Syllabus and courses of studies of english literature for. It suffered from the fever of indecency, immorality, corruption and dishonesty, which rather affected notional life from political, social and even classical angles. It suffered from the fever of indecency, immorality, corruption and dishonesty, which rather affected notional life from political, social and even classical. Restoration drama characteristics tragedy and comedy english. These comedies were bawdy and dirty, with lots of hilarious. The king was received with wild joy on his return from exile. They were interested in all the drama that went on in the society in which they lived. When they reopened, during the restoration, it was with a new type of play and changed conditions of performance. Leading names include william wycherley the country wife, 1675, george.
A manner is a method in which everyday duties are performed. These plays were written in the classical model of the rhymed heroic couplet and later in blank verse. Charles ii lifted puritan ban on theaters in effect since 1649. The play features an overtly sexual pun in its very title, as well as robust.
As compared to the tragedy of the restoration age, this genre achieved greater distinction and shame. A comedy of manners is a play concerned with satirising societys manners. In restoration drama, exposition was usually straightforward. It started developing after reopening of the theatres in 1660. Presentation about the restoration period of drama, the most popular type of comedy of the age comedy of manners and richard sheridan, who wrote the school f slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The material covered ranges from milton to blake, and focuses on literary forms which include elements of fiction epic, drama, novel. Restoration literature english literary period britannica. Over the thirty years of its triumphs, restoration comedy, in an astounding fugue of excesses and depravities, laid bare the turbulence and toxins of this culture longman. In this video we will read about restoration comedy and eminent writers of restoration comedy thanks for watching english world englishworld. Artificiality and immorality were the defining features of the age. Jun 21, 2018 restoration comedy was written and performed from about 1660 to 1700, flourishing in the period after the restoration of the stuart monarchy. Some literary historians speak of the period as bounded by the reign of charles ii 166085, while others prefer to include within its scope the writings. Once the puritans were defeated and the monarchy was restored, english society saw a complete rejection of the puritan way of life.
Charles ii was restored to the english throne in 1660. The theaters which were indoor were much smaller than the elizabethan ones. The modern drama is characterized by its unique subject matter like the romanticism of the poor, the strict depiction of real life and the use of symbols, imagery and metaphors. Get an answer for what are the characteristics of restoration drama. They became the riotous haunt of the upper classes. William congreves the way of the world and restoration drama. Notes on restoration comedy or comedy of manners all. Literary features of the age, prose, poetry and drama of the period. Comedy of manners, witty, cerebral form of dramatic comedy that depicts and often satirizes the manners and affectations of a contemporary society.
Here, the bad are punished and the good are rewarded, and appearance doesnt fool anyone for long, especially when the long lost guardian, sir oliver, comes home to discover all. Its main features were the reopening of the theatres after the puritan. The drama reflected the laxity of court morals through broad satire, farce, wit, and bawdy comedy. Restoration literature, english literature written after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the period of the commonwealth. Comedy of manners is used as a synonym of restoration comedy. Restoration drama theatres were closed during puritan period. As these plays drew from the stagecraft and literature of the jacobean and carolinian drama, so the plays of the eighteenth century drew from the restoration. Heroic couplets, for example, continued to be popular for the. Introduction as a new form of drama, the theater of the absurd originated from france after the second world war. The drama, especially comedy of manners proved to be one of the most important genres in the restoration era. Types of restoration drama during the time of the restoration, 18th century drama was very critical. The cynical decadence of the age was alien to the spirit of the elizabethan romantic comedy. It involves the playwright, the actor, the audience, plot construction, characterization, dialogues, music, dance, posture, stage setting. Much of the elizabethan play writers blended tragedy and comedy, whereas the restoration dramatists chose to separate the two nettleton.
Restoration drama students britannica kids homework help. The restoration and the eighteenth century the period from 1660when the english crown was restored as charles ii became king to 1800 saw the vast transformation of english society and english politics as well as significant developments within english literature. Satire was a highly successful literary tool that worked to promote social awareness through literature, the theater and periodicals of the time. John miltons paradise lostwhich tells the epic tale of the banishment of man from the garden of edenwas published during this period though milton himself was a bit of an outsider to the restoration literary scene, because he identified as a puritan. It bears the most characteristic feature of this kind of comedy. Approaches to restoration and eighteenthcentury drama have in common with the. History of english literature pdf included periods of. Attention was increased to the commercial rather than the artistic aspect of making theatre. A manner is the method in which everyday duties are performed, conditions of society, or a way of speaking. Notes on restoration comedy or comedy of manners all about. Although modern drama evolved over time, its theme of using theater to challenge and experiment upon social norms remained. Douglas canfield and restoration drama by thompson, james eighteenth century. A satirical comedy focused on the vices and hypocrisies of restoration london, the. Primarily, this is because restoration comedy only applies to the dominant style of comedy in england during the reign of king charles ii mainly in the 1660s but extending to about 1700 whereby this monarchs restoring of the english throne.
