Salient feature of the Restoration comedy of Manners.

Md. Al Amin

The Restoration period (1660-1700) had a great influence on the life and literature of contemporary age. This period is called the Restoration period because in this period, with the restoration of monarchy, the English literary tradition was restored. In the Commonwealth period Charles-II, the son of Charles-I, was escaped from England to France. After the fall of Commonwealth, the people of England brought him back and made him king of England (on May 29,1660). He remained in power till his death in 1685 when James-II, another son of Charles-I, ascended the throne. He was a catholic and most of the people who were protestants wanted to dethrone him. In 1688 there was the Glorious Revolution (Bloodless Revolution) against him. He fled to France. William-III of France and his wife Mary, the son-in-law and daughter of James-II, came to the power.

Of course, the Restoration did not bring total peace in England. The conflict between the King and his parliament did not collapse completely. What is more remarkable in the political history of the Restoration is the growing rivalry between different factions and parties in British parliament. The events of 1649, 1660 and 1688 established decisively the supreme power of parliament to control and dictate the affairs of the land.

The restoration of monarchy in 1660 was an important event that had a wonderful impact on English life and literature. The English society, after the Restoration, was certainly diseased. It suffered from the fever of indecency, immorality, corruption and dishonesty, which rather affected notional life from political, social and even classical angles. English literature was, in no less way, affected by the new standard and the new values of life. There were a sudden break from old standards and ideals. Literature, indeed, in England, after the Restoration, seemed to have been bred and nursed by French literary ideals and patterns. It was a great age for the French authors, particularly for the French dramatists. It was under their influence that there was a new birth of comedy in England. The comedy of manners was the greatest literary force of the Restoration, and its source of inspiration was certainly the French comedy of manners. The comedies of manners of Congreve, Vanbrugh, Dryden and Wycherley were all highly popular in the age.

Restoration comedy is kind of comedy written in the Restoration Period. It identical to the comedy of manners as it also ridicules the manners and conventions, the faithlessness and intrigues of the members of the upper class society of the Restoration Period. The comedy of manners is originated from France with Moliere’s Les Precieuses Ridicules. This is also called artificial comedy or old comedy. In the twentieth century it was made fashionable by Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham. The characters in Restoration comedies are largely types, whose dispositions are sufficiently indicated by study of their names. Wycherley, Etheredge, Congreve, Vanbrugh and Farquhar are the five famous writers of the Restoration comedy. Farquhar’s The Recruting Officer, Congreve’s Love of Love and The Way of the World and Vanbrugh’s The Provoked Wife are bright examples of the Restoration comedy.

The comedy of manners/ The Restoration comedy is a peculiar product of the restoration era, and it reflects the very spirit of the age. It depicts faithfully the life and manners of the upper class society. This is a genre of comedy which deals with the behavior and manner of men and women living under special social codes. It depicts the relations and intrigues of men and women belonging to polished and sophisticated society. It is characterized by the ridiculous violations of social conventions and decorum by stupid characters such as would-be-wits, jealous husbands and foppish dandies. In short, this comedy is said to be the mirror of the manners of the society about which it is written.

William Congreve is one of the major dramatists of the Restoration period and “The Way of the World” is the finest flower of his genius and the best of all comedies of manners. It bears the most characteristic feature of this kind of comedy. It gives us a clear picture of the contemporary manners of the people of the upper class of London society during the restoration period. And their behavior morality, manners, affection etc are presented here in a satirical light.

William Congreve made his last comedy The Way of the World different from other comedies by giving it a moral in the end. He wanted to teach men and women of that society that marriage is a sacred institution based on love and sincerity.

Thus we see that the play is a remarkable comedy of manners, representing the contemporary social environment, in a splendid manner. The Restoration people did not attach much importance to the moral principle. Led by passion, they used to make love with many having no consideration for their marriage vows.