The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London, 1777, in Drury Lane Theatre. It is his most well-known play, and is often considered to be one of the greatest comedies of manners. The play sets in London in the 1770s and represents the everyday life of the upper-class. It was great success and it had a refreshing effect on the public after the long years of the sentimental drama. It satirizes the behaviour of upper classes with all of their customs and it avoids all of the elements of an eighteenth-century sentimental drama. Therefore, my paper intends to provide an analysis on The School for Scandal as the parody of sentimental comedy.
Sentimental comedy was a specific form of the eighteenth-century
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The delineation of these characters is aimed at provoking entertainment and laughter to the audience”(An analysis of The School for Scandal). This proves that the play is strongly opposed to sentimental plays, which the audience is not allowed to laugh at. This is a feature of comedies of manners, where entertainment and laughter was the aim. Furthermore, there are stock type characters in the play for example Sir Oliver, the rich uncle, or the gossiping widows. However, there are characters “with unique traits”, …show more content…
This is how the characters are distributed into two groups in the play. They can be considered as the “protagonists and the antagonists”, in a sense that the antagonists try to sabotage and destroy the relationships and characters of the
While the events taking place throughout the play are outlandish, but the actions aroused by the conflicting loyalties are comprehendible. The audience can still analyze the character’s actions and thoughts and recognize that they are genuine and understandable human encounters. From this, a sense of humanity—that we all have certain concerns and duties and we must respond to them
The theme of mateship is prevalent through the course of the play; indeed it is the reason for most of the events to occur. The main point of mateship present during the play is the ‘code of conduct’
Shakespeare explores this regard for honor and its implications through a comedic lens in Much Ado About Nothing. He emphasizes the importance of maiden chastity in the plight of Hero, who is disgraced after accusations of a premarital affair. One’s sense of honor held notable significance in his era, but society is always evolving,
Thus demonstrating how mob mentality can impact an individual and ultimately drive the action of the play. This shows us how one person who starts
The characters in the play reveal some of the gender stereotypes through the way they are presented in the beginning of the play, “The sheriff and Hale are men in the middle life… They are followed
How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In his play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895, London St. James’ theater), Oscar Wilde portrays the attitudes and society of Victorian upper class through character interactions within the ‘Bunburyist’ adventures of Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing. The play’s comedic elements, in addition to the portrayal of power structures, are used as an effective medium to challenge the viewer to reflect upon Wilde’s criticism on institutions and values of the aristocracy. In conjunction to this, deeper analysis can be conducteds about marriage in Victorian aristocracy and their attitudes to members of other social groups.
In the play An Inspector Calls written by J.B Priestley, the use of morality and double standards gives us an insight into the society of the early 1900s; which remains relevant in social stratification, cultural and deviance aspects. Through the story of Arthur Birling, Mrs. Sybil Birling and their children Eric and Sheila. The upper-class family, with untouchable reputation, enjoy of an intimate party soiree in honour of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. Son of a well-known business man, Sir George Croft from Crofts Limited. When Inspector Goole pays a mood-changing visit, resulting in the systematic manipulation of the presumably respectable characters.
Within this play, there are many conflicts between feuding families and even individuals. Since societal expectations were so great of both genders, much pent-up frustration for those who did not perfectly conform was frequently released in the form of violence or aggression. It also went the other way around, where those who did not fit all of the standards were shamed and embarrassed for the way they were. Two characters in which the gender traits were partially switched are Romeo and Juliet. In their relationship, Juliet is more dominant, and Romeo is more submissive.
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare entertains the audience through use of character, language and drama. The plot focuses on the theme of conflict and consequences, using deep characterisation, descriptive language and high drama to entertain. Act 3 Scene 1 focuses on a brutal feud between two enemies and Act 3 Scene 5 follows the patriarchal society’s approach to women marriage and societal expectations. Shakespeare forces the audience to engage with the idea of conflict and what it must have been like to live through this time. Shakespeare cleverly utilises a changing atmosphere in Act 3 Scene 1 to expertly entertain his audience.
The rigid class system in Middle Age Europe was a primary factor that determined the course of events. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, there are underlying issues throughout the plot involving classes of the characters, and their roles within their class. While for the time period, it was common for those in lower classes to be looked down upon, Shakespeare uses many mediums to slyly challenge this idea. Throughout the play, Shakespeare makes the class differences obvious, yet creates certain character dynamics which challenge preconceptions. Twelfth Night is centered around a distinct and rigid class system, yet Shakespeare comments on its negative impacts, and yearns for a more fluid system, in order to create a more just and fair world.
Romeo & Juliet William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet entails a story of a young impulsive love that ends in a disaster. This traces the secret romantic relationship between the two families in Verona, as they carry an ancient feud, deepening from generation to generation. Romeo—a Montague—falls deeply in love with Juliet—a Capulet—at a masquerade ball arranged by Juliet’s father. Later during the night, these two lovers expose their love to each other as they decide to marry each other next day. However, life does not follow plans.
A Raisin in the Sun "Education has spoiled many a good plow hand" (Hansberry 103). This quote is significant because it is applying that education is better than being a hard-worker. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is taken place in South Side, Chicago between World War II and the present. The main focus of this play is about a poor African-American family who has a chance to escape this lifestyle with a ten-thousand-dollar life insurance check, but is not desired to live in a "white" neighborhood.
Manet debuted, arguably one of his most famous paintings, Olympia at the 1865 Paris Salon. Since its debut, Olympia has been the source of much debate and controversy. The public saw this piece as obscene—a flagrant disrespect to established moral traditions. However, current discussions focus less on the “lewd” nature of this painting and more on the theoretical perspectives explaining why the public viewed Olympia as scandalous. In “Manet’s Olympia: The Figuration of Scandal,” author Charles Bernheimer argues for a Freudian perspective in which sex is the most important factor influencing public opinion.
Class Enemy is a play written by Nigel Williams, and it was published in 1978. Its first performance was on 9th March 1978 at the Theatre Upstairs, and it was directed by Bill Alexander. The first time that it was performed at the Royal Court Theatre was on 4th April 1978. Nigel Williams, born in 1948, is a novelist, playwright, broadcaster and also a screenwriter. He worked at the BBC, being director and producer of Arts Department.
While many have been familiar with the title of the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, one should also pay attention to its subtitle, ‘trivial comedy for serious people’. The play is a satire that ridicules the upper class to point out its fault (Kreuz and Roberts 100).The aim is to ridicule the ‘serious people’, members of the upper class in Victorian society. The characters were too attentive to social propriety and etiquette, which were as trivial as the comedy suggests in the eyes of Wilde. As they were too stubborn to alter the behaviour, the propriety and etiquette became superficial and meaningless. Their idleness and hypocrisy are other points at which Wilde recurrently mock in the play.