The latter, 'The Provoked Husband,' (which was the joint production of Vanburgh and Cibber,) is, perhaps, on the whole, the best comedy in the English language. It is liable, indeed, to one critical objection, of having a double plot; as the incident of the Wronghead family, and those of Lord Townley's, are separate and independent of each other. But this irregularity is compensated by the natural characters, the fine painting, and the happy strokes of humour with which it abounds. We are, indeed, surprised to find so unexceptionable a comedy proceeding from two such loose authors; for, in its general strain, it is calculated to expose licentiousness and folly; and would do honour to any stage. Sir John Vanburgh has spirit, wit, and ease; but he is, to the last degree, gross and indelicate. He is one of the most immoral of all our comedians. His 'Provoked Wife' is full of such indecent sentiments and allusions, as ought to explode it out of all reputable society. His 'Relapse' is equally censurable; and these are his only two considerable pieces. Congreve is, unquestionably, a writer of genius. He is lively, witty, and sparkling; full of character, and full of action. His chief fault, as a comic writer, is, that he overflows with wit. It is often introduced unseasonably; and, almost every where, there is too great a proportion of it for natural well-bred conversation.* Farquhar is a light and gay writer; less correct and less sparkling than Congreve; but he has more ease; and perhaps fully as great a share of the vis comica. The two best and least exceptionable of his plays, are the Recruiting Officer,' and the 'Beaux Stratagem.' I say, the least exceptionable; for, in general, the tendency of both Congreve and Farquhar's plays is immoral. Throughout them all, the rake, the loose intrigue, and the life of licentiousness, are the objects continually held up to view; as if the assemblies of a great and polished nation could be amused with none but vicious objects. The indelicacy of these writers, in the female characters which they introduce, is particularly remarkable. Nothing can be more awkward than their representations of a woman of virtue and honour. Indeed, there are hardly any female characters in their plays except two women of loose principles; or, when a virtuous character is attempted to be drawn, women of affected manners. The censure which I have now passed upon these celebrated comedians, is far from being overstrained or severe. Accustomed to the indelicacy of our own comedy, and amused with the wit and humour of it, its immorality too easily escapes our observation. But all foreigners, the French especially, who are accustomed to a better regulated, and more decent stage, speak of it with surprise and astonishment. Voltaire, who is, assuredly, none of the most austere moralists, plumes himself not a little upon the superior bien * Dr. Johnson says of him, in his Life, that his personages are a kind of intellectual gladiators; every sentence is to ward, or to strike; the contest of smartness is never intermitted; his wit is a meteor, playing to and fro, with alternate corruscations.' séance of the French theatre; and says, that the language of English comedy is the language of debauchery, not of politeness. M. Moralt, in his letters upon the French and English nations, ascribes the corruption of manners in London to comedy, as its chief cause. Their comedy, he says, is like that of no other country; it is the school in which the youth of both sexes familiarize themselves with vice, which is never represented there as vice, but as mere gayety. As for comedies, says the ingenious M. Diderot, in his observations upon dramatic poetry, the English have none; they have in their place, satires, full, indeed, of gayety and force, but without morals, and without taste; sans mœurs, et sans goût. There is no wonder, therefore, that Lord Kaimes, in his Elements of Criticism, should have expressed himself upon this subject, of the indelicacy of Eng lish comedy, in terms much stronger than any that I have used; concluding his invective against it in these words: How odious. ought those writers to be, who thus spread infection through their native country, employing the talents which they have received from their Maker most traitorously against himself, by endeavouring to corrupt and disfigure his creatures. If the comedies of Congreve did not rack him with remorse, in his last moments, he must have been lost to all sense of virtue.' Vol. II. 479. I am happy, however, to have it in my power to observe, that of late years, a sensible reformation has begun to take place in English comedy. We have, at last, become ashamed of making our public entertainments rest wholly upon profligate characters and scenes; and our later comedies, of any reputation, are much purified from the licentiousness of former times. If they have not the spirit, the ease, and the wit of Congreve and Farquhar, in which respect they must be confessed to be somewhat deficient; this praise, however, they justly merit, of being innocent and moral. For this reformation, we are, questionless, much indebted to the French theatre, which has not only been, at all times, more chaste and inoffensive than ours, but has, within these few years, produced a species of comedy, of a still graver turn than any that I have yet mentioned. This, which is called the serious, or tender comedy, and was termed by its opposers, La Comédie Larmoyante, is not altogether a modern invention. Several of Terence's plays, as the Andria, in particular, partake of this character; and as we know that Terence copied Menander, we have sufficient reason to believe that his comedies, also, were of the same kind. The nature of this compositior does not by any means exclude gayety and ridicule; but it lays the chief stress