"And So Do His Sisters, And His Cousins, And His Aunts!"
Last Updated on July 2, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 175
Context: Captain Corcoran of the naval ship Pinafore is faced with a problem: his daughter, Josephine, is betrothed to Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, but, as she confesses to her father, she is in love with a common seaman, a member of her father's crew. Before the good captain has time to ponder the matter, Sir Joseph's barge approaches the Pinafore. Sir Joseph is accompanied, as always, by a horde of adoring female relatives. He reveals that he is interested only in the glories of his office.
SIR JOSEPH
When at anchor here I ride,
My bosom swells with pride,
And I snap my fingers at a foeman's taunts;
COUSIN HEBE
And so do his sisters, and his cousins,
and his aunts!
ALL
And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
SIR JOSEPH
But when the breezes blow,
I generally go below,
And seek the seclusion that a cabin grants.
COUSIN HEBE
And so do his sisters, and his cousins,
and his aunts!
ALL
And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
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