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments turns into a musical]], with music ripped straight from ''Penzance'', ''Mikado'', and ''Pinafore'', complete with Creator/ColinBaker singing "[[MajorGeneralSong I Am the Very Model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer]]".

* {{Crossdresser}}: Hilarion and his friends dress as women to infiltrate Ida's all-female university.

* BlueBlood: When virtuous love is sought, its pow'r is naught.

* HaveAGayOldTime:
** "We never molest an orphan!" It feels like every ''five seconds'' they repeat themselves in case someone didn't hear.

* MilesGloriosus: According to the MajorGeneralSong, the model major-general is absurdly qualified in every way, except that he has no military knowledge whatever and can't even "tell a Mauser rifle from a javelin."

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: The policemen sing the nonsense word "tarantara" which is the onomatopoeia for a blaring trumpet.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Gilbert employs it in fine style, and even makes it rhyme. (The MajorGeneralSong is an obvious example.)

* HumansAreBastards: J. W. Wells & Co's most popular item is the penny curse. They have sold exactly one blessing, which was returned.

* AffablyEvil: Parodied by King Paramount in ''Utopia, Limited''. "A king of autocratic power [[RoyalWe we]]"

* AristocratsAreEvil: Parodied by King Paramount in ''Utopia, Limited''. "A king of autocratic power we"
* BackForTheFinale: Rackstraw returns in ''Utopia, Limited'' as Captain Sir Edward Corcoran, K.C.B. (of the Royal Navy).
** But with a noticeably lower voice. (Perhaps Josephine's father had his name changed, and worked his way back up?)
*** And the signature song -- which Ralph never sings, even after the switch.
** Alternatively, it could be the Peer to whom he was purportedly related.
** On a similar note, it's been seriously proposed that Dick Dauntless grew up into... [[WildMassGuessing Dick Deadeye]]!
* BlatantLies: Nearly anything the Flowers of Progress, and to a lesser degree Lady Sophy, say about England in ''Utopia Limited''. Examples (particularly in "Society has quite forsaken") include the imminent abolition of hunger and the absence of slums.

* BritishRoyalGuards: In ''Theatre/UtopiaLimited'', Princess Zara's escort identifies itself as "First [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Guards_(United_Kingdom) Life Guards]]".
* BusCrash: Depending on the performance of ''Utopia, Limited''. If Captain Corcoran is part of the PairTheSpares, it means (given that he's supposed to be respectable) that Buttercup has died since they were married at the end of ''Pinafore''.

* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: The Wise Men in ''Utopia, Ltd.'''s use of a pound of dynamite exploding in your ears, according to "In every mental lore". As they say, "It's not a pleasant sight-- We'll spare you the particulars."

* GratuitousIambicPentameter: Some passages in ''Utopia''.

* PardonMyKlingon: ''Utopia, Limited''

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: The policemen sing the nonsense word "tarantara" which is the onomatopoeia for a blaring trumpet, and Princess Zara sings "tantantarara-rara-rara!" in ''Utopia, Ltd.''.

* StealthPun: In ''Theatre/UtopiaLimited,'' the "Public Exploder" [[note]]whose job is to blow up the king with dynamite if he oversteps his constitutional boundaries... MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext[[/note]] is named Tarara. A popular song of the day was, "Ta-ra-ra BOOM-de-ay!"

* VillainSong: Nearly all 'villains' in G&S are actually [[SubvertedTrope subversions]], [[PlayedForLaughs parodies]] [[PlayingWithATrope and the like]], but the only real or 'straight' villains, Scaphio and Phantis in ''Utopia Limited'', do get a villain duet.

* ArrangedMarriage: The eponymous Grand Duke is engaged to the princess of Monaco (specifically Monte-Carlo) whom he's never met.

* BilingualBonus: The grand duchy that ''The Grand Duke''' takes place in is called Pfennig Halbpfenig, German for "Penny Ha'penny".

* BookEnds: The finale of ''The Grand Duke'' is a reprise of the opening number.

* PairTheSpares: ''The Grand Duke'': At the end, the protagonists marry their respective love interests and the Grand Duke marries one of his two fiancées, the Princess of Monte Carlo, leaving the other, the Baroness von Krakenfeldt, out in the cold. She hooks up with the Princess's father for his money.

* QuarrelingSong: The Act 1 finale in ''Theatre/TheGrandDuke'' centers around a staged quarrel and subsequent nonlethal duel, sung in duet with chorus, between the titular Grand Duke and a man who is scheming to overthrow him.

* AllThereInTheScript: Some characters are given names for no apparent reason, which appear only in the ''dramatis personae''. They aren't even in the script half the time, because they have [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep more intuitive titles]].
** Happens to a lot of the minor (and some less minor) characters in ''The Gondoliers''.

** At least once this was combined with ProductPlacement during an Australian performance of "The Gondoliers". The Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro sing about the numerous advertising deals they've made and mention the bank that sponsored the production.

* ArrangedMarriage: In ''The Gondoliers,'' Casilda has been betrothed at birth to the King of Barataria -- whoever he may be.
** Also, the eponymous Grand Duke is engaged to the princess of Monaco (specifically Monte-Carlo) whom he's never met.

* EveryoneMustBePaired: Gilbert paired off the entire cast, including the male and female choruses, in about half of the operas, enough times that even in the ones where Gilbert doesn't, there's a good chance the director will.
** ''The Gondoliers'': Played with -- all the romantic pairing-off, including the matching up of the female and male choruses, happens in the very first scene. (Other complications then separate the lovers until the end.)

* GrandeDame: Gilbert was extremely fond of this type, as, for instance the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers''. This is the most likely character to turn into the AbhorrentAdmirer (''see above'').

* IAmSong: "From the Sunny Spanish Shore" from ''The Gondoliers''
* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Duke of Plaza-Toro from ''The Gondoliers''.

* MilesGloriosus: Often poked fun at:
** In ''The Gondoliers'', the Duke of Plaza-Toro boasts about how valiantly he was the first in front of his regiment as they ran away from battle and hid. In fact, he hid the most bravely of all of them, and remained in hiding for the entire war!
** According to the MajorGeneralSong, the model major-general is absurdly qualified in every way, except that he has no military knowledge whatever and can't even "tell a Mauser rifle from a javelin."

* RagsToRoyalty: Luiz in ''The Gondoliers'' is the Duke of Plaza Toro's lowly private drum or suite; then just before the end, he [[spoiler:is revealed to be the true King of Barataria.]]

* RightfulKingReturns: the driver of the plot in ''The Gondoliers''.