The restoration of monarchy in 1660 was an important event that had a wonderful impact on english life and literature. An introduction to restoration comedy the british library. After public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the puritan regime, the reopening of the theatres in 1660 signalled a renaissance of english drama. In general, a work written to be performed by actors on a stage. English literature english literature the restoration. Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance.
Jamess park, mulberry garden, fashionable clubs, houses and drawingrooms of the. Restoration and eighteenth century dramathe drury lane theatre, london, watercolor by. Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since aristotles poetics c. Appealing to a fairly narrow audience of aristocrats in the recently reopened theatres, restoration comedy relied upon. Like a short story or novel, it has a setting, characters, plot, and even symbolism. It began when the exiled king, charles ii, came back from france and was restored to his throne. Free essays on characteristics of restoration drama. The theatres which were indoor were much smaller than the elizabethan theatres.
Technically and historically, while the restoration began on charles iis return to the english throne in 1660, the characteristics of restoration drama began to appear in the carolinian. As compared to the tragedy of the restoration age, this. The restoration of king charles ii in 1660 marks the beginning of a new era both in the life and the literature of england. Some 500 plays survive, though only a handful of them are performed today, and few playwrights have achieved lasting fame. These plays were quite different from elizabethan plays in some ways. The period from 1660 to 1700 is known as the restoration period or the age of dryden. The audience was of the middle class and upperclass people. Its main activities take place in the public gardens like hyde park, st. Restoration tragedy, 16601720 by bonamy dobree, 1929.
It was drama in the epic mode grand, rhetorical and. It is an entertainment form which satirizes the manners and affections of social class or of multiple classes. A kind of english comedy, usually in the form of the comedy of manners, that flourished during the restoration period in england i. For some, the restoration of king charles ii in 1660 led many to a painful revaluation of the political hopes and millenarian expectations bred during two decades of civil war and republican government. These plays were called tragedies or histories but dryden termed these plays as heroic drama. A drama is a piece of writing, which is artistically presented with dialogues. A drama, or a play, is a piece of writing that is presented almost exclusively through dialogue. William congreve is one of the major dramatists of the restoration period and the way of the world is the finest flower of his genius and the best of all comedies of manners. Comedy of manners is known as high comedy because it involves a sophisticated wit and talent in the writing of the. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The drama of this period can be broken into two categories, comedies and tragedies. During the restoration, they reopened with new types of plays and performances which were different than before.
The writers of this period were obsessed with social life. The restoration of the monarchy meant the end of the puritan parliaments rule, but it also meant the return of the theatre. Indian drama in english drama is a composite art in which the written word of the playwright is concretized when it becomes the spoken word of the actor on the stage. Salient feature of the restoration comedy of manners. Dryden was the representative writer of this period. The success of the plays of the restoration period was dependent upon the strange staging devices, weird plots, and dramatized language. Comedy of manners were the most popular form of restoration drama. Restoration and eighteenthcentury drama british literature wiki. In a way, the comedy of manners is a witty, and cerebral form of dramatic comedy that depicts and often satirizes the manners and affectations of a.
The restoration period has given us some of the most important religious literature in the english language. Butler, oldham, rochester cotton, and others, but also in restoration drama tragedy as well as comedy. Politically, the era followed nearly two decades of civil unrest and war. Much of this change is due to a falling away of the restoration values into a different kind of restoration where a new morality comes into play. As regards restoration comedy, it is nothing if not satirical. During the restoration age, they reopened with new types of plays and performances which were different than the before. Consequently, the plays written for the play houses were distinctly calculated by the authors to appeal to a courtly and cavalier audience. Drama is a greek word meaning action, drawn from the greek verb dran, to do. Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since aristotle s poetics c. Restoration drama plays and performances in the period following the restoration of charles ii, when the theatres reopened. This genre refers to english comedies written and performed in the restoration period from 1660 a. The way of the world as restoration comedy restoration as a historical period was a time when england was an established colonial power in the world. Index termsartistic feature, theme, the theater of the absurd i. For others, it excited the desire to celebrate kingship and even to turn the events of the new reign into signs of a divinely ordained.
