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Unit 18: Richard Sheridan: The School for Scandal—Introduction to the Author and the Text

Having quickly made his name and fortune, in 1776 Sheridan bought David Garrick’s share in the Notes
Drury Lane patent and in 1778 the remaining share. His later plays were all produced there. In 1778
Sheridan wrote The Camp which commented on the ongoing threat of a French invasion of Britain.
The same year Sheridan’s brother-in-law Thomas Linley, a young composer who worked with him
at Drury Lane Theatre, died in a boating accident. Sheridan had a rivalry with his fellow playwright
Richard Cumberland and included a parody of Cumberland in his play The Critic.

On 24 February 1809 the Drury Lane Theatre burned down. On being encountered
drinking a glass of wine in the street while watching the fire, Sheridan was
famously reported to have said: “A man may surely be allowed to take a glass of
wine by his own fireside.”

Playwright Works
• The Rivals (first acted 17 January 1775)
• St Patrick’s Day (first acted 2 May 1775)
• The Duenna (first acted 21 November 1775)
• A Trip to Scarborough (first acted 24 February 1777)
• The School for Scandal (first acted 8 May 1777)

• The Camp (first acted 15 October 1778)
• The Critic (first acted 30 October 1779)
• The Glorious First of June (first acted 2 July 1794)

Theatre
After his marriage Sheridan turned to the theatre for a livelihood. His comedy The Rivals opened at
Covent Garden Theatre, London, in January 1775. It ran an hour longer than was usual, and, because
of the offensive nature and poor acting of the character of Sir Lucius O’Trigger, it was hardly a
success. Drastically revised and with a new actor as Sir Lucius, its second performance 11 days later
won immediate applause. The situations and characters were not entirely new, but Sheridan gave
them freshness by his rich wit, and the whole play reveals Sheridan’s remarkable sense of theatrical
effect. The play is characteristic of Sheridan’s work in its genial mockery of the affectation displayed
by some of the characters. Even the malapropisms that slow down the play give a proper sense of
caricature to the character of Mrs. Malaprop.
Some of the play’s success was due to the acting of Lawrence Clinch as Sir Lucius. Sheridan showed
his gratitude by writing the amusing little farce St. Patrick’s Day; or, The Scheming Lieutenant for the
benefit performance given for Clinch in May 1775. Another example of his ability to weave an
interesting plot from well-worn materials is seen in The Duenna, produced the following November.
The characters are generally undeveloped, but the intrigue of the plot and charming lyrics and the
music by his father-in-law, Thomas Linley, and his son gave this ballad opera great popularity. Its
75 performances exceeded the 62, a record for that time, credited to John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera
(1728), and it is still revived.
Thus, in less than a year Sheridan had brought himself to the forefront of contemporary dramatists.
David Garrick, looking for someone to succeed him as manager and proprietor of Drury Lane Theatre,

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