* ShoutOut: In ''The Gondoliers,'' the name of the Kingdom of Barataria is borrowed from that of the "island" governed by Sancho Panza in ''Literature/DonQuixote''.

* AdaptationExpansion: Gilbert tended to try out ideas with a short story, poem, or the like, sell that, then expand it out into a longer work if he liked the result. Later, he began actively mining his early poems for ideas as well. Looking just at the Gilbert and Sullivan works, and including only the most obvious cases:
** ''The Yeomen of the Guard'': Based on ''[[http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/bab_ballads/html/annie.html Annie Protheroe]]'', with some truly epic expansion, turning a fairly trivial little comic poem into easily the most serious and realistic of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
* AffablyEvil:
** Wilfred Shadbolt, head jailer and assistant tormentor, but wants to be more affable by becoming a jester.
** Parodied by King Paramount in ''Utopia, Limited''. "A king of autocratic power [[RoyalWe we]]"

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''The Yeomen of the Guard''. Sullivan was fed up with frivolous "topsy-turvydom", so Gilbert wrote a much more serious libretto. Even though it was a hit (and remained Sullivan's favourite and probably Gilbert's), they went LighterAndSofter again with ''The Gondoliers''.

* EvilSoundsDeep: [[spoiler:In one case, however, in ''Yeomen'', the principal tenor, Colonel Fairfax, is considered the villain by at least some critics. Or at least, when he shaves his beard and disguises himself as Leonard Meryll, he becomes a SOB. (Could that be one reason why both of Fairfax's solos were cut from the Brent-Walker video of ''Yeomen''?)]]
* {{Fainting}}:
** Happens to Elsie Maynard in ''The Yeoman of the Guard''.
** And to Jack Point. [[spoiler: That, or he dies.]]
* ForDoomTheBellTolls
** In ''The Yeoman of the Guard'' the song "The prisoner comes to meet his doom" features a tolling bell.

* TheIngenue: In ''The Yeoman of the Guard'', Elsie Maynard.

* OffWithHisHead: Fairfax is to be executed on a false charge of sorcery in ''Yeomen''.
* ObliviousToLove: Fairfax to Phoebe in ''[[Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard Yeomen]]'' (unless [[DependingOnTheWriter the director decides]] that he notices but [[JerkAss doesn't care]]).

* PairTheSpares:
** ''The Yeomen of the Guard'': Subverted. After Elsie and Fairfax get together, the spares are Phoebe (who had pursued Fairfax) and Jack Point (who had pursued Elsie). They don't pair up; Phoebe marries someone else -- not for love, but to protect Fairfax -- and Jack Point doesn't marry anybody, but drops dead on the spot.
** ''The Grand Duke'': At the end, the protagonists marry their respective love interests and the Grand Duke marries one of his two fiancées, the Princess of Monte Carlo, leaving the other, the Baroness von Krakenfeldt, out in the cold. She hooks up with the Princess's father for his money.

** Of course, that's when the character appears in the script ''at all''; for instance, ''Ruddigore'' has a long list of named ghosts in the ''dramatis personae''. The script itself refers only to Roderick by name, and list the others as "1st ghost," "2nd ghost," and so on. The numbers never get high enough to include half the ghosts listed; the rest are presumably just ordinary choristers. Early libretti also often include characters that got edited out in rehearsals.
** Happens to a lot of the minor (and some less minor) characters -- Zorah and Ruth in ''Ruddigore'', and lots in ''The Gondoliers''.

* AntiquatedLinguistics: Granted, Gilbert was writing in the [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian Era]], which this trope usually parodies. However, much of Gilbert's dialogue and lyrics were designed to sound humorously overblown and antiquated ''even by Victorian standards''. In ''Ruddigore'', Rose Maybud tends to speak in FloweryElizabethanEnglish.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Parodied in ''Ruddigore''.
** Parodied by King Paramount in ''Utopia, Limited''. "A king of autocratic power we"

* {{Bowdleri|se}}zation:
** Bowdlerization itself is alluded to in ''Thespis''.
** Played straight in ''Ruddigore'', which had its very title changed due to the apparent offensiveness of the original title, ''Ruddygore'' (since ruddy is a synonym for bloody, which was tremendously offensive at the time). Gilbert found this just as absurd as anyone, and suggested re-titling it ''Kensington Gore, or, Not So Good As The Mikado''. He responded to one critic who brought this up, saying: "that would mean that if I said that I admired your ruddy countenance, which I do, I would be saying that I liked your bloody cheek, which I don't."
*** Also in ''Ruddigore'', all the ghosts coming back to life to marry the professional bridesmaids was deemed too shocking, so Sir Despard's former retinue returns for no apparent reason and marries them instead. (Though they seemed to be able to get away with ''one'' resurrection.)
*** Possibly because Sir Roderic had died recently enough that it seemed reasonable that he should still be alive, if he had not been killed, whereas the idea of, say, Zorah, paired off with a [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 300-year-old]] Sir Rupert was just too {{squick}}y. Yeah, the Victorians were odd.

* BurnTheWitch: How Sir Rupert Murgatroyd got his line into the mess he did in ''Ruddigore''.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Several examples.
** Ruddigore: Mad Margret.
*** It is safe to assume Gilbert loved this trope.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: ''Ruddigore'' has Richard Dauntless's "I shipped d'ye see", which sent French newspapers into such an uproar over the perceived attack on the French that Sullivan was never able to get his works performed in Paris from then on. The song is actually about a British sailor talking about their kindness when their sloop ''turned tail and fled'' from a formidable French frigate, which ''of course'' they could have taken on... but... um... [[MilesGloriosus decided not to, just now]]. Because fighting them would be mean. Yeah, that's it.
** Rose Maybud from ''Ruddigore'' follows etiquette to an excruciating degree, but doesn't seem to understand that the point of etiquette is to keep everyone comfortable. For further details refer to her song, "If somebody there chanced to be." Rose's dependence on her book of etiquette is itself a parody of the [[DeadHorseTrope melodramatic trope]] of a character left a [[Literature/TheBible Bible]] by a dead parent and regarding it as a moral guide to be obeyed to the letter. This ''may'' be Gilbert's extremely subtle TakeThat at the Nonconformists in Britain who were noted both for their Biblical literalism and for their opposition to the theatre.
%%* ComplimentBackfire

* CrowdSong: All their works have them, and the fact is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by Mad Margaret in ''Ruddigore''.

* {{Curse}}: Sets up the situation in ''Ruddigore''.