upon tender and interesting situations; it aims at being sentimental, and touching the heart by means of the capital incidents; it makes our pleasure arise, not so much from the laughter which it excites, as from the tears of affection and joy which it draws forth. In English, Steele's Conscious Lovers is a comedy which approaches to this character, and it has always been favourably received by the public. In French, there are several dramatic compositions of this kind, which possess considerable merit and reputation; such as the Melanide, and Préjugé à la Mode, of La Chaussée; the Père de Famille, of Diderot; the Cénie, of Mad. Graffigny; and the Nanine, and L'Enfant Prodigue, of Voltaire. When this form of comedy first appeared in France, it excited a great controversy among the critics. It was objected to, as a dangerous and unjustifiable innovation in compositon. It is not tragedy, for it does not involve us in sorrow. By what name then can it be called? or what pretentions hath it to be comprehended under dramatic writing? But this was trifling, in the most egregious manner, with critical names and distinctions, as if these had invariably fixed the essence, and ascertained the limits of every sort of composition. Assuredly, it is not necessary that all comedies should be formed on one precise model. Some may be entirely light and gay; others may incline more to the serious; some may partake of both, and all of them, properly executed, may furnish agreeable and useful entertainment to the public, by suiting the different tastes of men.* Serious and tender comedy has no title to claim to itself the possession of the stage, to the exclusion of ridicule and gayety. But when it retains only its proper place, without usurping the province of any other, when it is carried on with resemblance to real life, and without introducing romantic and unnatural situations, it may certainly prove both an interesting and an agreeable species of dramatic writing. If it become insipid and drawling, this must be imputed to the fault of the author, not to the nature of the composition, which may admit much liveliness and vivacity. In general, whatever form comedy assumes, whether gay or serious, it may always be esteemed a mark of society advancing in true politeness, when those theatrical exhibitions, which are designed for public amusement, are cleared from indelicate sentiment, or immoral tendency. Though the licentious buffoonery of Aristophanes amused the Greeks for a while, they advanced by degrees to a chas ter and juster taste; and the like progress of refinement may be concluded to take place among us, when the public receive with favour, dramatic compositions of such a strain and spirit as entertained the Greeks and Romans, in the days of Menander and Terence. Il y a beaucoup de tres-bonnes pièces, où il ne regne que de la gaieté: d'autres toutes sérieuses; d'autres melangées ; d'autres, où l'attendrissement va jusqu'aux larmes. Il ne faut donner exclusion à aucun genre; et si l'on me demandoit, quel genre est le meilleur ? je répoudrois, celui qui est le mieux traité.' VOLTAIRE. QUESTIONS. pairs, is like what? As in every sort of composition, the perfection of art is to conceal art, how will a masterly writer give us his characters? What should the style of comedy be? Of the French rhyme, what is here observed; and what remark follows? What is one of the most difficult and one of the most important circumstances in writing comedy? What is here observed of our English comedies; what ones are mentioned, and what is said of them? What remark follows; but how will its nature and spirit be better understood? With what remark does our author commence; and how is it probable comedy took its rise? What three stages of comedy do critics distinguish among the Greeks? In what did the ancient consist? Of this nature, are whose plays, and what is said of them? What do they show? What are several of Aristophanes's plays? Of what are they full; what is the consequence; and with what do they abound? What are his characteristics? On many occasions, what does he display; but of his performances, what remark follows? Why do they seem to have been composed for the mob? Of the treatment given by this comedian to Socrates, what is observed? What is remarked of the chorus in his plays? Soon af By what is comedy sufficiently discriminated from tragedy? What form the province of the latter; and what is the sole instrument of the former? What does comedy propose for its object? Of the general idea of comedy, what is observed; and why? What is doing real service to the world; and what remark follows? At the same time, what must be confessed; and why? What, therefore, have licentious writers of the comic class, too often had in their power? Of this fault, what is observed? How is this illustrated? Of French, and of English comedy, what is here observed? How are our disquisitions concerning comedy shortened? To both these forms of dramatic composition, what is equally necessary? What was shown to be the scope of all these rules; and why is this necessary? Why does this require a stricter observance of the dramatic rules in comedy, than in tragedy; and what are the great foundation of the whole beauty of comedy? Of the subjects of tragedy, what is here observed? Why does the reverse of this hold in comedy? How is this illustrated? At what should the comic poet aim? What is not his business; what should he give us; and why? Of Plautus and Terence, what is here remarked; but what must be re-ter the days of Aristophanes, what took membered? In after times, what had place? Why was the chorus also the Romans? Into what two kinds may banished? Then what arose, and what comedy be divided; and of them, re- was it? How was it conducted; and spectively, what is observed? In which what remark