1779

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1779: Sheridan's The Critic Proves Timely Parody

**Season of 1779-1780**

Although this play season was not marked with any surplus of theatre successes, two plays acted to make 1779 an important year for the English Theatre. The first of these was Belle’s Stratagem, which was a success mainly due to its superior acting company. In 1779 two of Drury Lane’s most popular public icons, Henderson and Miss Young, left their positions at Drury Lane Theatre and moved to Covent Garden. In addition to these two actors, Covent Garden Theatre also featured the celebrated burletta singer and low comedian, John Edwin. The play operated as a parody on high society, fashion, and marriage much like the Restoration comedies of Wycherley, Dryden. The second of notable plays to premiere during the play season was The Critic. Written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Critic was first performed on October 30th, at Drury Lane and enjoyed great success with an impressive forty-eight performances. A notable fact mentioned by The London Stage is that the play was Sheridan’s seventh play in only five years, all of which yielded successful productions. Even more interesting is that the playwright did not write anything of import until twenty years later when he produced a rifacimento, or adaptation, of a tragedy by Kotzebue, which he titled Pizarro.






 * __ Season of 1779-1780 cont. __**

Similar to the lack of notable plays that debuted in 1779, the theatre also saw a lower number of receipts at all well- known theatres. It is important to mention, however, that The London Stage does not attribute this lack of attendance to an inferior quality of production, but rather rains and fogs that made it hard for the social forum to remain eventful. An example of this can be seen in the December 6th issue of Lloyd’s Evening Post in which the King’s horse-riding is said to be postponed do to the dismal weather.

Although only these two plays gained any long lasting popularity in England, the revival of familiar plays had an immense influence on the theatre season of 1779 to 1780. The primary source of these plays came from the works of Shakespeare— Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet were all performed this year. More important than these three plays was the April 21st Drury Lane production of Hamlet as it was originally written by Shakespeare. This was the first time since December of 1772 that the theatre had produced the original play rather than David Garrick’s rearranged version that dismissed the gravediggers of Act V Scene I. According to G.W. Stone, Jr., the ommitance of these characters, along with multiple other alterations was aimed at creating a better sense of “regularity,” regardless of the thematic importance of Hamlet and the witty Gravedigger’s conversation. As you can see in the discussion of Richard Sheridan and his play The Critic, this manipulation of theatre into an avenue for business and conformity rather than art and both social and moral instruction is the main focus of Sheridan’s The Critic and his overall outlook on the progress of theatre throughout the 18th century.

**The Year of 1779 as Portrayed in //Lloyd's Evening Post// **

The year of 1779 is placed at the end of one of the most important decades of England’s 18th century history. Of course the most prominent historical events concerned the American Revolution, which would end in the loss of British colonies to the newly formed American states under the reign of King George III. In addition to the endless events involving British and Colonial forces, Spain’s declaration of War in 1779 would increase the amount of newsworthy information dealing with battles and imperial conquests.
 * __Revolution in America__**

Although the year was marked by no immensely side shifting battles, The Evening Post accounts for every detail of the battle across the Atlantic, from men and boats captured to the British failures as well. Accounts of Benedict Arnold’s betrayal of Colonial forces and his being court-marshaled for Malfeasance on June 1st can also be found in the paper’s account of the wartime effort. Included in the full spectrum of topics regarding America are accounts of Noblemen who travelled to America and upon returning were, “ appointed in a public character at a Foreign Court,” according to the February 8th issue as well as the anxiety of the April 5th issue in which the writer discusses the rumor of United States Ambassadors who will be coming to Madrid but could not yet be named.