* DastardlyWhiplash: The Murgatroyd family of ''Ruddigore'', especially Sir Ruthven, parody this character, which was still played straight in the "Transpontine" theatres of the time.
* DeadpanSnarker: Gilbert himself. For example, when asked casually by a theatre-goer how "''Bloodygore''" (''see'' {{Bowdlerization}}, ''above'') was doing, Gilbert replied, "The name is ''Ruddigore''." "Well, it's the same thing, what?" said the man, to which Gilbert replied, "Then I suppose that if I say, 'I admire your ruddy countenance,' it's the same thing as, 'I like your bloody cheek.' Well, it ''isn't'' -- and ''I '''don't'''!''
* DesignatedVillain: The Murgatroyds in ''Ruddigore'' (actually designated InUniverse by a {{curse}}).

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Mad Margaret is often played this way in ''Ruddigore''.

** ''Ruddigore'': The female chorus is paired off with either the revivified ghosts, or the visiting gentlemen from the city, depending on version. It's kind of set up in Act I, where the women gush over the visiting gentlemen because "The sons of the tillage / Who dwell in this village" ... "Though honest and active, / They're most unattractive".

* EvilSoundsDeep: Most of the roles played by Richard Temple -- The Pirate King, Sir Roderick, The Mikado of Japan, ''etc''. Some of their {{Villain Song}}s have been very effectively covered by Creator/ChristopherLee, which should tell you quite a bit. [[spoiler:In one case, however, in ''Yeomen'', the principal tenor, Colonel Fairfax, is considered the villain by at least some critics. Or at least, when he shaves his beard and disguises himself as Leonard Meryll, he becomes a SOB. (Could that be one reason why both of Fairfax's solos were cut from the Brent-Walker video of ''Yeomen''?)]]

** And to Robin Oakapple at the end of Act I of ''Ruddigore''.

* HypocriticalHumour: ''Ruddigore's'' "If you wish in the world to advance":
-->Now take for example my case. I've a bright intellectual brain.
-->In all London city there's no-one so witty, I've thought so again and again.
-->I've a highly intelligent face, my features cannot be denied,
-->but whatever I try, sir, I fail it and why, sir? I'm modesty personified...

* TheIgor: After Robin Oakapple is transformed into DastardlyWhiplash-type Sir Ruthven in ''Ruddigore'', his servant, Adam Goodheart (aka "Gideon Crawle"), spontaneously acquires a hump.
** Not according to the libretto, although he could well have been played that way in Savoy performance tradition.
* IHaveThisFriend: Robin and Rose make use of this trope in the song "I know a youth" in ''Ruddigore''.

* TheIngenue: Rose Maybud in ''Ruddigore'' is a parody of the type; in ''The Yeoman of the Guard'', Elsie Maynard is a somewhat more serious depiction.

** In ''Ruddigore,'' the song "I Shipped D'ye See" is about a British warship gallantly turning tail and fleeing from a French frigate since, um, they didn't want to hurt them or anything like that.

* ObliviousToLove: Robin and Rose to each other in ''Ruddigore''; Fairfax to Phoebe in ''[[Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard Yeomen]]'' (unless [[DependingOnTheWriter the director decides]] that he notices but [[JerkAss doesn't care]]).

** ''Ruddigore'': After Rose and Robin get together at the end, Richard hooks up with Zorah, who he's had no lines with before then.

* PatterSong: In every show. Lampshaded in the [[SelfReferentialHumor Ruddigore]] PatterSong. (See SelfDeprecation below.)
* PokeThePoodle: The crimes of Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd in ''Ruddigore'' (except, of course, when he shot a fox. Oh, horror!).

* PunchClockVillain: ''Ruddigore''.

* ReallyGetsAround: Richard Dauntless, according to Robin.
** Pretteia, according to Nicemis

* SelfDeprecation: Mocked their own style in ''Ruddigore:''
--> This particularly rapid unintelligible patter
--> Isn’t generally heard and if it is it doesn’t matter!
** Also:
-->'''[[TheOphelia Mad Margaret]]:''' But see, they come – Sir Despard and his evil crew! Hide, hide – they are all mad – quite mad!
-->'''Rose:''' What makes you think that?
-->'''Margaret:''' Hush! [[LampshadeHanging They sing choruses in public.]] That's mad enough, I think.

* ShaggyFrogStory: From ''Ruddigore'':
-->'''[[TheOphelia Mad Margaret]]''': You pity me? Then be my mother! The squirrel had a mother, but she drank and the squirrel fled! Hush! They sing a brave song in these parts -- it runs somewhat thus: (sings)
--->'The cat and the dog and the little puppee\\
Sat down in a -- down in a -- in a --'
-->I forget what they sat down in, but so the song goes!

* TwiceShy: ''Ruddigore''
* VillainSong: Subverted in ''Ruddigore'' with "Oh, why am I moody and sad?" -- Despard is ''complaining'' about being the DesignatedVillain because of his {{curse}}. Also [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "When the night wind howls"]] and "Henceforth all the crimes" (er, sort of).
** Nearly all 'villains' in G&S are actually [[SubvertedTrope subversions]], [[PlayedForLaughs parodies]] [[PlayingWithATrope and the like]], but the only real or 'straight' villains, Scaphio and Phantis in ''Utopia Limited'', do get a villain duet.
* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: Parodied without mercy in Richard's song "The Darned Mounseer" from ''Ruddigore''.

* MyCard: Jufpiter presents it in ''Thespis''

* AffablyEvil: The Mikado of Japan, who isn't a bit angry that three of the main characters killed his son (or claimed to) on accident, but is still going to immerse them in boiling oil. Also Wilfred Shadbolt, head jailer and assistant tormentor, but wants to be more affable by becoming a jester.

** In ''The Mikado'' Pish-Tush, Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo's names are never mentioned (and, though Nanki-Poo is the romantic lead and the first principal character to appear, his name isn't stated until halfway through the show).
*** Not to mention Go-To who gets 8 words in the entire show and sometimes isn't even mentioned in the cast list (or is simply A Noble) since he was only introduced to sing the bass part in "Brightly dawns our wedding day"; it was written for Pish-Tush (who often sings it nowadays) but the original actor couldn't sing low enough.
*** Actually, Pitti-Sing's name is mentioned once. Toward the end, when Katisha asks the Mikado for mercy for Ko-Ko and his two "accomplices", she names Pitti-Sing.

* AnachronismStew: Not frequently in the originals, but there is a proud tradition of rewriting parts of the (now public domain) dialog to include jokes that are relevant to modern audiences, even if they make no sense for the time period. For example, there have been performances of ''The Mikado'' in which Pooh-Bah listed "Secretary of Homeland Security" and "Husband of Creator/ElizabethTaylor" among his titles. The "Little List" song from ''The Mikado'' is particularly ripe for this, as it contained a series of then-contemporary references that would make less sense to modern audiences. G&S would probably be happy to see the updates--so long as you don't mess with the music!

