Q. 1.

How successfully has Sheridan mixed the satirical and the sentimental in the comedy,
The Rivals ?
Or
What light does 'The Rivals' throw on the life of the page and
How does Sheridan take an opportunity to satirize the society?
Or
"The Rivals' is an excellent example of comedy of manners a highly artificial drama that
portrays a world very familiar to Sheridan. Discuss
Or
To what extent is "The Rivals' an anti-sentimental comedy?
Ans. Introduction: The comedy of manners is considered as a highly artificial form of drama that
aims at making fun of sophisticated manners, it is generally satirical but in a good natured way.
The term comedy of manners is often applied to the restoration dramatists in England, but it has
been a common device for comedy playwrights in every age. The chief focus of the dramatist
remain on the fashions of the time in varied phases. Its manners, its interests and its mode of
speaking. So in a way it throws light on the life of the age absorbed in artificial manners and thus
the satirical mood overflows naturally.
Sheridan has availed himself of an opportunity to view life around him in an amusing here while
he had been in Bath. Although the plot of the play is far from a realistic background yet he has
picked up certain ingredients of the manners and modes of thinking of the time. Never the less,
Sheridan's comedy 'The Rivals' is not near coarseness or immorality of the Restoration comedies.
There is absolutely nothing, indecent in the whole of the play, nothing so presented as to make a
girls blush with shame It is free from the obscene just or indirect reference to lent or illicit sexual
relationship It is all pure farsical or exciting and to same extent sentimental comedy of love and
lovers.
Bath in the back ground: Bath has been presented as a health and pleasure-resort where people
come to have romance as well as tasting the change of climates. All the three love-affairs have
been contrived in bath Shere Absolute-Lydia. Faulkland Julia and Mrs.. Malaprop-Sir Lucius
affairs develop simultaneously so that the interest keeps on shifting from one love affair to the
other quite rapidly.
Typical comedy of manners: Like a typical comedy of manners "The Rivals has a complicated
plot that involves three love affairs. It also abounds in wit, that is, even wit gushes out of the
characters like Lucius and Acres although they have been made targets of satire. Varied phases of
Satire
(i) Satire on the upper-class fashionable life: Both being a centre of fashions, Sheridan has set
the action in this town by cleverly the atmosphere of affections, intrigues duelling and
elopement. He has come. in contact with people who visited bath as a health resort to drink
mineral waters, besides indulging in gossips, dances and attending theatres. Mrs. Malaprop is
fashionable and seeks love of Sir Lucius though she is in her advanced age but she is
conventional too. The sense of upper class dominator her mind. As opposite to it Lydia is a sheer
romantic, captain Absolute is playful but Sir Lucius and Bob Acress are ridiculous. Julia is
absorbed in fashions and enjoyments. But then all the characters have sense of reconciliation.
Sheridan wants to convey that the upper class is struggling for it identify by being fashionable to
the latest design and also it intends to break the barrier but the things remain as usual. Sir
Anthony is sensible but he took asks for Mrs. Malaprop's hand. As such the story revolves round
the upper-class society though it has been displayed in a limited range. However, the principal
trait is pleasure and health seeing.
(ii) Unromantic eraze : Lydia has been presented as the fashionable young girl who dreams of
being romantic by breaking the conventions. Her reading of romantic novels shows the taste of
upper class girls of the time and the kind of literature which sought popularity. It is her obsession
that she prefers a low paid on sign to a captain. She feels disappointed when her notions go flat.
Again, the playwright laughs at the crazy girls like Lydia for he has observed such girls in the
society at Bath.
(iii) Satire on sentimental comedy: Sheridan has pinpointed Faulkland-Julia love affair to
express has attack on the brevelent trend of sentimental comedy of the eighteenth century. He
treats this particular love affair in such a way as to make us laugh at its absurdities. Julia is
portrayed as an excessively sentimental girl whereas. Faulkland feels, that it might chill Julia's
delicate body. And through such other examples. Sheridan expresses his humorous condemnation
of extravagant sentiments.
