The Rivals as a Parody of 18th Century :: essays research papers

A strong influencing factor on drama of the eighteenth century was the changing genius of the audience. By the middle of the eighteenth century, a straitlaced middle fork audience had imparted to drama its vision of morality and disapproval of anything immoral. Comedy had compose watered d mindness and sentimentalized. Furthermore, the audiences rejection of unappealing facts following the pathetic true(a)ity of the French Revolution and the Ameri wad War of Independence, made emotionalism and tearfulness the order of the day. Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan were two playwrights who saw that if comedy were allowed sinless reign along this path of sentimentalism, it would signal the end of mirth. Both appreciated the power of pure comedy and the spirit of joyous laughter and wrote plays with situations that had no call for showing the redeem features of vice and folly at the end, unless just good healthy swordplay.The Rivals alike denounces the hollow moral ity and deceitfulness associated with the sentimental attitude then prevailing, projecting its writers own ideal of a spontaneous and lively light-heartedness. The plot is based on confusion over identities and multiple suitors a combination that leads to plenty of reaching for truly funny situations Absolute caught in the identical room with some(prenominal) Mrs. Malaprop and Lydia present, having to play himself for one and Beverley for the other till the presence of Sir Anthony too prevents him from doing so successfully Absolute humouring Mrs. Malaprop as himself and poking fun at her as Beverley in his note Lydias acceptance and rejection of the same piece according to her romantic whims and fancies the final duel where one man has to fight two rivals virtually simultaneously. Sheridans skill is only underlined by the fact that in an age and the performance house in which he produced plays where spectacle, scenery and lighting had become indispensable to success, he ach ieved his comedy and victory without recourse to any of it, merely on the strength of his own writing, wit and dialogue.Sentimentalism is found largely in the characters of Lydia and Faulkland. Sheridan attacks their traits in the overall plot and etymon in which he shows how a healthy deep love can be threatened by such fanciful thinking. The only redeeming feature probably in a reversal of the trend of sentimental final redemptions - he shows at the end is that both are brought with a rude shock down to earth following the very real possibility of losing the partners they come to know they love deeply.