follows? To them sucdo the French most abound; and what ceeded what, and what did the stage instances are given? In which do the then become? Of Menander what is English; and what remark follows? observed? What are the only remains In order to give this sort of composition which we now have of the new comeits proper advantage, what is requisite ? dy? For what is Plautus distinguished? How is this remark fully illustrated? As he wrote at an early period, what is Of the action in comedy, what is re- the consequence? How does he open marked; and why? Hence, what is a his plays; and what are sometimes congreat fault? What are now justly con- founded? Of him, what is farther redemned and laid aside; and why? marked? Which of his plays have What remark follows? In the manage- been copied; and by whom? What is ment of characters, what is one of the said of Terence? Of what is his style most common faults of comic writers? a model? What is observed of his diaWherever ridicule is concerned, what logue; and what does he, beyond most is very difficult? What instance is writers, possess? What is the general mentioned; and of it, what is remarked? character of his morality; and what Of the characters in comedy, what is remark follows? Hence, of what may observed; but what give too theatrical he be considered the founder? In what, and affected an air to the piece? Why if in any thing, does he fail? How is has this become too common a resource this illustrated? In order to form a perof comic writers? How is this illustra- fect comic author, what would be reted? What instances are mentioned; quisite? and such production of characters by When we enter on the view of mo dern comedy, what is one of the first how is this irregularity compensated? objects which presents itself; and of it, At what are we surprised; and why? what is observed? Who are the chief What is said of Sir John Vanburgh ? Spanish comedians? Of Lopez de How is this illustrated? Of Congreve, Vega, what is remarked? Of these what is observed; and what is his chief plays, what is the nature? At the same fault? How is this illustrated? What time, what is generally admitted? kind of a writer is Farquhar ? Which What apology does he himself give, are his two best plays? Why does our for the extreme irregularity of his com- author say the least exceptionable? positions? What are the general cha- How is this fully illustrated? Of the racters of the French comic theatre ? censure which our author has now What writers of note has it produced? passed, what is observed; and why? Of Moliere, what srther observed? How do foreigners speak of this? How What does Voltaire boldly pronounce is this illustrated? Of what, therefore, him? Of this decision, what is obser- is there no wonder, and what does he ved? Of what is Moliere always the say? To have what in his power, howsatirist; and what has he done? What ever, is our author happy; and of what does he possess, and of what is he full? have we at last become ashamed? Of his comedies in verse, what is ob- What remark follows? For this reforserved; and also of those in prose, mation, to what are we indebted; and what is remarked? Together with of it what is observed? From what those high qualities what defects has does it appear that this is not altogehe? Few writers, however, have done ther a modern invention? Of the nwhat, so perfectly as he has? Which are ture of this composition, what is obseraccounted his two capital productions? ved? What comedy have we in EngFrom the English theatre, what are we lish that approaches this character; naturally led to expect; and why? What and what is said of it? In French, afford full scope to the display of singu- what are there; and name them? larity of character, and to the indulgence When this form of comedy first apof humour? What is the case in France? peared in France, how was it received? Hence, what follows; but what is ex- Why was it objected to; and what tremely unfortunate? How does it ap- was said of it? But of this, what is obpear that the first age of English come-served? Why should not all comedica dy was not infected by this spirit? Of be formed on one precise model? Or Shakspeare's general character, par-serious and tender comedy, what is farticularly, what is observed? What is ther remarked? But when may it prove also said of Jonson? What is remarked both an interesting and an agreeof the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher; but in general, with what do they abound? How have these comedies become too obsolete to be very agreeable; and why? With what comedies is this especially the case; and for what reason? Of Plautus, what is here observed; and what is a high proof of Shakspeare's genius? When did licentiousness seize on comedy for its province? Who then became the hero of every comedy; and upon what was the ridicule thrown? At the end of the play, what commonly took place? But for what is he set up throughout it, and what is the consequence? What remark follows; and how long did this spirit prevail upon the comic stage? What is said of Dryden? As he sought to please only, what was the consequence? Since his time, who have been the writers of greatest note? Of Cibber, what is remarked? Of the former, what is observed; and what is said of the latter? To what is it liable; and why? But able species of dramatic writing? If it become insipid and drawling, to what must this be imputed? What may always be esteemed a mark of society advancing in true politeness? Repeat the closing remark. Comedy. ANALYSIS. 1. The nature of comedy. 3. The scene and subjects. 4. The different kinds of comedy. 6. The style. 7. The origin of comedy. A. The different stages of it. A. Lopez de Vega. 10. French comedy. A. Moliere. 11. English comedy. A. Shakspeare-Beaumont-Fletcher. greve. c. A new species of comedy. |