Comedy of Manners

Comedy of Manners depicts and often satirizes the manners and affectations of the upper class in contemporary society. This style historically thrived in periods and societies that combined material prosperity and moral latitude. In England, the Comedy of Manners had its heyday during the Restoration period (1660-1688) and was known as Restoration Comedy.

Famous Examples

Moliere

Perhaps the most famous examples of Comedy of Manners, Moliere wrote School for Wives (1662) and The Misanthrope (1666) making fun of French Society.

The Country Wife

The Country Wife (1675) by William Wycherley is the earliest famous example of Restoration Comedy, England's version of the Comedy of Manners style.

The Rover

The Rover (1677) by Aphra Behn is another popular restoration comedy.

The Way of the World

The Way of the World (1700) by William Congreve is one of the last of the restoration comedies.

Sentimental Comedy

Sentimental comedy aims to evoke an emotional response (often tears of compassion) from the audience. These comedies focused on the virtues and goodness of middle class characters. This was a reflection of the philosophical conceptions of the time that humans were inherently good but capable of being led astray through bad example. While they were initially embraced for their positive themes, critics later argued that sentimental comedies could be overly idealistic or unrealistic in their portrayals of virtue.

Famous Examples

Love’s Last Shift

Love's Last Shift (1696) by Colley Cibber was one of the earliest sentimental comedies, tells the story of a virtuous wife playing a trick, or a shift, on her rakish husband, Loveless. The play contains daring Restoration comedy sex scenes, sentimental reconciliations, and broad farce.

The Constant Couple

The Constant Couple (1699) by George Farquhar includes a series of comic misunderstandings which are triggered when three rivals vie for the hand of the wealthy heiress Lady Lurewell. The play premiered at Drury Lane.

The Conscious Lovers

The Conscious Lovers (1722) by Sir Richard Steele follows two young lovers, Tom, who is lower class, and Indiana, who is middle class. The play focuses on the virtues of integrity, honesty, the impact of social standings, and the need for calm restraint in love and friendship.

The Foundling

The Foundling (1748) by Edward Moore premiered at Drury Lane with a cast of popular actors including Susannah Maria Cibber and David Garrick

The Revival

Richard Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith revived the Restoration Comedy style post-restoration period. They wrote their Comedy of Manners at the tail end of the period of Sentimental Comedy. In his 1773 writing "A Comparison Between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy,” Oliver Goldsmith wrote that the comedy in the England of his day had departed from its traditional purpose, the excitation of laughter by exhibiting the follies of the lower part of humankind. In sentimental comedy, Goldsmith continued, the virtues of private life were exhibited, rather than the vices exposed; and the distresses rather than the faults of humankind kept audiences entertained. Goldsmith went on to label sentimental comedy as a “species of bastard tragedy,” and “a kind of mulish production.” Goldsmith and Sheridan reintroduced comic gaiety to the English stage but Sheridan’s career was short-lived, and when Goldsmith died, English theatre returned to Sentimental Comedy.

It seems people like Goldsmith and Sheridan were sick of Sentimental Comedy and wanted to once again highlight the faults of society. The resurgence seems to be a response to what was happening in the theatre world rather than what was happening in society.

Comedy of Manners Lives On

Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas

1871-1896

Though not technically Comedy of Manners, these famous operettas certainly borrowed much from the Comedy of Manners style.

The Importance of Being Earnest

1895

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde revived the form in the 19th century.

Frasier

1993

The television show Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammer brought the Comedy of Manners to modern day. The show makes fun of the upper class including Dr. Frasier Crane and his pretentious brother.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

2012

Though not technically a Comedy of Manners, this musical certainly takes inspiration from the style, and critics have noted it takes inspiration directly from School for Scandal (see Act IV Scene III)

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