The Plays
The 18th century theatre in England was a mix of aristocracy and low class life; one went to the theatre to see just as much to be seen! Shakespeare had been a driving force of the 17th century, and many an author tried his hand at writing for the stage. The culture of the theatre became an integral part of society.
The theatre of the 18th century remains a complex world, a juxtaposition of opulence and peasantry within four walls. Pickpockets, thieves, and other villains lurked in the shadows, ready to relieve any affluent person of his or her purse. Prostitutes plied their wares openly by selling fruit as "orange-sellers." It was the whims of this audience that writers needed to satiate in order to be successful. Comedy, tragedy, and scandal all graced the stage, compliments of the imagination of these artists. Drury Lane and Convent Garden competed for ticket sales and popularity.
Writers in the theatre often might have had a history of performance art. Others, based on their social status, could not openly publish work there. The English government even involved itself on the stage, creating the Licensing Act of 1737 was said to be a result of one author's licentious works: "...the Licensing Act introduces a much more systematic approach to censorship; it codifies the state's control over drama, enshrining it in statute law. It ensured that theatre be performed only in licensed houses, required scripts to be submitted to the Lord Chamberlain for his approval, and could impose financial and even penal sentences on those whose work defied the terms of the Act" (Gill 127). In all, the theatre was serious business in the 18th century.
Other Plays for Study:
Cato, Joseph Addison
The Way of the World, William Congreve
The Country Wife, William Wycherly
The Perjured Husband, Susannah Centlivre
The Author's Farce, Henry Fielding
The London Merchant, George Lillo
The School for Rakes, Elizabeth Griffith
The Careless Husband, Colley Cibber
The Roman Father, William Whitehead
She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith
The 18th century theatre in England was a mix of aristocracy and low class life; one went to the theatre to see just as much to be seen! Shakespeare had been a driving force of the 17th century, and many an author tried his hand at writing for the stage. The culture of the theatre became an integral part of society.
The theatre of the 18th century remains a complex world, a juxtaposition of opulence and peasantry within four walls. Pickpockets, thieves, and other villains lurked in the shadows, ready to relieve any affluent person of his or her purse. Prostitutes plied their wares openly by selling fruit as "orange-sellers." It was the whims of this audience that writers needed to satiate in order to be successful. Comedy, tragedy, and scandal all graced the stage, compliments of the imagination of these artists. Drury Lane and Convent Garden competed for ticket sales and popularity.
Writers in the theatre often might have had a history of performance art. Others, based on their social status, could not openly publish work there. The English government even involved itself on the stage, creating the Licensing Act of 1737 was said to be a result of one author's licentious works: "...the Licensing Act introduces a much more systematic approach to censorship; it codifies the state's control over drama, enshrining it in statute law. It ensured that theatre be performed only in licensed houses, required scripts to be submitted to the Lord Chamberlain for his approval, and could impose financial and even penal sentences on those whose work defied the terms of the Act" (Gill 127). In all, the theatre was serious business in the 18th century.
Other Plays for Study:
Cato, Joseph Addison
The Way of the World, William Congreve
The Country Wife, William Wycherly
The Perjured Husband, Susannah Centlivre
The Author's Farce, Henry Fielding
The London Merchant, George Lillo
The School for Rakes, Elizabeth Griffith
The Careless Husband, Colley Cibber
The Roman Father, William Whitehead
She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith