Notesale: Turn your study into money

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THE RIVALS- Richard Sheridan
Cultural Context
The 18th Century was described as a great age of theatre, and two of the most notable theatres
from this era were The Georgian Theatre Royal and Drury Lane
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Pleasure Gardens were extremely popular
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This is the Neoclassical age of architecture
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Audiences- poor people stood at the front, and ‘persons of quality’ sat around the side of the
stage, and the very richest would sit on stage with the production
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However, the audiences had a tendency,
generally speaking, to heckle
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Drury Lane Theatre:
Seated 2500 to 3000 people and featured many colourful costumes
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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was essentially the forming of the Middle Class from the Working
Class
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Some of the Working Class were urbanised and moved to the cities, and
some profited from this move greatly, buying factories- a means of production
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The Middle Class and Aristocracy had an extremely antagonistic relationship
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Pantomime
Tragedies

Types of comedy
Restoration Comedy
1660-1700,
Featured clearly defined character types (hero, rake-badass, fop-funny as he’s naïve, gullgets tricked),
Characters are driven by their goals and desires,
Featured witty banter and clever use of language,
Were often sexually explicit
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They felt they had to demonstrate that they were sensitive individuals by responding in the
correct way emotionally to plays and novels
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Goldsmith said that it was just plain boring and was often badly written
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Themes
Augustan Age= the Age of Reason
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10
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07
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His family moved from Dublin in 1758, and he married twice and had three children
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(Really big problems with the actor playing Sir Lucius
O’Trigger)
He trained as a lawyer in Bath and London, which gave him social standing and status, before
becoming a playwright
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This explains why he
wanted to train as a lawyer before pursuing theatre as a career
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The play takes place in one day
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Also features:
-unity of place, so plays use one physical space (for example- Bath)
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Sheridan does unity of place and time, but not action in his play
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It also features aspects of Laughing Comedy as it includes
foolish characters but not villains, which would have appealed to the middle classes
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Diana Maybank‘The Rivals is like most plays of the period: its wit is softened by sentiment and its
sentimentality is ridiculed
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The semantic field focuses on law and money
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Summary of the scene
Fag and Thomas talk about life in Bath, and both of their reasons for being there
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Horses Is a lexical field, Thomas the coachman says he’ll be silent ‘as a coach horse’
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Fashion Wig thing

Lydia Languish
She is very rich- is worth about £30,000
Does not want to marry someone rich
Loves the idea of being with an ensign, as she already has social security, so has a romantic
preoccupation with love
She is looked after by Mrs Malaprop- Mal à propos (Sheridan put these French words
together to form the word ‘malapropism’)
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Lydia and Julia talk about ‘Ensign Beverly’ and Faulkland
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Lucy tells us how much money she has earned from delivering letters
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Mrs Malaprop says that ‘thought does not become a young woman’ and then insists that
Lydia ‘illiterate(s)’ Ensign Beverly ‘quite from (her) memory’
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Sir Anthony does not think a woman should be educated; and Mrs Malaprop agrees saying
‘she should be a mistress of orthodoxy’
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Initial thoughts on Faulkland
Page 56‘ungrateful’
he ‘will ever delay assuming the right of a husband’
‘equally imperious (assuming authority without justification) as a lover’
Triad of ‘the caprice, the whim, the jealousy’
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Act 2 Scene 1
Focus:
On representation of Faulkland and servants
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Fag (line 20) tells Captain Absolute a total lie- he told Thomas about the Captain’s situation
and reasons for being in Bath, yet lies to Captain Absolute, saying that he told Thomas they
had come to Bath to recruit
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Captain Absolute (line 54) Describes Faulkland as ‘whimsical’ and says he will tease
Faulkland before telling him that ‘his mistress’ is in Bath
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Captain Absolute (line 80) to Faulkland: ‘You are the most teasing, captious, incorrigible
lover! Do love like a man
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Captain Absolute gets frustrated with Faulkland’s effeminacy incredibly quickly, especially
in lines 94 to 107
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Line 169
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He is very insecure, in line 245, he rants about country dancing, and how Julie could have
been dancing with anyone!
Captain Absolute implies that Faulkland is a ‘little jealous’ of Bob Acres, who has been with
Julia, in 275
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Fag is violent towards the Errand Boy, which upholds hierarchies within the servants and
familiar infrastructure
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’