** Let's not forget ''The Mikado'' where for once it's the man, Nanki-Poo, fleeing an arranged marriage to a loathsome older woman, Katisha.

* BlackComedy: ''The Mikado'' is chock-full of it.

** Two passages that originally contained "the N-word" in ''Theatre/TheMikado'' are usually altered for modern productions.

* ChristmasCake: For instance, Katisha in ''The Mikado'' pursues the much younger Nanki-Poo. Unmarried elderly ladies pursuing younger men is Gilbert's favourite joke, though they're usually treated with a level of sympathy.

** The Mikado: Pooh Bah.

** Similarly, ''The Mikado'', which uses the mania for all things Oriental that was going on at the time to poke fun of modified British institutions, was briefly banned in 1907 for fear of offending a visiting Japanese prince -- who was rather annoyed, as [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales he'd wanted to see it]].

* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: In ''The Mikado'' the song "My object all sublime" is completely devoted to this trope.
** The Wise Men in ''Utopia, Ltd.'''s use of a pound of dynamite exploding in your ears, according to "In every mental lore". As they say, "It's not a pleasant sight-- We'll spare you the particulars."

* EvolvingMusic: It's somewhat traditional for certain songs to be updated to poke fun of current topical references. Ko-Ko's "[[ListSong I've Got a Little List]]" from ''Theatre/TheMikado'' is particularly vulnerable. Gilbert himself sanctioned some of this when he realized that "the lady novelist" on Ko-Ko's list wouldn't always be seen as "[[MostWritersAreMale a singular anomaly]]" and let singers suggest their own alternatives. The lyrics explicitly give permission to fill out the list as they wish.[[note]]The task of filling up the blanks, I'd rather leave to you. But it really doesn't matter whom you put upon the list, for they'd none of 'em be missed -- they'd none of 'em be missed.[[/note]] The most popular replacement? "[[NatureAbhorsAVirgin The girl who's not been kissed]]" and "[[RoaringTwenties the Prohibitionist]], although more recently, lady novelists have come back into range, either "[[Creator/AnneRice the vampire]] [[Creator/StephenieMeyer novelist]]" or "[[Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey the fetish novelist]]", under the belief that Sir William would find the abilities of both rather lacking.

** In ''The Mikado'' the chorus sings, "If true her tale thy knell is rung. Thy knell is rung," stipulated to be sung as deep, ringing bells.

* ForgotICouldChangeTheRules: In ''The Mikado'', the titular character acknowledges that it was a complete mistake that his son was beheaded (they were JustFollowingOrders that somebody be put to death, and Nanki-Poo was in disguise, and entirely despondent on losing the love of his life to Ko-Ko). Still, the law is the law, and [[LawfulStupid there's nothing he can do]], despite being TheEmperor of all Japan, whose word is law.
*** Well, he is ''going'' to have it altered - too late to save the unfortunate trio, though. Hey, he's TheEmperor - you can't expect him to rush off in a panic just for the sake of a few witless underlings.
* GrandeDame: Gilbert was extremely fond of this type, as, for instance Katisha in ''The Mikado'', and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers''. This is the most likely character to turn into the AbhorrentAdmirer (''see above'').

* {{Greed}}: Pooh-Bah claims he took on all the positions in the state to mortify his pride -- and accepts the salaries.

* HesitantSacrifice: ''The Mikado'': Ko-Ko, reluctant to execute himself, appoints Pooh-Bah "Lord High Substitute" as executionee.
---> Pooh-Bah: Such an appointment would realize my fondest dreams. But no, at any sacrifice, I must set bounds to my insatiable ambition!

* HypocriticalHumour: More than one rewrite of "If Someday It May Happen" (wherein Ko-Ko lists people he feels should be executed) includes "All people who write different words to Mr. Gilbert's songs!"
** ''Ruddigore's'' "If you wish in the world to advance":

* IAmSong:
** "If you want to know who we are" from ''The Mikado''
** "A wandering minstrel I", sung by Nanki-Poo in ''The Mikado''
** "From the Sunny Spanish Shore" from ''The Gondoliers''

* ListSong: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "I've Got a Little List"]] from ''The Mikado.''

* MyCard: Jupiter presents it in ''Thespis''

* OffWithHisHead: The penalty for [[FelonyMisdemeanor flirting]] in ''Mikado'', although Ko-Ko never does get around to chopping off anybody's head, because he's first in line to go to the block.
** Fairfax is to be executed on a false charge of sorcery in ''Yeomen''.

* OverlyLongGag: In ''The Mikado'', Pooh-Bah's wedding toast to Nanki-Poo is often performed as this.
-->Pooh-Bah: Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong life to you...[[BlackComedy till then]]!
** Also the overused fad of encoring songs in a show just to get audience applause... [[UptoEleven OVER AND OVER AGAIN]].

** ''The Mikado'': Played with. The hero and heroine each start off facing an incipient ArrangedMarriage before meeting and falling in love. Rather than the two left-over parties to the arranged marriages just happening to hook up, the hero and heroine actively orchestrate it so that neither will be able to insist on the arrangement going ahead as planned.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: In ''Theatre/TheMikado'' Ko-Ko never does his job as executioner, nor do we ever see Pooh Bah performing any of his various capacities.

* {{Pride}}: Pooh-Bah accuses himself of this because of his BlueBlood.

* PunnyName: Most productions, especially notable in ''The Mikado''

* RunawayFiance: Nanki-Poo in ''The Mikado''

** Nearly all 'villains' in G&S are actually [[SubvertedTrope subversions]], [[PlayedForLaughs parodies]] [[PlayingWithATrope and the like]], but the only real or 'straight' villains, Scaphio and Phantis in ''Utopia Limited'', do get a villain duet. The titular Mikado from ''The Mikado'' also gets one with "A More Humane Mikado".

** "We will hang you, never fear, most politely." Said by King Hildebrand in ''Princess Ida''.

** And of course in ''Princess Ida'', "A bride's a bride tho' the knot were tied at the early age of one!"

** Passages that originally contained "the N-word"[[note]]one in ''Theatre/PrincessIda'' and two in ''Theatre/TheMikado''[[/note]] are usually altered for modern productions.
** Bowdlerization itself is mentioned in ''Princess Ida'' and alluded to in ''Thespis''.

