Restoration Comedy
Restoration Comedy
Restoration Comedy refers to English Comedies written during the Restoration period from 1660-1710. The re-opening of the theatres in 1660 after public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime signalled a renaissance of English drama. Restoration comedy is notorious for its sexual licentiousness, a quality encouraged by Charles II personally and by the rakish aristocratic ethos of his court. English Drama witnessed great changes during Charles II reign. Women were introduced on stage for the first time and they were paid for the same, and theatre as a mode of entertainment and recreation was made fairly accessible to all. As a result of which, the theatre productions received a heterogeneous audience with non just aristocrats but their servants, hangers-on and a substantial middle class segment too. This period saw a flourish in comedies and also the emergence of the first professional woman playwright, Aphra Behn.
Charles II was an active patron of drama. Soon after he came to the throne, he gave exclusive play staging rights to the King’s Company and the Duke’s Company headed by Thomas Kiligrew and William Davenant, who were his mates during exile. The audience of this period was not particularly courtly, but was quite small and could barely support two companies. There was no untapped reserve of occasional playgoers. Ten consecutive performances constituted a smash hit. This closed system forced playwrights to be extremely responsive to popular taste. Fashions in the drama would change weekly as each company responded to the offerings of the other, and new plays were urgently sought. The King's Company and the Duke's Company were neck to neck with one another for audience favour, for popular actors, and for new plays. In this hectic climate the new genres of heroic drama, pathetic drama, and Restoration Comedy were born and flourished.
Variety and dizzying fashion changes are typical of
Restoration Comedy refers to English Comedies written during the Restoration period from 1660-1710. The re-opening of the theatres in 1660 after public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime signalled a renaissance of English drama. Restoration comedy is notorious for its sexual licentiousness, a quality encouraged by Charles II personally and by the rakish aristocratic ethos of his court. English Drama witnessed great changes during Charles II reign. Women were introduced on stage for the first time and they were paid for the same, and theatre as a mode of entertainment and recreation was made fairly accessible to all. As a result of which, the theatre productions received a heterogeneous audience with non just aristocrats but their servants, hangers-on and a substantial middle class segment too. This period saw a flourish in comedies and also the emergence of the first professional woman playwright, Aphra Behn.
Charles II was an active patron of drama. Soon after he came to the throne, he gave exclusive play staging rights to the King’s Company and the Duke’s Company headed by Thomas Kiligrew and William Davenant, who were his mates during exile. The audience of this period was not particularly courtly, but was quite small and could barely support two companies. There was no untapped reserve of occasional playgoers. Ten consecutive performances constituted a smash hit. This closed system forced playwrights to be extremely responsive to popular taste. Fashions in the drama would change weekly as each company responded to the offerings of the other, and new plays were urgently sought. The King's Company and the Duke's Company were neck to neck with one another for audience favour, for popular actors, and for new plays. In this hectic climate the new genres of heroic drama, pathetic drama, and Restoration Comedy were born and flourished.
Variety and dizzying fashion changes are typical of
References: 1. Game of Love: Restoration Comedy by Esther Lombardi 2. Love and Marriages in Three Restoration Comedies by Shirley Galloway 3. Restoration Theatres by Barbara Murray