(iv) Satire on Irishman: Sheridan has introduced Sir Lueius Q Trigger an Irish squire to ridicule
those who are easily duped and are prone to duels. He has marked the typical tendency of the
Irishman during there days. However, he makes Bob Acres to join him in folly so the gravity of
biting satire for particular person become a fashion to show oneself honourable in respect of rank
and power.
(v) Malapropism: Mrs. Malaprop explains the term in correct nerve. She uses unusual words
and becomes a laughing stock both in words and behaviour. She is a 'tough oldaent, to stand
guard against Lydia but she herself seeks a love affair.
It was quite in practice that old widow's of those times behaved sternly for the younger ones but
flirted themselves if they found an opportunity.
General comic portrayal of the age relating to manners: Sheridan laughs at certain manners
of contemporary fashions Bob Acres dresses himself according to fashion of Bath. He also tries
to learn french dancing- steps. Young men are in habit of swearing every now and then. The
play- wright is particularly satirical about the fashion of duelling. Besides these, the most striking
feature of a comedy of manners is witty dialogue. "The Rivals' is rich in witty dialogues. The
manner in which the characters speak to each other is not without a witty remark. The witty
remarks being presented become poignant when humorous and farcical situations crop up
naturally. In all, 'The Rivals' is a fine comedy which has displayed the manners of the age quite
successfully. Thus, the play received considerable recognition during the eighteenth century.
Assessment of 'The Rivals' as anti-sentimental comedy: Sheridan contrived the plot of the
play "The Rivals' to satirise the sentimental attitude and at the same time he had managed
sufficient matter for entertainmental of the audience. In order to satirise this tendency he has
inserted a few sentimental seems which serve as a parody of sentimental comedy. A strong
sentimental vein finds an expression in Faulkland Julia scene in this play which reflects the strain
of feverish sensibility in Sheridan's nature. We find both Faulk land and Julia talking in a manner
which is manifestly absurd. The true character of Faulkland is revealed in the comment of
Absolute when he describes him as, "most teasing captions, incorrigible lover who carries in his
head a confounded farrago of doubts. Lears, hopes, wishes. These remarks are certainly meant
for ridiculing and satirising the whimsical Faulkland. The audience laugh at him for his
sentimentality when he says' every hour is an occasion for him to feel alarmed on Julia's account.
Here Sheridan reminds us that men should exercise a certain degree of self-restraint and self-
control and not give way to the flood of irrational emotions. Again, on Aere's report for Julia's
merry making activities in countryside upsets his mind and he calls it damned levity Julia too
suffers from an excessive sentimentality and because of that she too is made to appear absurd
and ridiculous. The manner in which she describes her lover to Lydia reveals her sentimental
attitude.
She is far from reality when she eulogises faulkland. Her way and manner of behaviour is full of
unwanted emotion and the spectator very well mocks her object surrender to her lover. Sheridan
avails an opportunity to mock sentimental girl, though in a different way. Her romantic dreams
and romantic planning appear absurd because they are superficial and silly. It was the effect of
the stories of sentimental view for which. She was feverishly mad about. Thus, Sheridan
ridicules the habit as well as the publishing of such literature during that period.
Almost all the characters in the play suffer from some or other sentimental attitude, Captain
Absolute would not like to forfeit the rich dowry. Mrs. Malaprop treats marriage like a business,
Sir Anthony cannot hide his admiration for beauty. Duelling itself is treated in an antisentimental
way because it has been presented as a mockery of it. Thus by introducing .certain sentimental
traits in the play-wright has intended to satirize the artificial and exaggerating manner of
presentation of facts in literature. He has tried to justify the pure spirit of comedy as against the
moralistic trend and wished to establish and introduce more of reality by ridiculing the artificial
ways of life.

Q. 2. Discuss The Rivals as a satirical depiction of contemporary society.

Or
Describe in your own words the background of Sheridan's dramas.
