English Literature

Undoubtedly Sheridan's purpose in writing "The Rivals" was to entertain the audience by making them laugh and not by making them shed tears. "The Rivals" was written as a comedy pure and simple. Though there are certainly a few sentimental scenes in this play yet they are regarded as a parody of sentimentality. The scenes between Faulkland and Julia are satire on the sentimental comedy which was in fashion in those days and against which Sheridan revolted. A brief examination of these sentimental scenes would clearly reveal that Sheridan's intention was to poke fun at the sentimental comedy of the time. We find both Faulkland and Julia absurd. The true character of Faulkland is indicated to us by Absolute's description of him as the "most teasing, captious, incorrigible lover". Faulkland's own description of his state of mind about his beloved Julia also makes him appear absurd. He says that every hour is an occasion for him to feel al...

Like typical comedy of manners, "The Rivals" has a complicated plot. There are three love-affairs in it � the Absolute-Lydia love-affair, the Faulkland-Julia love-affair, and the Mrs. Malaprop-Sir Lucius love-affair. All these love-affairs have a parallel development, so that the interest keeps shifting from one love-affair to the other quite rapidly. Again, like a typical comedy of manner, "The Rivals" abounds in wit. We have the wit of Captain Absolute, the wit of Sir Anthony, the wit of even Sir Lucius and Acres who are otherwise the targets of the play's satire. "The Rivals" is an amusing satire on the fashionable upper-class of Sheridan's time. The scene of this play is set in Bath. In the second half of the eighteenth century, Bath was a famous centre of fashionable life. The manner in which Fag dwells upon this life is quite amusing. The Faulkland-Julia love-affair is undoubtedly a parody of the sentimental comedy of the eighteenth century...