The Plays of George EtheregeEven among the richly talented generation who wrote for the stage during the Restoration, Etherege was, from the start, considered to be a very special kind of innovator. His first play, The Comical Revenge (1664), with its partisan portrait of the Cavalier gentry during the last years of the Revolution and its bravura interweaving of four separate plots, deftly caught an early Restoration mood and enjoyed great popularity. Its successor, She Would if She Could (1668), marks a deliberate change in direction. Audiences, expecting a sequel more akin to The Comical Revenge, were at first faltering in their response, but by 1671 Thomas Shadwell was confidently calling it the best comedy to have been written since the return of the king in 1660. Etherege's masterpiece, however, is his last play, The Man of Mode (1676), which in clarity of vision and freshness of detail surpasses both its predecessors and in the early years of the eighteenth century became a central text in the debate about the worth of Restoration comedy. This edition includes annotated texts of all three plays, prefaced by an account of Etherege's life and the reception of his plays on the stage and in criticism. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ARIANA AURELIA BEAUFORT believe BELLINDA better bring brother BRUCE comes Comical Revenge COURTALL dance dear DORIMANT drink DUFOY EMILIA Enter Etherege Exeunt Exit expect face faith fashion favour fear fellow fool fortune FREEMAN French Garden GATTY gentlemen give GRACIANA hand happiness HARRIET head hear heart hold honour hope keep kind LADY COCKWOOD LADY TOWNLEY LADY WOODVILL leave live London look Lord LOVEIT LOVIS madam matter meaning MEDLEY meet mind mistress nature never OLD BELLAIR PALMER passion PERT play poor Pray pretty RAKEHELL SCENE SENTRY servant sing SIR FOPLING SIR FREDERICK SIR JOSLIN SIR NICHOLAS SIR OLIVER speak sure talk tell thee there's thing thou thought town wait walk WHEADLE WIDOW woman women YOUNG BELLAIR