Ans. A comedy of manners reflects the ways of life of a certain social class, whose foolishness
and weak points are made the subjects of fun and satire. It amuses us by the presentation of a
satirical picture of the oddities and weaknesses of human nature. It always finishes happily when
its object, the correcting of manners, is attained. The description of life in Sheridan's dramas is
satiric, and its chief function is the presentation of ridiculous. Now, the true ridiculous, according
to Sheridan, could not come out of natural foolishness but only an 'affected wit' could cause
ridicule, the basis of our comic happiness. To satirize, affected wits', Sheridan introduces the
element of 'exaggeration' into his characterization and it is this amplification which empowers
Sheridan to grab the life and manners of the social group at Bath, presenting an imaginative
rather than a true picture of man and things.
As a satirist Sheridan is called a consummate artist. As a satirist he employs the element of
exaggeration to impress the spectators or indulges in subtle caricature. However, beneath the
satirical layer, we can invariably find a fairly clear picture of the fashionable foolishness of the
age. It was Ben Jonson who for the first time hit upon this device of 'exaggeration' and is given
each of his character with some specific 'whim' or 'affectation-some ludicrous exaggeration of
manner, speech or dress and then repeating this exaggeration again and in such a way that all
others might be lost light of Likewise, in Sheridan. we find this dominant driving the work of its
subject into ways which attract to our sense of happiness and ridicule, sweeping all the other
humours. Still, Sheridan's satire is never better, malicious or sharp but soft, kindly and genial.
Except for the character of Captain Absolute and to some extend that of Julia, Sheridan present
his satiric feelings of life in every one of the chief characters.
In the portrayal of Mrs. Malaprop's character, Sheridan satirizes the provincial woman obviously
trying to live upto the level of Bath 'by her muddle-headed but unconscious employment of
learned words'. Her 'Malapropisms are as entertaining as her predecessor. Dogberry, an immortal
character of Shakespeare. She is part of stupendous egoism and stupidity. Sheridan also satirizes
through her person, the type of old husband-hunting women who still think themselves to be in
blooms of young age, in their fairly advanced age, Mrs. Malaprop's parade of learning and her
'pride in her nice derangement of epitaph' is also remarked by Sheridan satirically through which
the playwright wants to rectify the foolishness of utter hollowness of the claims of such elderly
women to all round education in a bid to be considered as cultured.
In the character of Sir Anthony Absolute, the dramatist presents a satiric portrait of the sort of
self-willed, authoritative father of the old conservative school who relies in keeping an iron hand
over his son even when he is quite mature. He typifies those elderly people of the time who will
listen to no reason or logic from their sons. Perhaps Sheridan intended to present a description of
his own father through the satiric portrait of Sir Anthony Absolute.
Lydia Languish is a satiric portrait of the kind of the brat of fortune whose mind has been turned
by her reading of too many romantic novels. Her proposed for elopement and run away marriage
with a poor but romantic lover shows the futility to which her romantic and emotional
conception can lead her.
In the character of Sir Lucius O' Trigger, the dramatist satirizes the sort of pugnacious bully and
adventurer with whom fighting is a sort of pastime and who is out to certain his fortune by
marrying some rich girl in Bath.
Faulkland is a 'humour' character in whom envy is carried to 'comic amplification by Sheridan by
dint of his wit, satire and banter. Bob Acres is a comical, satirical and almost cruel character,
who typifies a clumsy country squire aspiring to be a city man, just by wearing fine dress and
swaggering air.
Finally, we can say that in The Rivals, Sheridan presents the satiric picture of eighteenth century
Bath that exposes the different classes of contemporary society. We are not pretty sure whether
the manners of Sheridan's comedies relate his own or to an earlier age; whether they are taken
from life or from preceding drama. They were the work of a youngman-witty, a great dramatist
and a great humorist. His ability as a humorist exists in his wit that is matchless in readiness and
abundance, in the high spirits which will find a laugh everywhere.

Q.3 Comment on the love relationships in the sentimental comedy "The Rivals".
Or
"The Rivals" is an excellent play of its own kind,but the kind itself-artificial comedy -is inferior."
Discus the justness of this criticism.
Or
"The Rivals" is a play of different kinds of comedy. Discuss Sheridan's treatment of comedy in
varied moods. How far Sheridan has been successful in creating romantic mood on the pattern of
Shakespeare in his play "The Rivals" although it is a comedy of manners?
