VIII. The English Restoration1660-1780

A. Charles II is brought back from France (1660) and monarchy isrestored

What playwright’s work might Charles II have enjoyed in Paris?

B. Two theatre companies are licensed

If only two troupes are allowed, what effect will this have on who is in the audience?

Charles II was called “The Merry Monarch.”

C. Types of plays

1. Heroic tragedy

a. Choice between love & honor

b. Happy ending

Anyone pick up on the IRONY here?

2. Comedy of Manners

a. Upper class characters behaving badly

b. Witty dialogue

c. Very complicated plots

D. Production changes

1. Actresses

Although married, Charles II kept several mistresses quite openly. Among them was the actress Nell

Gwyn, who bore him two sons.

(D. Production changes cont.)

2. Scenic devices more like Italian Renaissance

Covent Garden, 1674

[E. Playwrights1. Aphra Behn (first female

professional playwright)2. Richard Sheridan3. Oliver Goldsmith

4. William Congreve ]

Character Names of the Restoration

MALEMr. PinchwifeMr. SparkishSir Jasper FidgetSir Fopling FlutterFainallMirabellPetulantSullen (country blockhead) Waitwell (male servant)Aimwell (gentleman of broken fortune)Archer (gentleman of broken fortune)Gibbet (highwayman)Bagshot (highwayman)

FEMALELady WishfortLady TownleyLady BountifulMrs. SullenMrs. LoveitBellindaMy Lady FidgetMrs. SqueamishPert (female servant)Busy (female servant)Foible (female servant)Gipsey (female servant)Mincing (female servant)

We will skip forward a few years to watch a film of one of the most famous Comedy of Manners pieces ever written, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

This play was written in 1895, more than a century after the English Restoration ended.

The writer Oscar Wilde was himself a fascinating character.

Wilde was born in Ireland and graduated with honors from both Trinity College in Dublin and Oxford College in England.

He wrote poetry, plays, a novel, and lectured on aesthetics—a philosophy dealing with beauty, taste, art, etc.--in the United States, Britain, and Ireland.

On May 29, 1884, Wilde married Constance Lloyd. They had two sons in quick succession.

In the summer of 1891, Wilde met Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the third son of the Marquis of Queensberry. They soon became lovers and were inseparable until Wilde's arrest four years later.

In April 1895, Wilde sued Bosie's father for libel because the Marquis had accused him of homosexuality. Wilde withdrew his case but was arrested and convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labor.

Constance took the children to Switzerland and reverted to an old family name, “Holland.”

Upon his release, Wilde wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a response to the agony he experienced in prison. It was published shortly before Constance's death in 1898. He and Bosie reunited briefly, but Wilde mostly spent the last three years of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels. Sadly, he was unable to rekindle his creative fires.

Oscar Wilde died of meningitis in 1900.

Excerpted from The Official Website of Oscar Wilde <http://www.cmgww.com>

By 1895, the aristocracy had lost much of their wealth. Oscar Wilde’s aristocrats don’t have any money, and wouldn’t dream of going into some sort of business to make money. (Work? Egad!)

On the other hand, the Industrial Revolution had made some people in the merchant class very wealthy.

The funny parts in this play are found in the dialogue, not physical humor. Listen closely.

If you have trouble with the accent, keep listening. You’ll get used to it!

If you have been absent from class and need to watch the film at home, you may watch any of the film versions of The Importance of Being Earnest.