** Princess Ida: Princess Ida and King Gamma.

** In act III of "Princess Ida", King Hildebrand subjects King Gama to a misanthrope's hell: a place where there is never anything to complain about and everything suits him. So he grumbles about having nothing whatever to grumble at.

* DeadpanSnarker: King Gama in ''Princess Ida'' (who was Gilbert's [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed parody]] of himself!) For example, when asked casually by a theatre-goer how "''Bloodygore''" (''see'' {{Bowdlerization}}, ''above'') was doing, Gilbert replied, "The name is ''Ruddigore''." "Well, it's the same thing, what?" said the man, to which Gilbert replied, "Then I suppose that if I say, 'I admire your ruddy countenance,' it's the same thing as, 'I like your bloody cheek.' Well, it ''isn't'' -- and ''I '''don't'''!''

** ''Princess Ida'': The girl scholars have been kept completely isolated from men. Ooh, look, men have appeared! They decide to further their education.

* GrandeDame: Gilbert was extremely fond of this type, as, for instance Lady Blanche in ''Princess Ida'', Katisha in ''The Mikado'', and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers''. This is the most likely character to turn into the AbhorrentAdmirer (''see above'').
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: The dialogue in ''Princess Ida'', owing to its origin as a parody of a Tennyson poem. Also some passages in ''Utopia''.

** Particularly in a certain scene from ''Princess Ida'', when the three sons of King Gama are removing their armour, and sing about "this tight-fitting cuirass."

** "If You Give Me Your Attention" from ''Princess Ida''

** The grouchy and misanthropic King Gama in ''Theatre/PrincessIda'' is a self-parody of none other than W. S. Gilbert, who had a rather curmudgeonly persona. At one dinner given in his honor, Gilbert concluded a speech by quoting Gama's CatchPhrase: "But everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man! And I can't think why!"

* StrawFeminist: The mainspring of the plot of ''Princess Ida.''

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Assumed to a sometimes surprising degree. For instance, a throwaway line in ''Princess Ida'', in which a character mentions that the words "'are men' stuck in her throat," is a pun on an obscure line from Theatre/{{Macbeth}}, "Amen stuck in my throat." One wonders how many of the original audience caught the joke.

** ''Iolanthe'': "[[http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/bab_ballads/html/fairy_curate.html The Fairy Curate]]", another of Gilbert's poems, again stripped of its religious overtones, and [[GeckoEnding with a new second act]].

** Happens to a lot of the minor (and some less minor) characters -- Celia, Leila, and Fleta in ''Iolanthe'', Zorah and Ruth in ''Ruddigore'', and lots in ''The Gondoliers''.

* BritishRoyalGuards:
** In ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', Private Willis, who sings a solo to open the second act, is one of the First Grenadier Guards.
** In ''Theatre/UtopiaLimited'', Princess Zara's escort identifies itself as "First [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Guards_(United_Kingdom) Life Guards]]".

** Iolanthe: Chorus of Faries Chorus of Peers.

** ''Iolanthe'': Unlike many examples, it's not just a last-minute thing. We see the growing relationship between the male and female choruses throughout most of an entire act, and it's part of the main plot. Further, every main cast pairing has at least one entire song setting them up, most far more.

* ForgotICouldChangeTheRules: The Chancellor in ''Iolanthe'' eventually realizes that he can give himself permission to marry Phyllis. A scene or two later, the Queen of the Fairies realizes that she can avoid having to execute Iolanthe by changing the law that requires it.
** In ''The Mikado'', the titular character acknowledges that it was a complete mistake that his son was beheaded (they were JustFollowingOrders that somebody be put to death, and Nanki-Poo was in disguise, and entirely despondent on losing the love of his life to Ko-Ko). Still, the law is the law, and [[LawfulStupid there's nothing he can do]], despite being TheEmperor of all Japan, whose word is law.

* GratuitousIambicPentameter: The dialogue in ''Princess Ida'', owing to its origin as a parody of a Tennyson poem. Also some passages in ''Iolanthe'' and ''Utopia''.

* HalfHumanHybrid: ''Iolanthe'''s son Strephon, who laments that only half of him is immortal while the other will waste away.

%%** How about Tolloler and Mountararat in ''Iolanthe''?

** "The Law is the True Embodiment" from ''Iolanthe''

* NightmareSequence: The Lord Chancellor in ''Iolanthe'' describes his nightmare in a memorable PatterSong. PlayedForLaughs, naturally.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: ''Iolanthe'' -- "This lady's his ''what?''"

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: In ''Theatre/TheMikado'' Ko-Ko never does his job as executioner, nor do we ever see Pooh Bah performing any of his various capacities. Gilbert actually {{lampshades}} this Trope in ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', when he has Lord Mountararat proclaim:
-->When [[UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington Wellington]] thrashed [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Bonaparte]],
-->As ev'ry child can tell,
-->The House of Peers, throughout the war,
-->Did nothing in particular,
-->And did it very well!
** [[ArtisticLicense When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte, the Master-General of the Ordnance, the head of the Admiralty, the secretary for War, the Prime Minister, and, of course, Wellington himself, were all members of the House of Peers.]] [[RuleOfCool Still one of Gilbert's best lines, and the facts be... d----d!]]

* PowerOfFriendship: Parodied in ''Iolanthe'' with Lords Tolloler and Mountararat, with heavy doses of both Jerkass and WhatAnIdiot, not to mention so much HaveAGayOldTime, it verges on HoYay.

* PurpleProse: One of Gilbert's favorite targets for satire, since he had plenty of contemporary examples to draw on in UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain. A particularly purpurescent example can be found in Act 1 of ''Iolanthe'':
-->'''Strephon:''' My Lord, I know no Courts of Chancery; I go by Nature's Acts of Parliament. The bees — the breeze — the seas — the rooks — the brooks — the gales — the vales — the fountains and the mountains cry, "You love this maiden — take her, we command you!" 'Tis writ in heaven by the bright barbed dart that leaps forth into lurid light from each grim thundercloud. The very rain pours forth her sad and sodden sympathy! When chorused Nature bids me take my love, shall I reply, "Nay, but a certain Chancellor forbids it"? Sir, you are England's Lord High Chancellor, but are you Chancellor of birds and trees, King of the winds and Prince of thunderclouds?
-->'''Lord Chancellor:''' [[BeigeProse No. It's a nice point.]] I don't know that I ever met it before.

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: The fairies in ''Iolanthe''.

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: The policemen sing the nonsense word "tarantara" which is the onomatopoeia for a blaring trumpet, the Peers sing its variant, "tantantara" in ''Iolanthe,'' and Princess Zara sings "tantantarara-rara-rara!" in ''Utopia, Ltd.''. (The Peers add onomatopoetic percussion with "tzing, boom!")