Or
Ans. Introduction: The comedy of Sheridan finds an essay access to expression of wit, irony,
satire and free The play."The Rivals', dialogues and characters and also witty conversations. The
spirit of Restoration comedy of manners has been dexterously handed by Sheridan and he has
inserted striking manifestations in the form of romantic-comedy, comedy of humours, of
manners or artificial comedy sentimental comedy, comic opera, a pantomime,burlesque, farce
and such amusing situations, in it.
Comedy of manners or Artificial comedy: "The Rivals" is primarily identified as comedy of
manners or artificial comedy wherein the comic situations provide considerable amusement,In
order to gratify, a certain whom of his beloved captain Absolute assumes the name 'Beverley 'and
the rank of an Ensign in the army.
Fag rightly comments, "Love has been a masque reader ever since the days of Jupiter," and so we
find captain Absolute masque reading as Ensign Beverley "But the situation becomes tantalising
when absolute has to face Lydia in his real identity. Bob Acres declaration for challenge to
Beverley when there was no such real person, becomes, interesting situation. Thus at places the
presentation has become artificial.
Comic situations dialogues and characters: Much of the laughter in the play is aroused due to
witty dialogues or from the verbal virtuosity. We entertain ourselves from the witty remarks of
Sir Anthony. Similarly we laugh at the follies and absurdities of the characters like Sir Lucius
and Acres besides their dialogues 'Bob Acres' assumed courage and his actual cowardice is
certainly funny, apart from his show up as a town gentleman when he begins to dress himself in
the city of Bath and his futitle efforts to learn french steps in 'dancing. Sir Lucius becomes more
amusing because he is duped by clever Lucy, Mrs. Malaprop, with her malapropism becomes a
laughing stock and also the glaring contradiction in her character makes her ridiculous. Fag and
David have been introduced to represent comic figures. The sequence of scolding, which begins
with fag scolding the errand boy, then his master rebukes him and the captain is further takes to
task by his father, creates an interesting entertainment. Again, Fag talks in round about way and
David seems worried when his master Acres decides to fight a duel. We come across lot of witty
dialogues. Sir Anthony calls his son 'An obstinate, passionate, self willed boy', again. he says,'
The blood of the Absolutes was always impatient,' When Lydia is attended by his son. Captain
Absolute describes Mrs. Malaprop as, 'old', weather-beaten, she dragon' on her face when she
takes the letter to have been written by Beverly. As such the situations, the dialogues the
characterisation provide lot of entertainment.
Romantic comedy: A romantic comedy primarily aims at mingling of the romantic love interest
with mirth and fun. There is mixure of serious or tragic elements and comic elements. Normally
the classical unities of time, place and action are not observed in Romantic comedies. The play
'The Rivals' could be termed as comedy of, love and lovers like that of Shakespeare's "mid
summer Nights" "Dream" or "As you like it." The lovers are on their pursuit to seek their love
and we find two principal loving pairs and the third fersical affair too. There is enough romance
between the young lovers where in the instances of mirth and sadness and tense situations are
presented.
Comedy of humours: The characters in "The Rivals" represent certain well marked traits which
are known as humours. The suspicious attitude of Faulkland, the over exaggerating Julia,
imaginative Lydia are examples of such characters which we find in the plays of Ben Johnson,
Sir Lucius, Bob Acres, represent vain boastful and brainless cowardly attitudes. Lucy is a greedy
servant and Fag is a person who is unclear in his expression.
Is the artificial or sentimental comedy an inferior form? How far 'The Rivals' is merited?:
The artificial comedy is inferior because it deals with the articial life of fashionable people. The
excess of pretences. affectations, gay irresponsibility, recklessness, superficiality, aping the
current fashions in dress and current modes of dance or speech make such comedies vain shows.
