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Jayatee Bhattacharya, Lovely Professional University Unit 20: The School for Scandal: Criticism to the Text and Characterization

Unit 20: The School for Scandal: Criticism to the Notes

Text and Characterization

CONTENTS
Objectives

Introduction
20.1 Criticism to the Text

20.2 Criticism to the Characters
20.2.1 Major Characters

20.2.2 General Criticism of all the Minor Characters

20.3 Summary
20.4 Keywords

20.5 Review Questions
20.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Illustrate the criticism of the text of the School for Scandal;
• Enumerate all the characters in the play;
• Discuss the criticism of each character.

Introduction
As conceived by Robin Phillips, The School for Scandal displays a harsh and glittering world of exquisite
beauty and viciousness, where sentimental sobriety—when genuine—is the only refuge from the
savagery that lies in wait for vitality and virtue. Phillips has read the play as a piece of serious social
criticism, with decidedly mixed results: his version of this classic comedy of manners is thought-
provoking, visually stunning, but finally a failure.
The School for Scandal is a kind of dramatic harpsichord. It has surface vivacity rather than inner
strength. It has elegance of style rather than profundity of substance. Thumped by realism’s heavy
hand, it would jangle and go mute; stroked with exquisite artifice, it enchants and amuses.
Reading a play requires an ability to visualize, and it is very difficult to manage this visualization
without a careful scrutiny of the stage directions and some experience reading drama. This notion
is especially true for Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s School for Scandal, which makes the reader wish for
a fine production to view.
The characters of the play have their own significance by their names. Sheridan makes one particular
characteristic or weakness appear and plays on it. For instance, Joseph is totally exposed; there is no
depth and roundness which provides humor. The humor is created by such characters because of
their limitations suggested by their names.

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