* ShoutOut:
** In ''The Gondoliers,'' the name of the Kingdom of Barataria is borrowed from that of the "island" governed by Sancho Panza in ''Literature/DonQuixote''.
** An almost literal one occurred on the first night of ''Iolanthe''; when Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, head of London's fire department and a big fan who was an inveterate first-nighter, attended the première, the Fairy Queen (Alice Barnett) stretched out her arms to him as she sang, "Oh, Captain Shaw, type of true love kept under!" ([[HilariousInHindsight Four years later, ironically]], Shaw was involved in a messy adultery case.)

* {{Tsundere}}: The fairies in Iolanthe, especially in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81wP_xMdJec "In vain to us you plead"]], which is practically the Tsundere ''anthem''.

** ''Patience'': Pretty much a MAJOR expansion of ''[[http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/bab_ballads/html/rival_curates.html The Rival Curates]]'', though [[PragmaticAdaptation Gilbert knew that, as much as he might want to poke fun of clerics on the stage]], he'd cause [[MoralGuardians every cleric out there -- who were already, many of them, railing against the wicked stage from the pulpit]] -- to think they'd been proven right.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: In ''Patience,'' the heavy dragoons love the twenty lovesick maidens, the twenty lovesick maidens love Bunthorne, who loves the eponymous milkmaid -- none of whom returns their love.
** And Patience loves Archibald, and Archibald loves Patience, but that turns into a muddle (naturally) resulting in Patience attaching herself to Bunthorne and the twenty lovesick maidens (except the tragic Lady Jane, still attached to Bunthorne) chasing Archibald. The dragoons, alas, get no one. [[spoiler:Until the end.]]

* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: Constantly. Except for [[spoiler: Bunthorne]].
** And [[spoiler: Jack Point.]]

** Patience: Patience and Archibald Grosvenor.

* {{Curse}}: Threatened in ''Patience''; sets up the situation in ''Ruddigore''.

** ''Patience'': The soldiers and the women were engaged before the opera, but the women broke it off so they can FanGirl Bunthorne. In the end, everyone pairs off (except Bunthorne), but one of the jokes is that no-one in the cast has the faintest understanding of what love really is, so there's a sort of rapid-fire fiancée-swapping set to music ("If Saphir I choose to marry..."), and the Duke chooses to marry the ChristmasCake because she's the only woman there who isn't drop-dead gorgeous, and he's quite aware he's completely dull and average.

* GrandeDame: Gilbert was extremely fond of this type, as, for instance Lady Jane in ''Patience'', Lady Blanche in ''Princess Ida'', Katisha in ''The Mikado'', and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers''. This is the most likely character to turn into the AbhorrentAdmirer (''see above'').

** "I'm A Waterloo House Young Man" from ''Patience''
** "Twenty Lovesick Maidens We" from ''Patience''

* ListSong: Many, as this is a great way to write a PatterSong. Notable examples include, "If you want a receipt for that popular mystery" from ''Patience'' and of course [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "I've Got a Little List"]] from ''The Mikado.''

* SmallNameBigEgo: Bunthorne and Grosvenor in ''Patience''
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Archibald Grosvenor in ''Patience'' is irresistible to women and so can have any woman he wants--except for the one he does want.

* StylisticSuck: parodied with Bunthorne's poetry in ''Patience''

* UnwantedHarem: Many of the operettas have some version of it, though often played with or subverted.
--> '''Grosvenor:''' They love me! Horror! Horror! Horror!

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: the title character in ''Patience'' has never loved, and is perplexed by its traumatic effects on the other characters. Her being told a very Byronic version of what love is (see, for instance, http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/patience/webop/pat14.html ), and that she's a horrible person for not experiencing it right then and right now, pretty much forms the basis for a big chunk of the plot. Luckily, she manages to get around it in the end, and marry the person she loves, but who didn't require sacrifices of her.

** ''The Pirates of Penzance'': Possibly an expansion from a work begun on a one-act follow-up to ''Trial by Jury'' which never materialized due to funding falling short.

** Also comes up in ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'', where the Pirate King and the Sergeant of Police have their names given in the ''dramatis personae'' as Richard and Edward, respectively. At no point in the opera are these names mentioned. And four of the Major General's daughters have names but only Mabel's is mentioned.

* AntiquatedLinguistics: Granted, Gilbert was writing in the [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian Era]], which this trope usually parodies. However, much of Gilbert's dialogue and lyrics were designed to sound humorously overblown and antiquated ''even by Victorian standards''. {{Lampshaded}} in the film version of ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'':
-->'''Mabel''': Oh, Frederic, cannot you, in the calm excellence of your wisdom, reconcile it with your conscience to say something that will relieve my father's sorrow?
-->'''Frederic''': ({{Beat}}) What?
-->'''Mabel''': Can't you cheer him up?
** Played straight with Frederic's first appearance to the ladies, delivered as a recitative, which was in antiquated ''musical'' form:
--> "I had not intended to intrude upon your notice in this effective but alarming costume, but under these peculiar circumstance, I find it is my bounden duty to inform you that these proceedings shall not be unwitness'd!"
** Rose Maybud tends to speak in FloweryElizabethanEnglish.

** And Ruth, though that's probably down to ''The Pirates of Penzance'' showing very obvious signs of being the rush job it was: Hell, in the first published scripts,[[note]]Technically, scripts for musicals and operas are called "libretti", but that's a pretty obscure word.[[/note]] she never appeared again after "Away, Away, my Heart's on Fire" in the middle of the second act, her tiny role in the finale being given to a random pirate named James. Most directors pair her with Stanley or the Pirate King.

** The Pirates of Penzance: everybody except Mabel and possibly General Stanley's other daughters.

** ''The Pirates of Penzance'': When the Pirates are revealed to be noblemen, Major General Stanley immediately encourages the whole chorus to pair off.

* EvolvingMusic: It's somewhat traditional for certain songs to be updated to poke fun of current topical references. Ko-Ko's "[[ListSong I've Got a Little List]]" from ''Theatre/TheMikado'' and "The MajorGeneralSong" from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' are particularly vulnerable. Gilbert himself sanctioned some of this when he realized that "the lady novelist" on Ko-Ko's list wouldn't always be seen as "[[MostWritersAreMale a singular anomaly]]" and let singers suggest their own alternatives. The lyrics explicitly give permission to fill out the list as they wish.[[note]]The task of filling up the blanks, I'd rather leave to you. But it really doesn't matter whom you put upon the list, for they'd none of 'em be missed -- they'd none of 'em be missed.[[/note]] The most popular replacement? "[[NatureAbhorsAVirgin The girl who's not been kissed]]" and "[[RoaringTwenties the Prohibitionist]], although more recently, lady novelists have come back into range, either "[[Creator/AnneRice the vampire]] [[Creator/StephenieMeyer novelist]]" or "[[Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey the fetish novelist]]", under the belief that Sir William would find the abilities of both rather lacking.