Social behavior and social manners, then, are big themes in restoration literature. He wrote several other comedies of manners also which. The comedy of manners depicts a small world which has a distinct territory of its own the fashionable parts of the london of charles iis time. Heroic tragedy is a name given to the form of tragedy which had some vogue in the beginning of the restoration period 16601700. In act i, we are told that mirabell is in love and that there are obstacles to the courtship, but most of the significant facts are. The comedy of manners is a theatrical genre that was uberpopular during the restoration period.
Most of the features of restoration drama is seen even today. Restoration theatre is most noted for the comedy of manners values had changed since shakespeares day. The word restoration in this context describes both actual restoration of king charles. Heroic plays showed the heroic virtues in noble men, and the women were described as wonderfully beautiful. Like restoration comedy, its difficult to demonstrate exactly when many of the features that are common to this eras poetry ended. Restoration and eighteenthcentury drama british literature. Without question, comic drama was the signature genre for the period in english history that began with the restoration of the monarchy when charles ii returned from exile in france. The english society, after the restoration, was certainly diseased. Analysis on the artistic features and themes of the.
The restoration age 16601700 the period from 1660 to 1700 is known as the restoration period or the age of dryden because monarchy was restored in england. Restoration as a historical period was a time when england was an established colonial power in the world. By 1700, charles ii had died, his brother james had reigned for five years and had been deposed in the glorious revolution, or bloodless revolution, of 1688, and. Apr 28, 2014 restoration in drama the theatres which were closed in 1642 were opened during the restoration. Acting elizabethan age restoration age female roles played by boys actors linked by cooperative sharing bonds the comedy of manners first professional actresses actors and actresses tied to the theatre by a contract both actors. A typical type of restoration drama was the heroic play. A comedy of manners is concerned with social usage and the question of whether or not characters meet certain social standards. Restoration drama unique fusion between elizabethan stage conventions and italian and french styles french culture was especially influential in restoration society charles ii had spent his exile in france james ii had ties with catholic europe serious drama heroic tragedy dealt with extraordinary characters who undertook. The restoration period falls between 1660 and 1700. It was a time of materialism and commerce and the people of the period emphasized money, pleasure and sex.
Jul 19, 2006 technically it is only in england in the 1660s that people should refer to restoration comedy and comedy of manners as one and the same. The restoration and the augustan age the restoration 1660 1714 charles ii 1660 1685 two political parties are founded. William congreves the way of the world and restoration drama the restoration, as a period, takes its name from the restoration of the monarchy, with charles ii assuming the throne in 1660. Restoration comedy was written and performed from about 1660 to 1700, flourishing in the period after the restoration of the stuart monarchy. Restoration drama and prose the restoration of king charles ii to the english throne in 1660 brought a new change in english literature. Restoration comedy is english comedy written and performed in the restoration period from 1660 to 1710. However, restoration comedy was indebted to the jonsonian school as well as to beaumont and fletcher. Oct 08, 2012 the period from 1660 to 1700 is known as the restoration period or the age of dryden. English literature dates back exceeding five centuries. The restoration period in english history lasted from 1660 until 1700.
The restoration and the 18th century english literature i. Introduction to restoration comedy englit eighteenth century. Restoration literature is the english literature written during the historical period commonly referred to as the english restoration 16601689, which corresponds to the last years of stuart reign in england, scotland, wales, and ireland. We generally notice two kinds of developments in this period, namely the heroic plays and the comedy of manners. A drama is attractive, impactful and real as it presents characters along with a. The topics cover questions of cultural history, poetics, and the career of the periods major artists. Technically and historically, while the restoration began on charles iis return to the english throne in 1660, the characteristics of restoration drama began to appear in the carolinian dramas before the interregnumthe comedy of manners and heroic tragedies pointed toward a changing public sensibility. Most of the features of restoration drama are seen even today. The term restoration drama, usually applied to the plays written during the period from 1660 to 1700 or 1710, is not really satisfactory. Jul 12, 2017 presentation about the restoration period of drama, the most popular type of comedy of the age comedy of manners and richard sheridan, who wrote the school f slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Its name was coined by martin iselin in his book the theatre of the absurd, which was published in.
Some literary historians speak of the period as bounded by the reign of charles ii 166085, while others prefer to include within its scope the writings produced during the reign of james ii 168588, and even literature of the 1690s is. Restoration drama characteristics restoration tragedy and restoration comedy theatres were closed during the puritan age. Appearing in 1700, congreves play represents a late version of the restoration comedy of manners, one that consolidates many of the features of earlier plays. The period which the play, the country wife belongs to in the english literature is the restoration period.
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