Download Restoration Comedy

Neoclassicism and
Restoration Comedy
Neo-Classicism
A movement in the arts
mid-1600s through 1700s
Europe
neo-classical = “new classical”;
returning to the structure, order, and
style of classic Greece and Rome
French Neo-Classical Theatre
jeu de paume
French Neo-Classical Theatre
Audience was mainly people of the
court (aristocracy)
Influenced by Italian theatre and
opera
Elaborate costumes
Elaborate scenery
Had to impress and amaze rich
audience!
French Neo-Classical Theatre
Permanent Theatres
had a proscenium arch
painted scenery with depth—more
3-dimensional
candle-light
raked stage
French Neo-Classical Theatre
Professional actors, part of
companies or troupes; provided own
costumes
Women actors allowed onstage
Begin to have theatrical specialists,
like lighting and scenic designers
L’Académie Française
Established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu
(advisor to King Louis XIII)
Regulated which plays followed the “rules
of acceptable drama” (based on ancient
Greek and Roman writings)
During the Neoclassical Age, if the
Academy reviewed a play and decided it
broke a rule, the playwright could face
imprisonment and bankruptcy.
Molière (Jean Baptiste Poquelin)
French playwright (1622-1673)
somehow broke the rules but remained the
most popular playwright
influenced by Commedia dell’Arte
Tartuffe; The Misanthrope; The Miser
The Restoration
England
Began in 1660
Charles II was
restored to the
throne after being
in exile in France
for years
The Restoration
While Charles II was in
France, he saw a lot of
theatre in the French court
He opened the theatres back
up and had new ones built—
he liked what he had seen in
France…
proscenium
raked stage
elaborate scenery and
costumes
candlelight
actresses
Famous Restoration Actors
Thomas Betterton
Nell Gwyn (“orange-girl” to
comic actress to Charles II’s
mistress)
Restoration Theatre
Some Well-Known Restoration
Comedy Playwrights…
William Congreve, The Way of the World
William Wycherly, The Country Wife
Apra Behn, The Rover (first British
female playwright!)
Restoration
Restoration Comedy
Comedy of Manners
Drawing-Room Comedy
style of comedy that
became very popular
during the Restoration
in England (1600s)
influenced by the
comedies of Molière
(but the idea is ancient)
Comedy of Manners
The plays are satire—they poke fun at
society, especially the upper class.
social “rules”
mannerisms
hypocrisy
greed
gossip
affairs
Comedy of Manners
will often use stock characters (easily
recognizable character types;
usually not much depth)
Comedy of Manners
relies on witty wordplay, not so much on
physical action and plot
“To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be
regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks
like carelessness.”
“The only way to behave to a woman is to
make love to her if she is pretty and to
someone else if she is plain.”
“35 is a very attractive age. London society is
full of women of the very highest birth who
have, of their own free choice, remained 35
for years.”
Comedy of Manners
The names often tells us about the
characters: Lady Fidget or Lady
Squeamish
VERY sexual and suggestive (King
Charles liked that!)
Comedy of Manners
The playwrights would write for
specific people they knew would be in
the audience
Audiences were mainly aristocratic
Audiences would drink, yell out, pinch
orange girls, etc. during the shows
Oscar Wilde
Irish playwright and
novelist (1854-1900)
His fiancé left him for
Bram Stoker.
“I have nothing to declare but my
genius.”
The Importance of Being Earnest (play)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (novel)
Comedy of Manners began in
ancient times and has appeared
throughout many periods of
history—it is just most strongly
associated with the 1600s-1800s.