Name :-
Gohel
Ankita
Kishobhai
Roll no: - 14
Paper No :- 02 (The Neo- Classical age)
Topic: - Write note on Sheridan as a dramatist.
Submitted: - smt. Gardi
m.k Bhavanagar, Department of English
Year:
- 2015- 2017
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, statesman and dramatist, was born in Dublin
on Oct. 30, 1751. He belonged to a highly talented family, his grandfather, Thomas Sheridan, being a prominent Jacobite and a historian,andhisfather, also Thomas Sheridan, a
distinguished actor, theatrical manager, and author.
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Sheridan was educated for the bar, but the success of his comedy, “The Rivalsled him
into close relations with the theatre. “The Rivals was followed by “St.
Patrick’s Day,” a farce; “The Duenna,” a comic opera; “A Trip to
Scarborough,” an adaptation fromVanbrugh;“TheSchoolforScandal”
(1777); and a patriotic melodrama. “Pizarro.” He was manager of Drury Lane Theatre which he twice had a chief part
in rebuilding; though he had periods
of marked prosperity in his management,andexerciseda powerful influence on the stage history of his time.
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In his comic drama The Rivals Sheridan satirizes manners using
humor that is pointed but never cruel. Essentially an ironic play about character, The Rivals
presents a number of absurd individuals and then
proceeds to ridicule their flaws
and idiosyncrasies. Among its range
of characters, the play introduces the infamous figure of Mrs. Malaprop, from whose humorouslyin appropriate word usage the
term “malapropism” is derived.
Sheridan's libretto for the light opera
The Duenna features characters and incidents
drawn from Roman New
Comedy and ends
with a double marriage happily realized despite the opposition
of Don Jerome—the
play's stodgy father figure.
Another of Sheridan's minor works,
the farcical St. Patrick's Day; or The Scheming Lieutenant exists very much in
the mode of
The Rivals and endeavors to amuse audiences with its affable, if preposterous, characters. The School for Scandal is
both the most popular of Sheridan's comedies and the most strongly reminiscent
of the Restoration period. This attack on
a gossip loving society demonstrates Sheridan's brilliant display of wit in its
sharp indictment of manners that departs considerably from the gentle tone and
approach of The Rivals. The story follows double plot as it portrays the
manipulative Lady Sneerwell, the hypocritical Joseph Surface,
the naïve socialite Lady Teazle, the irascible Sir Peter Teazle,
and the reformed libertine Charles Surface, among many
other comic figures. Heavily influenced by the Duke
of Buckingham's The Rehearsal, Sheridan’s
The Critic; or, Tragedy Rehearsed
provides a satirical look at the theatrical world and is a burlesque of the vanity of artists and critics.
His popular
comedy :-
1)
The school for
scandal :-
The school for scandal is a popular comedy of Sheridan.This play open
in the eighteenth- century word of
fashion. In this corrupt society
Iady Teazle has
for a own sake provided herself with a lover
, Joseph Surface . meanwhile Joseph , cold hearted hypocrite has plans
of his own, one of which is to marry Sir Peter
Teazel’s ward Maria and other to
supplant his own
brother Charles is a
good natured spend
thrift uncle ‘s affection. The uncle
sir oliver returns from india, introduces
himself as a money
leader to Charles whom he
finds ready to sell
even his family
portraits , expert that
of Sir Oliver himself . This modest
bit of loyality
serves to reinstate
the prodigal in his
uncle’s good opinion , while Joseph exposed
on all side and
fades out of
the play in disgrace.
It is
evident that here
we have an
amusing mock world
where principle , moral and social , on which human life is actullay conduct are subordinated to the necessities of an
intrigue. The characters bear
an amazing similitude to
real lpeople and
indeed many of them have
long been accepted as
a delineations of a
certain qualitites and
type but we
never forget while
we are with
them that we are in stage land . “ At first
sight The School for Scandal with its
opening scene in
which gossip run
wild, seems to revive the
world of the
restoration , drama but
there is a diffrences Light, triffing, frivolous as is Sheridan ‘s
society. It is not
fundamentally and
flagrantly immoral. His people play
with fire but
they are not
bured . so much had
the moral and
social force of
the century accomplished
in the years
since collier’s attack
on the stage.”
Sheridan produced in “The
School for Scandle “
is a perfect
example of artificial
comedy. He made use of
none of the licence
which the restoration dramatist
had allowed themseleve and
without departing for
the spirit of
his own time
, lost nothing
in the way
of wit and
effect. “ Besides the wit
and ingenutity of
a play” says
Hazlitt , “ there is a
gerenal spirit of
frankness and generosity
about it , that
relieves the heart
as well as
clears the lungs.
It professes a faith
in the natural
goodness, as well as habitual depravity of human nature.”
In
the first two
of his three
great plays “The
Rivals” and “ The
School for Scandal “ he combines
the comedy
of manners with
a sentimental admixture
which is partially successful .both plays are remarkable
skillful pieces of
work and their wit
it needs only
be said that
they may challenge
equality with congrave
and Vanbrugh with
a little their
coarseness.
2)
The Duenna:-
The Duenna is a
perfect work of art. It has the utmost sweetness and
point. The plot , the
characters, the dialogue
are all complete in
themselves , and they
are all his
own and the
best songs are
the best that
ever were written
and except those
in the Beggar’s
Opera. They have joyous spirit of intoxication in them, and
a stain of
the most melting tenderness.
3) The Critic
:-
The final
comedy is ‘The Critic’ produced in
1779. The Critic
is written on more broad
farcical lines ,but within its
limitations it is a delightful
piece of extravaganza and displaying
a gift of
burlesque of the highest order. A
combination of a farcical
and burlesque it is
a tradition of ‘
The Knight of
Burning pestle ’ ,‘ The
Rehearsal ’ , and fielding’s
Pasquine. In addition
Sheridan satirizes the humour and
affection connected with
the thetre of the time particularly those
‘ Iackey of the
drama’ the critic and
publicity agent . The chief
character is a Sir
Fretful plagiary, a portrite easily reconisable
by his contempury dramatists Richard Cumderland. So successfully
was the play ’s burlesque
that we are
told for several
years after its
production no tragedy could be
offered to the theatrical managers.
The Critic
less equal in
equlity , again gives
its full of
freedom to a
rather cruel , satirical
verse which had
been somewhat repressed
in the preceding
play by the
moral purpose of the
author . In addition to burlesque, decisive fun pocked at the bombadtic
type of writing.
The critic exhibits wants of fertility. It is
comparatively slight
, and even so
is made up
parts which have
no necessary connection
but appear to have
been put togather
to suit the author’s convey little concern
with it and
figures in one scene
only. Then the
idea of burlesque as
a satire on
the exaggerations of
tragedy is far
from original, being well-
known in
Sheridan ’s time from The rehearsal , to say nothing of
more recent example.
Conclusion
:-
Sheridan had a striking success when he was
very young. His chief prose comedies are still remembered. His plots are from everyday life. His description
are accurate and graphics. His plays are full of sentation and scandal, thrills andexcitement. He used irony
and satire in a deligate manner.These are wit, charming dialogue and beautiful repartee. He is
a master of comic sitution and of
incisive dialogue. his characters are
remarkable for their dramatic qualities,
but they have
no reality of the
stage. They are not expression of an existing society. the reports of
the fools show
as much of
the author’s wit
as those intelligent
characters. The figures are
traditional rather than taken from
life. Sheridan produced a
most brilliant display of
firework.
Great... I wrote...
ReplyDeletePlz add summary of imperfect sympathies by Charles lamb
ReplyDeleteEasily understand tq❤
ReplyDelete