 * A copy of the April 5th issue mentioning these Ambassadors is availible through the link below: **


 * __//[[file:april 5th America.jpeg|Visiting Ambassadors]]//__**


 * __The Spanish and French__**


 * The Great Siege of Gibraltar **

In both an effort to command the commerce of the continent and a building allegiance to the United States war against Great Britain, Spain and France were unsuccessful in securing the Strait. The three year long struggle is the longest held siege on part of the British Armed Forces. [|For More Information]




 * Spanish Declaration of War**

Even more historically pertinent is that on June 16th, 1979 Spain declared war on Great Britain. Although I could not find an article recording the exact declaration, in the June 18th issue directly following the declaration, the newspaper made a point to mention and comment on the “unjust declaration of War”. The Spanish King, Charles III, was unwilling to ally with the United States and support a colonial revolution, but had a strong and very anti-Anglo-Saxon alliance with France. This alliance allowed for an indirect alliance with the United States and Spain due to their common ally. The connection of these three military powers made it increasingly more difficult for Britain to withstand their enemies and, in an effort to exploit their now wide-stretched British enemy, the Spanish declared war on Great Britain. Following the Spanish declaration of war, the conflict between the two European countries affected the American War of Independence, mainly during the September siege of Baton Rouge where the Spanish were victorious in capturing the British Florida lands; an event captured well by numerous July issues of //Lloyd’s Evening Post.// Link to article containing declaration of war:


 * A Notable Trend**

What stood out more than the specifically important events that took place in 1779, was the main content focus of the daily and apparently general newspaper. Described the thematic and satirical message of //The Critic,// Sheridan raged against both the movement of the theatre and playwrights’ responses to critiques of their work. He also, however, criticizes the immense amount of advertisements present in British society. This aspect of Sheridan’s socially satirical play is supported by the content on //Lloyd’s Evening Post.// Although I did not keep a constant count of classified advertisements as opposed to actual daily happenings, I can confidently say that the advertisements present in the paper seemed to dominate the publication’s substance. These advertisements ranged from mentioning who had recently filed for bankruptcy (implying they will need to sell their belongings) and daily auctions to the sale of tobacco and medicinal stuffs. Another interesting fact is that the paper very commonly posted advertisements for other magazines and periodicals including //The London Courant, Town and Country Magazine, and The Westminster Magazine//. Although it is likely that the same person owned these magazines, the fact that these advertisements are in a sense an act of self-betrayal attributes to the periods attachment to business motives rather than news of human importance.

shows clearly the unsettling manner with which advertisements compare to news in //Lloyd's Evening Post// → ** Notice the use of positive stories by users of the medicine Anodyne. The similarities of these marketing techniques are almost identical to our own contemporary methods in which the news and media can manipulate a consumer into believing a product is flawless and necessary. **

In addition to the strain on advertisements present in the newspaper is a daily summary of meaningless government proceedings and personal events in the lives of worthy noblemen. These summaries included the most minimal elevations and appointments of government officials and couriers as well as the personal escapades of young Gentlemen either increasing or losing their stately power. Even more atrocious is the constant notification of noble birthdays and aristocratic daily life that idolized the high class for an audience filled with the poor. These types of articles seemed to incense Sheridan (who can been seen through his character, Mr. Dangle) as seen in the beginning of //The Critic// when Mr. Dangle’s expresses his displeasure towards the newspaper in an argument with his wife over the amount of uninteresting politics present in the paper.

The treatment of the theatre in //Lloyd’s Evening Post// is similarly detrimental to a writer’s responsibility of a social educator. Although almost every issue mentioned the week’s theatrical performances, the space those articles inhabited were often miniscule and hard to point out. On multiple occasions I noticed that theatre news took the same page placement as the schedule for high water below the London Bridge, indicating an equivalence in their importance.

Initial Review of //The Critic// following the opening performance on October 30th:

Connections Between Sheridan's //The Critic// and the Times

The portrayal of theatre in Sheridan’s parody of the classic tragedy is strongly connected to the newspapers treatment of the theatre in that //The Critic// satirizes the playwright’s dependence on the criticism of others, often resulting in a strong sense of vanity and lack of clear judgment concerning his or her own work. As expressed through my analysis of the play, Sheridan uses both Sir Fretful Plagiary and Mr. Puff to exhibit the influence that public attraction can surpass a dedication to social instruction and genuinely good plays. Building upon the established vanity of the 18th century playwright in //The Critic//, the paper’s treatment of the theatre suggest that the play is protesting the depiction of the theatre in papers such as //Lloyd’s Evening Post.//

