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    Sheridan's play "The Rivals" is an anti-sentimental comedy that was intended to entertain audiences through laughter rather than tears. It portrays sentimental characters in an exaggerated and ridiculous manner. Lydia Languish is an overly romantic and sentimental young woman whose foolish desires and actions cause laughter from audiences. Captain Absolute and Mrs. Malaprop also approach relationships in a practical and business-like manner for comic effect. Characters like Bob Acres and Sir Lucious o' Trigger are made to appear foolish through their actions, provoking mirth from audiences. The play holds a mirror to the manners and follies of 18th century English upper class society through its characters and complicated plotlines involving

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    Sheridan's play "The Rivals" is an anti-sentimental comedy that was intended to entertain audiences through laughter rather than tears. It portrays sentimental characters in an exaggerated and ridiculous manner. Lydia Languish is an overly romantic and sentimental young woman whose foolish desires and actions cause laughter from audiences. Captain Absolute and Mrs. Malaprop also approach relationships in a practical and business-like manner for comic effect. Characters like Bob Acres and Sir Lucious o' Trigger are made to appear foolish through their actions, provoking mirth from audiences. The play holds a mirror to the manners and follies of 18th century English upper class society through its characters and complicated plotlines involving

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    63 views1 page

    The Rivals

    Uploaded by

    sandipan panda
    Sheridan's play "The Rivals" is an anti-sentimental comedy that was intended to entertain audiences through laughter rather than tears. It portrays sentimental characters in an exaggerated and ridiculous manner. Lydia Languish is an overly romantic and sentimental young woman whose foolish desires and actions cause laughter from audiences. Captain Absolute and Mrs. Malaprop also approach relationships in a practical and business-like manner for comic effect. Characters like Bob Acres and Sir Lucious o' Trigger are made to appear foolish through their actions, provoking mirth from audiences. The play holds a mirror to the manners and follies of 18th century English upper class society through its characters and complicated plotlines involving

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 1

    THE RIVALS

    Estimate “The Rivals” as an anti-sentimental comedy OR How does


    “he Rivals” mirror 18 century society in England
    th
    OR How do the
    characters create comic laughter?

    While sentimental comedies moved the audience with tears, Sheridan's "The Rivals" packed with wit, laughter
    and mirth provoking scenes is considered to be an anti-sentimental comedy. Sheridan portrayed sentimental
    characters and situations in such a way that they arouse funny feelings in the audience. In this way he
    ridiculed their sentiments. Undoubtedly Sheridan's purpose in writing "The Rivals" was to entertain the
    audience by making them laugh and not by making them shed tears.
    Lydia an over-sentimental girl became ridiculed in the play. She was indulged in
    romantic thoughts and it was because of her bent in reading romantic novels. A life in utter poverty is
    regarded adventurous by Lydia . She did not want to get married in conventional way but to elope with her
    lover . Lydia's superficiality and silliness caused much laughter . The collapse of her romantic hopes
    disappointed her greatly but it appeared amusing to the audience. Captain Absolute is a practical man. Though
    he stooped to conquer the heart of Lydia Languish he did not want to forfeit the rich dowry which Lydia would
    bring him. Mrs. Malaprop's attitude to marriage was very businesslike as she took it to be a deal. Bob Acres
    who tried to be a city dandy was actually a foolish person having no romantic or sentimental pretensions. Sir
    Lucious o' Trigger who was befooled by the letters sent to him in the name of Delia appeared to be a comic
    character for his insistence on fighting duel. He thought the woman behind the name of Delia was Lydia
    Languish. But to his utter dismay he found that it was Mrs. Malaprop who was writing to him without
    revealing her identity. Sheridan portrayed Falkland in the same satirical manner. He was always an emotional
    fool. Julia's happiness while staying away from him became a cause of sorrow for him. His over-possessiveness
    cause suffering to Julia too. He wanted repeated proof of Julia's love. Thus Faulkland appeared to be a
    sentimental fool.
    The author's intention is to show the absurd length to which an over sentimental lover can
    go and the author expects us to laugh at this kind of lover. Even Julia suffers from an excessive sentimentality
    and she is too made to appear absurd and ridiculous for that reason.
    Thus the characters in "The Rivals" certainly mirror the manners of the contemporary
    eighteenth-century particularly the fashionable upper class life at Bath. It was a life fraught with intrigues,
    gossips, scandals and frivolties. Like typical comedy of manners the rivals has complicated plot. All the love
    affairs have a parallel development so that the interest keeps shifting from one love affair to other quite
    rapidly. Again like a typical comedy of manners the rivals abounds in wit. Right from the beginning to the end
    the play sends the audience into peals of laughter. As a specimen of comedy of manners the true Spirit of
    comedy fun and frolic, humour and wit and even boisterous laughter reign supreme in this play.

    PRASUN GHOSH ( NSOU ENGLISH TUTOR ) CALL / WHATSAPP : 8371960306

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