* IAmSong: "I am the very model of a modern Major General." by General Stanley, ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance''. And lots and lots more.
** "Oh, Better Far to Live and Die" ("For I Am a Pirate King!") from the same.

* LampshadeHanging: In ''Pirates of Penzance'', the pirates explain why they are ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything. Also RealLifeWritesThePlot: Gilbert and Sullivan were aiming for good, clean, family-friendly fun (an underserved market in 1870s British theatre).

* LawfulStupid: ''The Pirates of Penzance'', the eponymous buccaneers are so bound by their pirate rules that they fail utterly at piracy.
* ListSong: Many, as this is a great way to write a PatterSong. Notable examples include, "If you want a receipt for that popular mystery" from ''Patience'', the MajorGeneralSong from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'', and of course [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "I've Got a Little List"]] from ''The Mikado.''
* MajorGeneralSong: Major-General Stanley's song, from ''The Pirates of Penzance'', is the TropeMaker.

* ModernMajorGeneral: Major-General Stanley, from ''The Pirates of Penzance'', is the TropeNamer.

** As are some of Mabel's ridiculously high notes in ''Penzance''.
** Also the [[IncrediblyLamePun "orphan/often" joke]] in the same.

* {{Pirates}}: As in, ''[[Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance of Penzance]]''.
** Specifically, ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance, obviously, but Major General Stanley in the same opera counts as well -- and in ''Theatre/TheMikado'' Ko-Ko never does his job as executioner, nor do we ever see Pooh Bah performing any of his various capacities. Gilbert actually {{lampshades}} this Trope in ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', when he has Lord Mountararat proclaim:

* PoliceAreUseless: In ''The Pirates of Penzance'' the constables sing: "When the foeman bares his steel, (Tarantara, tarantara)/We uncomfortable feel..."
** The origin of the phrase "A policeman's lot is not a happy one"

* PrecisionFStrike: Or D-Strike, to be more precise. Although not in the original libretto, many ''[[Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance Pirates]]'' productions, including the 1968 D'oyly Carte recording, have General Stanley exclaim, "Damme, you don't go!" at the end of "When the Foeman Bares His Steel".

* PunchClockVillain: ''The Pirates of Penzance'', particularly the song "When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment." Also a source of MemeticMutation.
** Even more so in ''Ruddigore''.

** The Major General in ''Pirates'' brags that he "can whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense ''Pinafore''!" — quite a bit of Pirates was blatant sucking up to [[ExecutiveMeddling Royal Meddling]].

* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: G&S are notable for usually [[{{averted}} averting]] this trope, putting them solidly ahead of their time for musical theatre, as the majority of their songs serve to move along the plot or character development. There are occasional exceptions, though, such as "Hail, Poetry" in ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'', which comes out of nowhere, extols the virtues of poetry with an ACappella anthem, and then moves along. They get away with it in this case because the music is [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic freaking awesome]].

* VillainsOutShopping: "When a felon's not engaged in his employment" from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance''.

* WithCatlikeTread: ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' are the [[TropeNamer Trope Namers]].

** ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' is based on several of Gilbert's poems. Of course, he added a lot more realism, and toned down the ComedicSociopathy: For instance, Corcoran and Ralph having been switched as babies, and thus switching positions. -- Have a look at [[http://www.poetry-archive.com/g/general_john.html the original]].
*** Or [[http://books.google.com/books?id=JzI_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=gilbert+the+baby%27s+vengeance&source=bl&ots=d1AJ5fHgCh&sig=z29pazZq0CaBLUcKkuKhc1xtmSo&hl=en&ei=ckv7S8b4L5C6NvvG4bEB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result=3&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false this one]], which has an even harsher ending.

* AllThereInTheScript: Some characters are given names for no apparent reason, which appear only in the ''dramatis personae''. They aren't even in the script half the time, because they have [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep more intuitive titles]]. For instance, ''HMS Pinafore'' has Bill Bobstay and Bob Becket, one of whom is the Boatswain's Mate and the other is the Carpenter's Mate (which is which varies depending on which libretto you read) and appear in the script as "Boatswain" and "Carpenter" respectively. The fact that the Carpenter's Mate is the Carpenter's Mate at all also qualifies as an example, as to the audience he's just a part in a trio.

** Audiences may assume the reference to a telephone in ''HMS Pinafore'' is such an anachronism, but it's in the original libretto--''HMS Pinafore'' was written in 1878, a few years after Bell's invention.

** ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', in particular, is definitely ''not'' an example. The entire plot revolves around class prejudice and issues related to it preventing people who love each other (such as a lowly sailor and an upper-class lady) from getting together; the divide remains fixed to the end, with the hero and heroine only getting together after it's revealed he's really upper-class after all. Casually pairing off the male chorus (lowly sailors) and the female chorus (upper-class ladies) would go against the entire point of the story.

** "I'm Called Little Buttercup", sung by Buttercup in ''HMS Pinafore''
** "I Am the Captain of the Pinafore" by Captain Cocoran, also from ''HMS Pinafore''

* ItsProbablyNothing: In ''HMS Pinafore'' it ''was'' that cat.

* LampshadeHanging: Fairly widespread, if you know what to look for. However, the most obvious ones are in ''Pinafore'' and ''Pirates of Penzance'', in which the sailors and pirates explain, respectively, why they don't swear (What, never? No, never! What, ''never''? Well hardly ever!), and why they are ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything. Also RealLifeWritesThePlot: Gilbert and Sullivan were aiming for good, clean, family-friendly fun (an underserved market in 1870s British theatre).

** Sir Joseph Porter in ''HMS Pinafore'' "snaps his fingers at a foeman's taunts" but later admits that he has no nautical experience whatsoever, and also that he gets seasick in bad weather.

* ModernMajorGeneral:
** Major-General Stanley, from ''The Pirates of Penzance'', is the TropeNamer.
** Sir Joseph Porter in ''Pinafore'' is much the same, with allusions to massive corruption [[note]]The "pocket borough" that sent him into Parliament refers to a district that had all of its votes bought by wealthy family.[[/note]] on top of his incompetence.
--->And that Junior Partner''ship'', I ween, Was the only ''ship'' I ever had seen!

