George Etherege (1635-1692)
Major Works
The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub (1664) [1, 2]
She Would If She Could (1668) [1, 3]
The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling Flutter (1676) [1, 4]
Early Life
Born around 1636 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. [1, 5]
Eldest of six children born to George and Mary (Powney) Etherege. [1]
Attended Lord Williams's School. [1]
May have attended Cambridge, though there is doubt since one source says he didn't know Greek or Latin. [1, 3, 4]
Was a lawyer's apprentice and studied law at Clement's Inn, London. [1]
Possibly traveled to France with his father and may have seen some of Moliere's early comedies performed in Paris. [1]
Stage Success
The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub, his first play, was performed in 1664 at the Duke's Theatre. [1, 2]
The success of this play, which was written partly in rhymed heroic verse and partly in a new style of witty prose, brought him to the attention of Lord Buckhurst (later the Earl of Dorset). [1, 2]
His second play, She Would If She Could, a "comedy of action, wit and spirit", premiered in 1668. [1, 3]
Professional Friendships
Part of the circle of Sir Charles Sedley, Lord Rochester, and other notable wits. [1, 3]
Known by the nicknames "gentle George" and "easy Etheredge". [3]
About The Man of Mode and Who the Characters Represent
Considered Etherege's best play and thought to be the best comedy of manners in England before Congreve. [1, 4]
First performed in 1676. [1, 4]
Its success is partly because it satirizes or refers to well-known people in London. [1, 4]
Sir Fopling Flutter is thought to be a portrait of Beau Hewit, a fashionable man of the time. [4]
Dorimant is thought to be the Earl of Rochester. [4]
Medley is thought to be Etherege himself, or possibly his fellow playwright Sir Charles Sedley. [4]
Even the drunken shoemaker was a real person who became wealthy after appearing in the play. [4]
Life After the Theatre
Retired from writing after the success of The Man of Mode. [6]
Lost a large amount of his money gambling. [6]
Knighted sometime before 1679. [6]
Married Mary Sheppard Arnold, a wealthy widow. [6, 7]
Appointed resident minister to the Imperial German Court at Ratisbon in March 1685. [6]
Left this position after the Glorious Revolution and joined James II in exile in Paris. [6]
Died in Paris, likely in 1691. [1, 6]
Legacy
Considered one of the "big five" in Restoration comedy who created the comedy of manners and paved the way for writers like Congreve and Sheridan. [8]
His portrayals of fops and beaux are considered some of the best. [8]
He is known for his detailed descriptions of clothing, furnishings, and scenes, as well as his accurate representation of the mannerisms of fashionable Londoners. [8]
Biography Written By
His first detailed biography was written by Edmund Gosse in Seventeenth Century Studies (1883). [8]
Other editions of his letters were produced by Sybil Rosenfeld (1928) and Frederic Bracher (1974). [8]
Here is some information about The Comical Revenge, found in the sources:
Date Premiered: March 1664 [1]
Place Premiered: Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, London [1]
Theatre Company: Duke's Company [1]
What the Play is About: The Comical Revenge is one of the earliest Restoration comedies. It is important to literary history because Etherege uses two different styles of language in it [1]. One style is the witty prose used in the arguments between Sir Frederick and the Widow. This would become the standard style of language for Restoration comedies [1]. The play's subtitle, Love in a Tub, comes from the comical subplot about Sir Frederick's servant, Dufoy, being locked in a tub by the maids, Betty and Lettice [1].
Major Characters and Original Cast: [2]
Lord Beauford - Thomas Betterton
Sir Frederick Frollick - Henry Harris
Colonel Bruce - William Smith
Lovis - Henry Norris
Sir Nicholas Cully - James Nokes
Palmer - Cave Underhill
Wheadle - Samuel Sandford
Graciana - Mary Betterton
Aurelia - Moll Davis
Widow - Jane Long
Here is some information about the play She Would If She Could:
Place Premiered: Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, London [1]
Date Premiered: February 6, 1668 [1]
Theatre Company: Duke's Company [1]
Plot: She Would If She Could is about the lustful Cockwood couple. The title refers to Lady Cockwood, who is always looking for a chance to cheat on her husband, Sir Oliver Cockwood [1].
Act One: The play opens with Mr. Courtall and Mr. Freeman discussing London. Courtall hides Freeman when Mrs. Sentry, Lady Cockwood’s maid, arrives to arrange a meeting between her mistress and Courtall. When Sir Oliver visits Courtall, Sentry hides. Sir Oliver admits to Courtall that he cheats on his wife, then asks Courtall to convince his wife to love him less. Courtall refuses but agrees to dine with him and his friend, Sir Joslin Jolley, that evening. Later, at the Cockwood home, Lady Cockwood and Sentry discuss Sir Oliver’s philandering; Lady Cockwood admits she is happy for the opportunity to chase younger men. Sir Joslin’s nieces, Ariana and Gatty, arrive and decide they also want to have some fun and meet men [2-5].
Act Two: Courtall and Freeman go to The Mulberry Gardens, where they meet Ariana and Gatty in disguise. They flirt and the girls arrange to meet them the following day. Meanwhile, Lady Cockwood waits for Courtall, who arrives late. He puts her off until the next day. Sir Oliver, Sir Joslin, Courtall, and Freeman arrive at the Cockwood home drunk. Sir Oliver rejects his wife’s affections. Courtall is worried the girls will tell Lady Cockwood about their flirting [6-8].
