English Restoration Theatre--1603-1649--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 outlawedRestoration (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 mistressesRestoration 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 actressRestoration 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 subplotsTwo main genres of Restoration comedy:--Comedy of Manners--Humor comes from situations, word play—audiences must be familiar with the social rules to see humor--Later examples include: School for Scandal (1777), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)--Intrigue and adventure--Less overtly humorous--Frequently set outside of EnglandTypes 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 DangerAphra 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
View Full Document
Unlocking...