1603 1649 English Restoration Theatre Reigns of King James I and King Charles I Increasing decadence of monarchy Puritanism in church Theatre Bloody and sexual e g Tis Pity She s a Whore 1633 1649 1660 Commonwealth of England 1649 Charles I beheaded Oliver Cromwell takes control as Lord Protector Implementation of Puritanical values Theatre outlawed Restoration of the monarchy 1660 Charles II son of Charles I returns from exile in France to take English throne Strong influence of the French culture Celebrations of decadence that had been denied under Cromwell Charles II embodies this many mistresses Restoration Theatre Heavily influenced by French theatre especially the comedies Audiences go to the theatre to see and be seen Women on stage for the first time in England Frequently seen as immoral little better than prostitutes Charles II s mistress Nell Gwynne is an actress Restoration Comedy Mirrors decadence of Charles s court More lighthearted than theatre pre Commonwealth Sexual humor Focus on upper middle class and lower nobility Often have complicated plots with several only tangentially related subplots Humor comes from situations word play audiences must be familiar with the social rules to Later examples include School for Scandal 1777 The Importance of Being Earnest 1895 Two main genres of Restoration comedy Comedy of Manners see humor Intrigue and adventure Less overtly humorous Frequently set outside of England Types of Characters in Restoration Comedy Rake young man who is charming but not particularly reliable or moral often the hero Fop man too obsessed with fashion often thinks he is wittier than he is Women generally defined by their levels of experience in or comfort with high society Heroines generally fall in the middle witty but not too experienced Character names often reveal personality traits flaws Sir Willful Witwould in Way of the World Sir Foppington in The Relapse or Virtue in Danger Aphra Behn Generally considered first professional female playwright Before she took up writing she was probably a spy for King Charles II Plays are more about adventure and intrigue than comedy of manners The Rover 1677 Set in Naples during Commonwealth period Romantic adventures of several Englishmen during Carnival
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