Act Three: At The New Exchange, Lady Cockwood, Sentry, Ariana, and Gatty arrive. Courtall again postpones meeting Lady Cockwood. The group goes to The Bear Inn, where Sir Oliver and Sir Joslin are also meeting women. Lady Cockwood feigns a fit when she hears her husband, and Sir Oliver realizes who the women are. Lady Cockwood pretends to be a wronged wife [9-11].
Act Four: Lady Cockwood sends fake letters to Courtall and Freeman from Ariana and Gatty, inviting them to meet, in order to test Courtall’s affection for her. She goes to Spring Gardens, where the men have gone to meet the girls, to see if Courtall will accept the invitation. The men and the girls, each believing they have been invited to meet by the other, have a confusing conversation. Lady Cockwood and Sentry arrive, and then Sir Oliver, who tries to fight Courtall [12, 13].
Act Five: At the Cockwood home, Freeman hides when Courtall arrives, then Courtall hides when Sir Oliver returns. Ariana and Gatty arrive and discover the men. The Cockwoods and Sentry enter, and Sir Oliver thinks the young people are misbehaving. Courtall blames Sentry for hiding them. The girls reveal they know Lady Cockwood wrote the letters, and she says it was to scare the girls. Ariana and Gatty announce they were going to offer marriage to Courtall and Freeman. The men agree to marry the girls and give up the city life. Lady Cockwood and Sir Oliver agree to be faithful to each other [14-16].
Characters:
Sir Oliver Cockwood, a country knight [17]
Lady Cockwood, his wife [17]
Sir Joslin Jolly, Sir Oliver’s friend, a country knight [17]
Mr. Courtall, an honest gentleman of the town [18]
Mr. Freeman, Courtall’s friend [18]
Ariana and Gatty, Sir Joslin’s nieces, young ladies [18]
Mrs. Sentry, Lady Cockwood’s servant [18]
Mr. Rakehell, a knight of the industry [18]
Thomas, Sir Oliver’s servant [18]
Mrs. Gazette and Mrs. Trinket, two exchange-women [18]
Original Cast:
Courtall - William Smith [2]
Freeman - John Young [2]
Sir Joslin - Henry Harris [2]
Sir Oliver - James Nokes [2]
Getty - Moll Davis [2]
Lady Cockwood - Anne Shadwell [2]
Introduction, Plot, Genre, and Style of The Man of Mode
Introduction: The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling Flutter, a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, was written in 1676. The play is set in Restoration London and revolves around Dorimant, a fashionable rake, who tries to win over a young heiress named Harriet, while disengaging from a love affair with Mrs. Loveit. Although the play's subtitle features Sir Fopling, he is a minor character, while Dorimant is the protagonist. [1, 2]
Plot:
Dorimant, a well-known libertine, is attempting to end his affair with Mrs. Loveit while juggling a relationship with her friend, Belinda. [3, 4]
Young Bellair, an acquaintance of Dorimant, is in love with Emilia, who is a companion to Lady Townley. However, his father, Old Bellair, wants him to marry Harriet. [3, 4]
Dorimant and Medley, Dorimant's friend, plot to make Mrs. Loveit jealous so she will break off the relationship. [4]
At the same time, Young Bellair pretends to be in love with Harriet to deceive his father and Lady Woodvill, Harriet's mother. [5]
Dorimant is also attracted to Harriet and meets her in disguise. [5]
A series of events, including a dance at Lady Townley's and a confrontation at Mrs. Loveit's lodgings, leads to the revelation of everyone's true feelings. [5, 6]
In the end, both Young Bellair and Dorimant get their desired partners. Old Bellair accepts his son's match with Emilia, and Lady Woodvill, after some initial reluctance, consents to Dorimant's marriage to Harriet. [6]
The play concludes with both couples preparing for their weddings and Dorimant and Harriet planning to live in the country. [7]
Genre and Style:
Restoration Comedy: The Man of Mode falls into the genre of Restoration comedy, known for its witty dialogue, social satire, and focus on the amorous adventures of the upper class. [1, 7]
Comedy of Manners: The play is a prime example of a comedy of manners, as it satirizes the behavior, values, and social conventions of the fashionable society of Restoration London. Brian Gibbons calls it "the comedy of manners in its most concentrated form". [7, 8]
Cast and Real-Life Inspirations
Cast:
Dorimant was first played by Thomas Betterton, a prominent actor of the Restoration stage. [9]
Sir Fopling Flutter, the flamboyant fop, was originally portrayed by William Smith. [9]
Real-Life Inspirations:
It is widely believed that the character of Dorimant was inspired by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, a notorious rake and poet of the time. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. [9]
Sir Fopling Flutter is thought to be a caricature of Beau Hewit, a real-life dandy known for his extravagant fashion and mannerisms. [10]
Medley has been suggested as a representation of Etherege himself or his fellow playwright and wit, Sir Charles Sedley. [10]
2007 National Theatre Production
The National Theatre presented a modern-dress production of The Man of Mode in 2007. [9]
This production was directed by Nicholas Hytner. [9]
Tom Hardy played the role of Dorimant. [9]
Rory Kinnear received a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance as Sir Fopling Flutter. [9]