Restoration drama

Presentation about the Restoration Period of Drama, the most popular type of comedy of the age - Comedy of Manners and Richard Sheridan, who wrote The School for Scandal, a representative play of the Restoration Age of Drama.

1. Historical Context Reopening of theaters Rejection of Puritanism Restoration of monarchy & revival of drama Focus on the social life Comedy of manners Heroic tragedies Satire

2. Characteristics of Restoration Drama Women actors & playwrights Favoured commercial purposes over artistic purposes of drama Reinterpretation of Elizabethan plays Structure of the theatre changed French influence, especially Moli è re and Pierre Corneille Heroic couplet

3. Restoration Playwrights Aphra Behn William Congreve William Wycherley George Etherege John Dryden John Vanbrugh George Farquhar  Thomas Otway

4. TYPES OF RESTORATION DRAMA COMEDY OF MANNERS Satirized the social life of wealthy, upper class Made use of vulgar language, sexual innuendos to expose their immoral ways Full of witty, crisp dialogues HEROIC TRAGEDIES Struggle between love and honor Heroic virtues of noble men and women who were wonderfully beautiful Written in heroic couplet

5. Representative Plays COMEDY OF MANNERS The Way of the World by William Congreve The Country Wife by William Wycherley The Man of Mode by George Etherege The School for Scandal by Richard Sheridan HEROIC TRAGEDIES The Conquest of Granada, All for Love and Aurang-Zebe by John Dryden Venice Preserved and The Orphan by Thomas Otway

6. DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE OF THEATRE Horse shoe theatre Proscenium arch Movable scenery Special effects Trap door effect Fireworks Baroque illusionist painting “Flying” actors Music, dance, artificial lighting and action Gorgeous costumes Stage machinery

7. PROSCENIUM ARCH

8. ILLUSIONIST CEILING PAINTINGS

9. FUN FACT “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” has its roots in William Congreve’s tragedy ‘The Mourning Bride.’ The actual quote goes "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd , Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd .“ Aphra Behn , in addition to being a female Restoration playwright was also a spy for the British government!

10. COMEDY OF MANNERS

11. MAIN THEMES S atirized the middle and upper classes of people Lust , greed, materialistic nature of people, gossip and rumours, hypocritical nature and false pretensions of the people Subjects like marriage , love, adultery, fortune hunting  Language : flamboyant display of witty, blunt licentious dialogue

12. POPULAR RESTORATION COMEDIES

13. The Way of the World as performed by Shakespeare Theatre Company 

14. RICHARD SHERIDAN Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford, Westminster and Ilchester . Such was the esteem he was held in by his contemporaries when he died that he was buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

15. Popular Works The Rivals St Patrick's Day The Duenna A Trip to Scarborough The School for Scandal The Camp The Critic The Glorious First of June Pizarro

16. Illustration from The Rivals

17. ‘The Rivals’ was a hit at Covent Garden Theatre.

18. Illustrations from The School for Scandal