Summary of the scene
Captain Absolute and Fag are talking about lying: ‘I should be glad to fix what has brought
us to Bath, in order that we may lie a little consistently’
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Bob Acres the enters- tells Faulkland about how Julia has been ‘the belle and spirit of the
company’ and Faulkland gets jealous and angry
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Fag rants about the mistreatment of him, and then mistreats the Errand Boy- hypocrisy
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Opens with Lucy telling the audience about her latest achievement- of finding Captain
Absolute as another suitor for Lydia
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Sir Lucius gives Lucy a kiss (he’s a man slut)
Fag and Lucy talk, he knows she isn’t simple- ‘Come, Lucy, (…) a little less simplicity, with
a grain or two more sincerity, if you please
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Interesting quotes
Lucy: ‘I shall not enter his name (to the list of rivals) until my purse has received notice in
form’
-Lucy does not think about the effects of her actions on the people they affect, just on
the money she will be paid for her efforts
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She is fate as she decides what happens in
the microcosm which represents the society
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Lucius: ‘what, at seventeen?’ Lucy almost revealed the writer’s true identity, but she goes
along with it, so he thinks ‘Delia’ is Lydia
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He and his father then argue about it until his father admits it’s Lydia, and he feigns no
knowledge of who she is, just to wind him up
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’
This is an ironically used link, and contrasts the tragedy of the two- Lear is far more justified
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The two fathers are alike in their stubbornness
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Control within relationships

Scene Summary
Faulkland is in Julia’s dressing room as a surprise for her, but she knows something is wrong
‘I see you have taken something ill
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’
He admits he was only grumpy because she was too happy and insists she tells him that she
‘did not sing with mirth, (and) thought of Faulkland in the dance
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’
‘She is coming too; I thought she would: no steadiness in anything!’
‘No, zounds, she’s not coming! Nor don’t intend it, I suppose
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Mrs Malaprop reads out the letter that Beverly sent to Lydia, which insults her, and Jack
feigns to be disgusted by the insults- ‘the old weather-beaten she-dragon who guards’ Lydia
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She says that Jack will be ‘unlike (her) Beverly!’, and then gets quite a shock to discover
‘Beverly’ is in the room
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Useful Quotes
Lydia: ‘How persuasive are his words! How charming will poverty be with him!’ She is in
love with the Romantic ideals shown in the romantic books she reads
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He answers Gloucester’s
question in his soliloquy in King Henry the Sixth Part Three: ‘What other pleasure can the
world afford?’ In Shakespeare’s play, The Earl of Gloucester is scheming to over throw King
Edward, as he is power hungry
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Act 3 Scene 4
Focus

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Honour

Scene Summary
Bob Acres and David, his servant are at first discussing his outfit… David is skeptical of the
point of Bob dressing up and points out that his outfit loks ridiculous by saying that Bob’s
families’ ‘dairymaid would come giggling to the door’ if she saw him
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‘Can a man
commit a more heinous offence against another than to fall in love with the same woman?’
Luscious convinces him to fight ‘Beverly’
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O’Trigger: ‘Can a man commit a more heinous offence against another than to fall in love
with the same woman?’except Acres said he was misled by ‘Cupid’s jack-o’-lantern’, so it
isn’t really an offense
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Act 4 Scene 1
Focus
Honour

Scene Summary
David is trying to convince Bob Acres not to fight, saying that it is stupid to die for your
honour: ‘I say then, it would be but civil in honour never to risk the loss of a gentleman
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Captain Absolute and Bob Acres talk about the fight, and Captain Absolute is asked to tell
him that Bob is a terrifying character, and is, in Ireland, called ‘Fighting Bob!’
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’ He would
be ashamed of being a gentleman if that included having to fight for your honour
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Sir Anthony and Captain Absolute appear
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Sir Absolte finds the situation hilarious
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Sir Absolute: ‘Youth’s the season made for joy’, which is a direct quote from an opera, in
which Macbeth and his whores sung this in John Gay’s’the Beggar’s Opera’ (1728)
Lydia:’Then, sir, let me tell you, the interest you had there was acquired by a mean, unmanly
imposition, and deserves the punishement of fraud
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Act 4 Scene 3
Focus
Honour
Love

Scene Summary
Sir Lucius talking to himself about the injustices of love, and how women always go for a
man in uniform
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Sir Lucius decided to ‘quarrel genteely’ with Absolute
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Faulkland walks in and they both moan about their lives: Jack’s about his lost Lydia and his
suicidal thoughs, and Faulkland about his his lost Julia
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Faulkland rants about women being stupid, and Absolute shouts at him, telling him how

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rubbish he is, and they both storm off
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’ Very Roman idea that love is an emotion, and women, in particular, are often
controlled by their emotions
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They should retain their coldness till wooed to kindness, and their pardon, like their love,
should ‘not unsought be won’
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Act 5 Scene 1
Focus
Love
Fear for loved ones

Scene Summary
Julia is really sad, then Faulkland walks in, tells her he is going to flee ‘the kingdom’ or die,
and refuses to stay with her because it will make him a ‘rude, morose companion’
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Lydia and Julia’s maid enter
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Julia confesses that she knew about the Beverly-Absolute thing,
Lydia moans and remenisces about Jack, while Julia half listens
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They tell Julia and Lydia about the fights
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k
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’ (the part in the film where the music stops playing and the
word stops moving for a while)
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So Sir Anthony lets him go
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Useful Quotes
Jack: ‘Now, sir, I intend, if she refuses to forgive me, to unsheathe this sword and swear I’ll
fall upon its point, and expire at her feet!’

