Restoration Theatre
ADA4M
February 6, 2013
Monarchs and Their Fancy Titles
• Elizabeth I: Elizabethan period
– 1558-1603
• James I: Jacobean period
– 1603-1625
• Charles I & II: Carolinian period
– 1625-1649
– 1660-1685
Remember…
• After the enormous success of Renaissance
theatre (Shakespeare’s time), the theatres
were closed in 1642 by Puritans.
Why?
Civil War
• English Civil War: 1642-1649/51
• Parliamentarians vs. Royalists
• Parliamentarians: wanted a government with
all the power in the parliament
• Royalists: Supported King Charles I (and later
Charles II), wanted England to remain a
monarchy
Events of the War
• War begins in 1642. Puritans (on
the Parliamentarian side) close
theatres (and many other forms
of entertainment)
• Struggle and strife for many years
• 1649: Charles I loses the war. He
is captured.
– First time a King is tried at court
– Convicted of high treason
– Executed
So, the king is dead…
• Oliver Cromwell runs the Parliament and leads
Britain as a republic (a nation without a king)
• Cromwell dies, his son takes over
• Meanwhile, Scotland is not so happy with things…
• More conflict between the two sides, eventually
Charles II declared the rightful king of England
• 1660: Monarchy restored (hence Restoration
period)
Because they could…
• When the Royalists returned, they wanted to
show off their success to the Parliamentarians
• Oliver Cromwell’s body dug up and beheaded,
and his head put on a spike
Weren’t We Talking About Theatre?
• Charles II restored a more lavish lifestyle,
brought back celebration, opulence, and
fashion as central parts of the upper class’s
lives
• Licensed 2 acting companies
• Changed laws about who was
allowed to act
The Royal Theatres
• Elaborate stages with royal patents (e.g.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, designed by
Christopher Wren)
• Moveable scenery, machines for “high-tech”
special effects (e.g. lightning, waves)
The Audience
• Much like in the Renaissance, Restoration
audience were composed of all sorts: upper
classes, their servants, and the middle class
– Note: there is a middle class now!
• Samuel Pepys’ diary: famous
diary of a man who recorded
his experiences at the time,
often wrote about attending
the theatre
The Actors
• Actors become celebrities
• Women are allowed on stage!
– First female actors and playwrights
• “Breeches roles”: women dressed in men’s
clothing, either to hide or to do things that
girls weren’t allowed to do
– Theatre as a form of liberation for women
Important Actors
Nell Gwynn
• One of the first female actors
• Charles II’s mistress; had 2 sons
Edward (Ned) Kynaston
• Used to be a boy player in girls’ roles
• Called the “prettiest woman” and
“handsomest man” by Samuel Pepys
• Women would take him around town
• Rumors that he often went out in his
women’s clothing
The Plays
• Sexually explicit: dirty jokes and suggestive
scenes
– More scandalous now that there are real women!
• Busy plays with many characters
• “Comedy of manners”: makes fun of upper
class
– Plot often about scandal, but plot is less important
than clever dialogue and jokes (often doubleentendres)
The Importance of Being Earnest
• NOT a Restoration play (it’s Victorian), but a good example of
a comedy of manners:
• Title: Ernest/earnest pun
• Sample dialogue:
“I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But
there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One
usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is over. The very essence of romance is
uncertainty. If I ever get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.”
“Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his
mind whether he was going to live or die. This shilly-shallying with the question is
absurd. Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids. I consider it
morbid. Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.”
Stock Characters
• Fop: a silly man who is too focused on his
appearance, makes attempts to seem
especially intellectual but is usually foolish
Modern Fops
Stock Characters
• Rake: an immoral, promiscuous man who
usually comes from a wealthy background and
spends too much money on drink, gambling,
and women
Modern Rakes
Journal
• If you could go back in time to one of the
theatre periods we have studied, which would
you choose and why? (English Renaissance,
Commedia dell’Arte, Noh, Restoration)
• Remember: Study for midterm (Tuesday,
February 11)