To add to the comic situations, the sentimentality in love affairs, the witty dialogues, exaggerated
feelings of love weaken the high standard of pure comedy which we observe in Shakespeare and
Ben Jonson. The greatest weakness of artificial or sentimental comedy is want of psychological
depth in it. If the audience is made to be moved, not to laughter but to tears the purpose of
comedy is defeated. But 'The Rivals' rises above the level of sheer artificial comedy. It is because
Sheridan had handled the plot skilfully besides dealing with the stock characters brilliantly.
Above all it is free from coarseness or immorality.

The well-Knit plot of the play has been presented in classical sense of form and character.
Though the characters are mainly stock figures of comedy but Sheridan makes all of them live on
the stage before us and in our minds also. The author has portrayed the contemporary manners of
love making, feeling of upper and lower class, the habits of swearing and inclination of duelling
besides the craze for fashions generally imported from France. Not only the upper class habits
which are more inclined to artificial ways, but the habits of the servants are also made fun of.
When they aped the manners of their masters, swore like them of played billiards or cards they
appeared absurd and farsical.
Thus, Sheridan has mingled varied phases of comedy in The Rivals and it has become a comedy
of its own kind. The reader on finite traces of ancient mode of comedy as well as the latest trend
on allestorm. The striding thing about the play is that it maintains shall the different aspects with
clever arrangement of sequences. That is why the three love affairs go hand in hand without
losing the interest of the one at the cost of the other.
The Rivals as a comedy: Sheridan's play bit The Rivals is essentially a typical eighteenth
century comedy of manners which has been framed in consonance with restoration comedy and
also aimed aro dealing with anti sentimentál mood. But there is a mingling of the comedy of
manners. We may come across the finest of the romantic comedies written by Shakespeare
among them Twelfth Night's Dream ire supreme triumphs in this field. The play The Rivals' do
show certain ingredients of romantic comedy although it could not attain the pure fever of
romantic mood as compared to the atmosphere in Shakespeare an comedies.
The Rivals follows the mode of ancients classical comedies in observing at least two of the three
units. It does observe the unity of time and place though loosely because, everything in this play
occurs in the City 44 Bath and the time covered by the events about twenty four hours.
Shakespear can comedies do not observe the unities strictly for we can see stich disunity of me,
place and action in 'The merchant of Venice and other plays in this hence "The Rivals' is not
purely romantic comedy It acquits a classical touch for its competness.
Mingling of serious and comic elements: In romantic comedy we often find serious and even
tragic scenes alternating with comic scenes almost like the play of sun shine and shade. such
scenes shift from gave atmosphere to gay one in 'The Merchant of Venice', 'As you like it' and
such other comedies of Shakespeare, Sheridan's plays rather follow ancient classical method of
excluding serious and at the manner in which the fact is revealed as well. So do we are made to
laugh at eac'haracter because of their absurd or over artificial or dreamy notions or va...
rimentality. Mrs. Malaprop arouses laughter because of her wrong use of words. The Faulkland
Julia events are marked as faulkland Julia events are marked as sentimental but not come close to
romantic comedy in the absence of mixture of serious-comic elements.
Love interest: A romantic comedy provides, plenty of love interest. There is emotional intensity
and imaginative richness in almost all the comedies of Shakespeare. The use of verse adds an
additional charm to a romantic comedy. On the other hand, 'The Rivals 'is all prose so there is
hardly any imaginary flights. It is completely a play of intellectual character. The love interest in
'The Rivals' is a show of particular which of the lovers and not that hot and intelligent pursuit of
the Shakespeare love comedies. The Lydia-Absolute and Julia-Faulkland love affairs do not go
beyond the traditional bond though they deviate themselves for some time.
Humour and Wit: "The Rivals abounds in both humorous situations and witty dialogues Wit
flows even from the month of Fag and Acres. If we look at the wit and humour in "The Merchant
of Venice 'or As you like it 'we certainly find Shakespeare an characters are universal where as
the characters of Sheridan seek identify with the typical class of people in England during
eighteenth century.
Looking to the specific features of the comic play. "The Rivals' do not convince us to be
adjudged as a romantic comedy. Artificiality satire, social evils, sentimental flues do not
constitute a romantic comedy. A romantic comedy is a them to be portrayed on a broader canvas
where as the comedy of manners requires limited range of thinking.