Act 5 Scene 3
Focus
Love
Honour
Valour

Scene Summary
Bob Acres and Sir Lucius are preparing for the fight, Sir Lucius is giving Acres some tips
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Sir Lucius draws on Jack, and then Sir Anthony appears with David, Sir Lucius is asked why
he draws on Jack, it is because Jack loves Lydia and Sir Lucius thinks Lydia is Delia
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Mrs Malaprop admits she is Delia, gets laughed at
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Lydia and Jack get together
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Acres and Sir Anthony make friends
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Useful Quotes
Julia: Then let us study to preserve it so; and while hope pictures to us a flattering scene of
future bliss, let us deny its pencil those colours which are too bright to be lasting
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is
illiterate as she is
constantly making
malapropisms
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Her proof can be
questioned, despite what
she says
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Misanthropy plays with
Sir Anthony’s first and
last name
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Descendence not prodigy
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Maths or geography
Infections or sharing a
border
Christianity
She does understand
Severity is in no way
pleasing to young people
As an object, she is
eligible but is literate
unlike Mrs M
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is artificial
Nasty vs good
Personality not closenesslink to use of space in
play?
Deception based on
disguise
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Satirises correct language
use, forcing us to
consider the uses and
abuses of language in
maintaining power, class,
and gender
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Horse riding- money and
class link?
Beauty over eloquence of
language, the first is more
important to Mrs
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Writer, instead of father
of the sun and moon in
classical mythology
She tries to make
mythology references and
misses… every time
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Happiness or speed
Urge or push, or
accompany
Before or move forward
Honour leads to bad
moods in the play!
Misunderstandings or
references… Allusions
are misunderstood
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Key
Black= legit stuff I thought up 
Red= Quotes
Blue= comments that had to be made ;)

The Rivals Character Summaries
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Wealthy aristocrat
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A difficult character to understand because his mannerisms alter throughout the play
depending on the company that he keeps
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He flatters Mrs Malaprop, “I must confess that you are a truly moderate
arguer, for almost every third word you say is on my side of the question
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, ‘Why what difference does that make? Od’s life, sir! If you have the estate,
you must take it with the livestock on it,” [Act II Scene I]
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> For this reason, Sir Antony’s nature conflicts with his own name “Absolute” as he
changes from scene to scene and is not absolute at all
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Themes
> Money,
> Business
> License
>Old and young
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” [12] green
and blue version of Rivals
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Wealthy aristocrat
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A difficult character to understand because his mannerisms alter throughout the play depending on the
company that he keeps
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He flatters Mrs Malaprop, “I must confess that you are a truly moderate arguer, for almost every third
word you say is on my side of the question
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,
‘Why what difference does that make? Od’s life, sir! If you have the estate, you must take it with the
livestock on it,” [Act II Scene I]
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> For this reason, Sir Antony’s nature conflicts with his own name “Absolute” as he changes from
scene to scene and is not absolute at all
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Themes
> Money,
> Business
> License
>Old and young
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” [12] green and blue version of Rivals
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The other characters generally consider him a gentleman
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Took the name of “Ensign Beverly”, an enlisted
poor soldier, in order to win over the affection of Lydia Languish by creating a sentimental storybook
love affair
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>Another fun fact about the name: ‘absolutes’ suggests inflexible and strong minded- therefore good
matches for the strong minded Mrs Malaprop
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I hope he had heard nothing of the business that has brought
me here
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> Sometimes he is the noble gentlemen- he shows this side mostly to characters such as his father, Bob
Acres, Fag, and Mrs Malaprop, ‘ Permit me to say, madam, that as i never yet have had the pleasure of
seeing Miss Languish, my principle inducement in this affair at present is the honour of being allied to
Mrs Malaprop, of whose intellectual accomplishments, elegant manners, and unaffected learning, no
tongue is silent
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This is usually when he is with alone with
Lydia but he also likes to wind up Faulkland because he’s such a cry baby, ‘ Ah my soul, what a life
will we then live? Love shall be our idol and support! We will worship him with a monastic
strictness’…’ we will enjoy the wreck of wealth, while the surrounding gloom of adversity shall make
the flame of our pure love show doubly bright
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Generally likes to fool with the other characters:
>Could have married Lydia a long time ago but he wants to secure her fortune first so he keeps her
hanging on
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>Pressures Acres into challenging ‘Beverly’
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Throughout the play Jack is known as, ‘Ensign Beverly’, ‘Captain Absoulte’ and ‘Mr
Sauderson’
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“Who the devil are you? [Act IV Scene II]
asks Sir Anthony , but the question redounds throughout the text
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Original so-called “Valley Girl” (Okay so I tried to get a definition for this but there aren’t many old
fashioned definitions… Urban dictionary has definitions for modern day “valley Girls” and says…
“Seemingly beautiful in nature but truly idiotic
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Highly sentimental and is often pouring over the sadness of life and her need for romantic thrills
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” [Act I Scene II]
Basically she’s just a bit crazy
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>’ Absolute: Come, Come, we must lay aside some of our romance, A little wealth and comfort may be
endured after all
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> Oppression
> Romance and Marriage