Sheridan further relates his play to the behavior of the time’s newspapers through the gossip and advertisement that is scattered throughout //The Critic.// His criticism is most prevalent through the character of Puff who is the epitome of a playwright struggling to capture the conventions of tragedy and the main subject of ridicule in the play. Puff proclaims himself as, “a professor of the art of puffing,”(Act I, Scene II; 77) reinforcing the purpose of his name. Puff’s character flaunts his involvement in the advertising of his acting company as well as a variety of other products. There is no coincidence that his conventions mimic perfectly those techniques used by the contemporary newspapers. Furthermore, Puff’s reliance on public opinion is provided as the major influence on his approach to writing, which is ridiculed by Mr. Dangle and the audience throughout the entire viewing of //The Spanish Armada.// This is exemplified when Puff allows his acting company to omit certain lines that they felt were not important to the plot. As exhibited above, //The Critic// is not only connected to 18th century newspapers, but is rather a direct attack at the contemporary institution of journalism, public opinion, and its effect on the quality of theatre production, as explained in my full analysis of the play.

When observing the play season of 1779, given the consideration of the puffed up news of the time and its connection to Sheridan’s //The Critic,// supplemental relationships are established. As stated in a summary of the play season in which //The Critic// debuted, another play, //Belle’s Stratagem//, related closely to the Restoration Comedies of earlier playwrights. //The Critic// likewise reinvents Restoration Comedy with its classification as a parody; a sub-category of satire that more directly mimics the time and issue it is attempting to deride. //The Critic,// however, did not relate directly to the themes commonly approached in Restoration Comedy, but rather connected to the timelessness of its criticism rather than the more common topical play. The play’s general satirical message is discussed more in the summary and analysis of the play.


 * Summary and Analysis of //The Critic//**

// The Critic // was written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in October of 1779 and surrounds the life of a critic by the name of Mr. Dangle. Alongside another critic, Mr. Sneer, Mr. Dangle spends the majority of the play viewing the rehearsal of his friend Mr. Puff’s new tragedy, //The Spanish Armada.// His account of theatre conventions and mostly abuses are superiorly credible due to not only his well-mounted career as a successful playwright, but also his experience as an owner and manager of the Drury Lane Theatre. Given these facts about Sheridan’s life, it is no surprise that he implemented certain characters in //The Critic// in order to mimic real people involved in theatre at the time. Sir Fretful Plagiary, another playwright whose own vanity keeps him from accepting any criticism concerning his work portrays, in clothing and character, Richard Cumberland. Cumberland had recently written the historical tragedy, //The Battle of Hastings,// which Sheridan produced. The overly vain Sir Fretful offended Cumberland who held a grudge towards Sheridan even in his written memoirs (Auburn, Mark).

Although Fretful acts as a mode of parody through his inability to accept criticism, it is Mr. Puff’s character and his play, //The Spanish Armada,// that define the play as a parody that mimics playwright’s inability to capture the play’s origins through the productions stress of contemporary on-stage behavior (Auburn, Mark). //The Spanish Armada// alongside Puff’s insistence on its brilliance makes the viewing of the rehearsal easy to laugh at. Throughout the rehearsal, the play mimic’s closely the conventions of classic Tragedy, while making these conventions so absurdly skewed by the self-proclaimed brilliance of Mr. Puff. As Daniel Moran explains, the parody of the //Spanish Armada// and therefore //The Critic// is centered not around the ridicule of tragedy as a genre, but rather the efforts of playwrights to recreate the tragedy with the result of meeting these challenges in the most dramatically clumsy way” (Moran, Daniel).

When analyzing //The Critic// it is important to note that regardless of the play’s contemporary plot and highly relevant characters, the play acts more to patronize vanity and reliance on public opinion as universal wrongs rather than simply a problem of the British era pertaining simply to the writing of tragedy. Nonetheless, the historical sections of this play reinforce the strong relationship between Sheridan’s play and British society at the time.

References  Auburn, Mark."History and Status." __Drama for Students __. Vol. 14. Gale Cengage,. __eNotes.com __. 14 Aug, 2012  Moran, Daniel. "Parody of Tragedy." __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Drama for Students __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">. Vol. 14. Gale Cengage,. __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">eNotes.com __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">. 14 Aug, 2012 <http://www.enotes.com/critic/> “The London stage, 1660-1800; a calendar of plays, entertainments & afterpieces, together with casts, box-receipts and contemporary comment.” Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 1960-1968.