The Earl of Rochester, a real-life Restoration rake, courtier, and poet, is flatteringly portrayed as a riotous, witty, intellectual, and sexually irresistible aristocrat in Etherege's The Man of Mode (1676), a template for posterity's idea of the glamorous Restoration rake (actually never a very common character in...).
Rochester's extravagant behavior and contemptuous attitude toward society make him an ideal subject for Etherege, who was himself looked up to as a social arbiter at the royal court. Indeed, several of Etherege's other plays were also based on figures from history or legend, including Creon, based on King Philip II of Spain; Cinna, based on Lucius Cornelius Cinna, one of Rome's first conspirators; and Coriolanus, about the legendary Roman general.
In addition to being a talented playwright, Etherege was also a close friend and confidant of Rochester. The two men traveled together to various European courts where they were treated like celebrities. It was at one of these parties that Rochester allegedly said he could write better comedies than Thomas Otway, the most popular playwright of his time. This comment probably didn't hurt Etherege's career any, since he went on to create some of the most famous rakes in English history.
Etheridge was the dramatist who established the tone for the subsequent great Restoration comedies. In other words, it transforms the real into the artificial and the artificial into the real. The piece that established Etheridge's fame was The Man of Mode (1676). It's a full-fledged Restoration comedy, and the foppish character, Sir Fopling Flutter, is especially memorable.
He went on to write many more plays but The Man of Mode is his only one still performed today.
After Etheridge came another famous comic writer named John Dryden. He is known for his poetry as well as his plays so he will be discussed later in this article.
Finally, Charles Johnson was another famous comic writer of the time. His most famous work is the Dictionary of the English Language which is considered a classic today.
These are the most important people who wrote comic plays during the Restoration period. But there were many others including George Etherege (brother of Etheridge), Richard Steele (publisher of The Tatler and The Spectator), Thomas Otway (famous for his role in the creation of the melodrama), and John Vanbrugh (designer of Castle William in Charlestown).
The comic writing industry was very popular at the time because people loved comedy. There were several theaters in London alone that showed comic productions!
Comic writers were in demand and paid well too.
Restoration comedy elements like as satire, sarcasm, and wit may be evident, particularly in the interaction between Algernon and Jack. In the majority of their interactions, these two guys never honor each other and quarrel, encapsulating parody of upper class manners and speech. Also, both characters are looking for love in all the wrong places - Algernon seeking it from women who don't deserve it and Jack from women who can't provide it.
Furthermore, both characters are selfish with regard to love. They are only thinking about themselves and not considering the feelings of others. This is shown by Algernon trying to get Lady Bracknell to let him marry her daughter even though he is engaged to another woman and by Jack wanting to marry Ethelinda even though he has a wife already.
In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy that shows the hypocrisy of high society during the restoration era. It also parodies many aspects of life at that time such as politics, religion, and literature. Thus, this novel is a perfect example of the Restoration comedy.
Drama about the Restoration Plays and performances in the time following Charles II's restoration, when the theatres reopened. Through wide satire, farce, wit, and raunchy humour, the piece depicted the laxity of royal morality. Among the notable playwrights were Dryden and Congreve. The former was an influential poet and diplomat, while the latter was a witty prose writer.
Restoration dramas are often set in London, during its Golden Age of theatre. There have been many interpretations of what makes for a successful restoration play, but one common factor is that they all deal with issues such as corruption, injustice, and freedom of speech. They tend to be humorous at times, though not always comically so.
Restoration dramas can be classified by genre. They may be historical plays which simply describe actual events or people, or they may be fictionalized accounts of characters in the Restoration era. Some examples of historic restoration plays include George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer (1698), John Vanbrugh's The Provok'd Wife (1712), and Colley Cibber's The Careless Husband (1730). Some examples of fictionalized plays include Richard Steele's The Conscious Lovers (1688) and Joseph Addison and Richard Steele's Cato Street Conspiracy (1720).
By the late 17th century, English theatre had become very popular throughout Europe, especially among the aristocracy.
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