Mrs Malaprop
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Mrs Malaprop is a conventional hard and proper woman
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She is very strict and opposes Lydia’s behaviour and often scoffs at her desire of romance and love
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’ You get the idea
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VS
>Mrs Malaprop: ‘Then he’s so well bred, so full of alacrity, and adulation! (admiration) And has so
much to say for himself- in such good language too! His physiognomy (phraseology) so grammatical!
Then his presence is so noble!
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These are more “practical” observations than what Sir Anthony observes of Lydia who
sounds just a ‘pretty face’… If Ye get me… ;)
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Often blowing things out of proportion and alters stories with her
own spin
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Oooo the irony
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Lexical fields around being a grammar nazi
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Julia
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The Lover of Faulkland
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She often Acts as the voice of logic to the
other characters
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> Incredibly patient and Loyal to the most annoying character in the play, ‘ … He is too generous to
trifle on such a point
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Unused to the fopperies of love, but being
unhackneyed in the passion, his affection is ardent and sincere…’ [Act I Scene II] Someone get this
woman a medal
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She is stoically patient right to the very end when Faulkland deceives her
into thinking he is in great trouble to ‘test’ her love for him rather than just trusting her as he should
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All I request of you is that you will yourself reflect upon this infirmity, and
when you number up the many true delights it has deprived you of, let it be not your least regret, this it
lost you the love of one who would have followed you in beggary through the world!’ [Act V Scene I]
BOOM
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However, disappointingly… later Faulkland properly apologises to Julia and she takes him back
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Themes
> Oppression and overcoming oppression
> General Baddassery

Faulkland:
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Faulkland cry baby of the year 1975 is engaged to Julia
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This arranged
marriage has led Faulkland to be paranoid about Julia’s love for him
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He is therefore mocked by Acres and Jack
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Faulkland sums up his own paranoia about Julia’s love when he claims “When loves receives such
countenance from prudence, nice minds will be suspicious of its birth”
‘Women should never sue for reconciliation: that should always come from us
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Faulkland tries to trick Julia that he has to leave town to test her love
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To this Faulkland makes an inter textual
reference to the tale of Icarus who flies to close to the sun and burns his wings
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Themes;
>Romance and Marriage
>Sentimentality

Acres:
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Acres pursues Lydia but is less proactive in it
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He is therefore a very comic character
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This shows him to not understand love
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Acres always aims to be ‘genteel’ and even creates a new “genteel way of swearing” which begins with
odds and then contains words associated to the situation, for example when about to fight ‘Beverley’ he
says “odds, bullets and blades”
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Acres places a lot of emphasis on honour and in one convosation with David the word is repeated 10
times on one page
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This is highly ironic and he does not know that Beverley is Jack
and that therefore his lies are pointless
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This was intended to make him LESS offensive to the Irish people
that he is the stereotype of
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>Act 3 Scene 4; Again he is seen as very touchy as the stage directs say [he embraces Acres]
>Act 3 Scene 4; Lucius is eager to fight and is the first to put the idea in Acres head
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>A lack of morals is implied as he believes morals are more important; “What the devil signifies right,
when your honour is concerned?”
>Act 4 Scene 3; eager to fight again, this time himself with Captain Absolute
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Lucius ends lonely and unhappy, this may reflect on the type of person Sheridan saw him as; he did not
want him to have a happy ending
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Themes;
>money/class
>honour
>master/servant (with Acres servant)

Lucy;
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Lucy, like Jack Absolute is a master of deceit and disguise
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Her simplicity hides her deceit “Lucy can’t have betrayed me!- No, the girl is such a simpleton”
Lucy’s deceit also highlights Malaprop’s double standards; “if ever you betray what you are entrusted
with (unless it be other people’s secrets to me)”
Lucy is not a major character during the play despite being the facilitator for all that happens
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Lucy: “[altering her manner]…well done, simplicity!”
Lucy teases Lucius because of his social standing, suggesting she has more power than him Act 2 scene
2; “I thought you wa’n’t rich enough to be so nice!”
Fag sees through Lucy’s disguise and requests; “A little less simplicity with a grain of two more
sincerity if you please”
Themes;
>identity/performance
>class
>language/speech
>master/servant



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