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The Rivals
The Rivals
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.