* ObliviousToLove: Sir Joseph to Hebe in ''Pinafore''; Robin and Rose to each other in ''Ruddigore''; Fairfax to Phoebe in ''[[Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard Yeomen]]'' (unless [[DependingOnTheWriter the director decides]] that he notices but [[JerkAss doesn't care]]).

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance, obviously, but Major General Stanley in the same opera counts as well -- and in ''Theatre/TheMikado'' Ko-Ko never does his job as executioner, nor do we ever see Pooh Bah performing any of his various capacities. Similarly the Royal Navy in ''HMS Pinafore'' is never engaged in battle. Gilbert actually {{lampshades}} this Trope in ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', when he has Lord Mountararat proclaim:

* PrecisionFStrike: Or D-Strike, to be more precise.
** Captain Corcoran in ''HMS Pinafore'', though saying he "never swears a big, big, D" in Act 1, is driven to swear in Act 2 when he learns that his daughter Josephine and crewman Ralph mean to elope. The use of this trope at all is itself a parody, given that the Captain (and in fact all but one of the male characters) are sailors who never swear (well, hardly ever).
--->In uttering a reprobation/ To any British tar/ I've tried to speak with moderation,/ But you have gone too far./ I'm very sorry to disparage/ A humble foremast lad,/ But to seek your captain's child in marriage,/ Why, damme, it's too bad!
** Although not in the original libretto, many ''[[Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance Pirates]]'' productions, including the 1968 D'oyly Carte recording, have General Stanley exclaim, "Damme, you don't go!" at the end of "When the Foeman Bares His Steel".

* SpoofAesop: Stick close to your desk/And never go to sea/And you too may be ruler of the Queen's Navee!

* UptownGirl: In ''The HMS Pinafore'', a double version of this appears (one played straight, the other gender-inverted). A middle class woman loves a low class man but at the same time a upper class man is in love with her.

* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: Parodied without mercy in ''HMS Pinafore'', and again in Richard's song "The Darned Mounseer" from ''Ruddigore''.

** ''The Sorcerer'' started life as a short story. In which the love potion is never reversed. The names are different, but, using the names from the opera to keep it simple: Aline tastes the potion, falls in love with Dr. Daly. Alexis is upset about this -- so far, pretty much as in the opera. However, the potion can't be reversed, so Alexis gets bought off with a valuable living (basically, a guaranteed income), and the story ends with Aline praising Alexis' wonderful love potion idea.

** The Sorcerer: Alexis Pointidexter.

** The most popular item sold at Wells' magic shop in ''Sorcerer'' is the Penny Curse.

* DesignatedVillain:
** The Murgatroyds in ''Ruddigore'' (actually designated InUniverse by a {{curse}}).
** John Wellington Wells in ''The Sorcerer'' is also designated as the villain InUniverse. When Wells says that the only way for his spell to be reversed is for either himself or Alexis to sacrifice his life, Alexis, whose fault it all is, volunteers -- but Aline protests, so the villagers vote on who should die and unanimously[[note]]Some performances avert the obvious FridgeLogic, having Lady Sangazure (who loves Wells because of the potion) dissenting from the otherwise unanimous decision.[[/note]] choose Mr. Wells. Justified because Alexis is a parody of the [[TenorBoy stock romantic hero]] and therefore the DesignatedHero.

** ''The Sorcerer'' is an example, and possibly set the expectation. Everyone's paired off at the end; the pairings are supposedly the ones that existed before the love potion caused everyone to pair up randomly, but they were too shy to admit to them before. Mrs Partlet and the Notary don't get any ShipTease in the libretto; as such, their pairing off for the finale pretty much counts as pairing the only remotely age-appropriate spares.

** In ''The Sorcerer'' [[spoiler: the title character's DeusExMachina death sentence is marked by a gong.]]

* FunetikAksent: A chorus of country bumpkins in ''The Sorcerer'' is helpfully indicated this way. "Eh, but oi du loike you!" Then they affect TheQueensEnglish when they're a little more wakeful.
* GrandeDame: Gilbert was extremely fond of this type, as, for instance Lady Sangazure in ''The Sorcerer'', Lady Jane in ''Patience'', Lady Blanche in ''Princess Ida'', Katisha in ''The Mikado'', and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''The Gondoliers''. This is the most likely character to turn into the AbhorrentAdmirer (''see above'').
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: The dialogue in ''Princess Ida'', owing to its origin as a parody of a Tennyson poem. Also some passages in ''The Sorcerer'', ''Iolanthe'' and ''Utopia''.

* HesitantSacrifice:
** ''The Sorcerer'': Wells explains to the community that at either he or Alexis must die, followed by:
---> Wells to Alexis: [[CaptainObvious I would rather it were you.]]
** ''The Mikado'': Ko-Ko, reluctant to execute himself, appoints Pooh-Bah "Lord High Substitute" as executionee.

** "My name is John Wellington Wells" from ''The Sorcerer''

* ObliviousToLove: Dr. Daly to Constance in ''The Sorcerer''; Sir Joseph to Hebe in ''Pinafore''; Robin and Rose to each other in ''Ruddigore''; Fairfax to Phoebe in ''[[Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard Yeomen]]'' (unless [[DependingOnTheWriter the director decides]] that he notices but [[JerkAss doesn't care]]).

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: subverted in ''The Sorcerer''; see Designated Villain, above.

* UpperClassTwit: Alexis in ''The Sorcerer''.

** ''Trial by Jury'' [[http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/bab_ballads/html/trial.html was originally a one-page filler for a comic magazine.]] It ''did'' contain lyrics, some of which appear in the final version, but it jumps from Angelina's arrival straight to the twist ending, eliminating all the build-up. It works ''much'' better in the final form.

** When the defendant (accused of BreachOfPromiseOfMarriage) enters the court in ''Trial by Jury'', he sings "Is this the Court of the Exchequer?" and then aside ''Be firm, be firm, my pecker'', as in British slang "pecker" meant "courage". This has been altered in some modern productions to "Of many a man the wrecker".

** And the defendant in Trial by Jury says "Be Firm Be Firm My Pecker" which meant keep a stiff upper lip at the time

** The Usher's Song in ''Trial by Jury'':
-->And when amid the Plaintiff's shrieks
-->The ruffianly Defendant speaks
-->Upon the other side,
-->What he may say you needn't mind.
-->From bias free of ev'ry kind
-->This trial must be tried!

** "When I, good friends, was call'd to the bar" from ''Trial by Jury''

* KangarooCourt: ''Trial By Jury''