1. The Rivals Richard Brinsley Sheridan ‘Without means, without connextion, he beat them all, in all he ever attempted.’ Lord Byron, 1813

2. Theatre since Shakespeare James I – Divine Right of Kings Charles I – regicide, loss of DRK Oliver Cromwell - Puritan Parliamentarians banned all stage performances in the 1640s. Acting was regarded as immoral, and theatres associated with prostitution.

3. Restoration Drama (1670-1729) After the Restoration of Charles II (a womanising ‘rake’) to the throne in 1660, theatres were re-opened, with significant changes.

4. Restoration theatre Theatres were now indoors, with no open- air theatres like the Globe.

5. Restoration theatre Plays were heavily influenced by French drama and theatrical criticism, particularly the ‘Three Unities’ (Aristotle’s theory): 1. Unity of time (action of play is same length as the drama itself) 2. Unity of place (action takes place in one main setting, eg. Bath) 3. Unity of action (one main plot, to which all other plots are linked directly)

6. Restoration theatre Women were now allowed to act on stage (although this was still regarded as controversial by Puritanical members of the audience who associated female acting with prostitution/loose morals). Nell Gwyn, a well known actress, was Charles II’s famous mistress.

7. Theatre was now fashionable, and closely associated with the Royal Court. Restoration theatre

8. Features of Restoration Comedy heroines were pretty, witty and lively, but superficial key theme of appearance and reality witty (but often a cruel, biting wit) and satirical, focused on exposing and ridiculing character folly and hypocrisy energetic, fast-paced plots sparkling dialogue little evidence of virtue, eg. kindness, honesty, faithfulness or sympathy a sub-genre of ‘Sex Comedy’ (The Rover, The Country Wife) bawdy, coarse language and crude humour concerned with sophisticated, fashionable world – strong and realistic sense of social situation heroes usually lively city gentlemen, wild and loose, who were keen to have sex with their friends’ and neighbours’ wives! husbands and fathers were dull and stupid

9. Changes in Restoration comedy Moralists were shocked by the licentious, crude comedies performed during this period. As theatres began to attract a more ‘respectable’ bourgeois middle class audience, tastes changed and dramatists altered the tone of their plays accordingly – such audiences would not tolerate indecency.

10. Sentimental Comedy 1706, Farquhar’s ‘The Beaux Stratagem’ marked a shift from witty and lewd to ‘synthetic’ comedy Sentiment replaced satire – strong satire prevented by Licensing Act 1737 Plays dwelled on feelings rather than bawdy action; however, this did often lead to melodrama Often didactic in tone, with playwrights aiming to improve audience taste and standards of behaviour More evidence of kindness, understanding and amicability between characters Lacked the wit, sparkle and energy of Restoration comedy

11. Reaction against Sentimental Comedy Oliver Goldsmith (1773): ‘A comparison between laughing and sentimental comedy’. Reminds audience that comedy should be based on the ‘frailties of the lower part of mankind’ Condemns Sentimental comedy as being the sort ‘in which the virtues of private life are exhibited, rather than the vices exposed; and the distresses, rather than the faults of mankind, make our interest in the piece … they flatter every man in his favourite foible.’ Complains that ‘folly, instead of being ridiculed, is applauded’. Goldsmith led the reaction against sentamentalism with She Stoops to Conquer, 1773.

12. C18 th Theatres Plays needed to appeal to a more diverse audience: upper/middle class sat in stalls; servants sat in upper galleries Audience expected a full night’s entertainment: songs, variety acts and an afterpiece (usually a comic sketch) Auditorium was not darkened during performances; actors needed to win and retain the interest of their audiences There were only three theatres (Covent Garden, Drury Lane, then Haymarket), under the control of Drury Lane by David Garrick (actor/ manager)

13. C18th Costumes

14. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 – 1816) Born in Ireland; educated in Harrow; reared in Bath by actor father (rival of Garrick); playwright mother; moved to Bath In early 20s, eloped to France with Eliza Linley. Upon return to England, fought two duels with her admirer Captain Matthews The Rivals, 1775 (set in Bath) The Duenna, 1777 The School for Scandal, 1777 1776 bought Garrick’s 50% share in Drury Lane 1780 became Member of Parliament – political speech writer Died in poverty

15. The Comedy of Manners Focus on the foibles of high society Targets follies of fashion and social pretension Inherent desire to reform the ills exposed (but using gentle rather than biting satire) Reform relies on humour rather than sermon Wit, gulling, comic obsession, aping of good manners by character who lacks them, character as an expression of commonly held but suspect ideas Highly characteristic of the period, but universal

16. Images of the age Sir Joshua Reynolds

17. Images of the age Thomas Gainsborough Images of the age

18. Marriage in C18th English Marriage a la Mode (Scene 1) by William Hogarth, 1745

19. Marital contracts still settled between families, but arranged marriages were falling out of fashion as literature encouraged emotional attachment between parties; families were increasingly proposing alternative matches for their offspring as a compromise. Gretna Green grew increasingly popular as the destination for eloping young couples (banns did not need to be declared three weeks before marriage in Scotland). All property transferred to the husband upon marriage (pre-nuptual agreements may have curbed transference of property to the husband for the lifetime of the wife only). Wives had no legal rights as individuals, therefore dissolution of marriage was impossible without indisputable evidence and witnesses to cruelty, abuse or lack of consummation; Church Law ‘separation’ was the only possibility, but still difficult to achieve; men could divorce their wives much more easily; wives lost access to their children in separation or divorce cases. Marriage in C18th England

20. Widows were the only women in society with financial independence – they often had plenty of time to enjoy it as well! Wealthy widows were often powerful socialites, directing public interests through their philanthropic works. Owing to life expectancy and the dangers of childbirth, the average marriage lasted 10 years only.

21. Sheridan wrote The Rivals over 20 years before ‘The Act of Union’, which granted Ireland its own parliament (the Union itself was not dissolved until 1921). Under Elizabeth I’s reign, Ireland became dominated by wealthy (often in absentia) Protestant English landowners, as Irish estates provided a rich source of peerages for ambitious young parliamentarians in England Irish peers were often satirised as mercenary womanisers preying upon rich English heiresses and widows to support their estates Sir Lucius’s character had to be rewritten quickly by as his satire was deemed too aggressive. Ireland

22. Social order in C18th England Social status originally determined by division into ‘estates’ (supported by Christian teaching) Industrial Revolution introduced third, ‘middle’ class merchants and factory owners; removal of old feudal class system Social snobbery towards the ‘new’ class Strong contrast between town and country (also snobbery towards ‘bumpkin’) Witty speech cultivated in town (servants imitated masters)

23. Images of the age Thomas Rowlandson (‘The British Class System’) Image of the age

24. C18th Bath, setting for The Rivals ‘A province of pleasure’ The most fashionable holiday spot in England: summer months were busy with rich visitors – cards, balls, horse-racing, walking and riding Master of Ceremonies – Richard ‘Beau’ Nash ‘Mixture of lowliness and grandeur, pride and meanness, politeness and impertinence – Bath – the region of fashion and dullness … Like a Frenchman’s shirt – the ruffle is very fine but the body very coarse.’ (Dibden) ‘Scandal must have fixed her throne in Bath preferable to any other part of the Kingdom.’ (Goldsmith) Many invalids visited Bath for the health giving qualities of the water Still plenty of squalor and overcrowding