Page 258 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes

Elucidate that much of the success of Sheridan’s The School for Scandal lies in the rich
humorous exposition of characters.

Fashioned to suit the final showdown of surface characters, the plot breaks into three major parts—
(i) the testing of Charles and Joseph by their uncle Sir Oliver Surface; (ii) the problem of Sir Peter
and Lady Teazle; (iii) the events surrounding the scandalous school driven by the desire for revenge,
fortune and fame. The play takes shape and begins to climb to a series of climaxes with the arrival
of Sir Oliver Surface from India.
The School for Scandal opens with a scene in which Lady Sneerwell introduces many of the
complications through an idle, gossiping conversation. We learn an astonishing amount of social
climate, plot and character before Joseph Surface’s entrance. The quiet opening is deceptive. Lady
Sneerwell, president of the Academy of Scandalmongers, reveals her own character by a discussion
with Snake. Snake questions, in a businesslike manner, Lady Sneerwell’s motives in the matter of
Sir Peter Teazle. In so doing, Sheridan reveals his power of insinuation as well as plot. Furhtermore,
Lady Sneerwell’s circumstantial answer supplies some of our knowledge of her character, pointed
by her reference to suffering in youth from the envenomed tongue of slander, namely an emotional,
impulsive vulnerability which, in this instance, leads her to reveal more than she should to snake.
Her tender wound is spotted; her innate character slips and comes to the surface. Later, Joseph
Surface mentions the danger of this lapse of the tongue and inclination. At the end of the play Snake
gives Lady Sneerwell reason to regret confiding in him. Judged from this aspect, part of the ending
is skillfully foreshadowed. The end is laden in the beginning. When Lady Sneerwell describes Joseph
as a sentimental nave the reader is given a comment on the nature of a character who is about to
show up.
With the entrance of Joseph, we know more about the plot and characters. We have already learned
that Charles Surface and Maria have an attachment, that Lady Sneerwell, due to her love of Charles,
supports Joseph in his attempt to win Maria (Sir Peter’s ward) for himself (and thus her fortune).
Now Joseph informs us that his brother Charles is hurrying to disaster. He does so in the smooth
language of sentiment which lends itself so easily to transparent hypocrisy

Aye, poor Charles! I am sure I wish it were in my power to be of any essential
service to him; for the man who does not share in the distresses of a brother, even though merited
by his own misconduct, deserves…
It is certainly a charity to rescue Maria from such a libertine.
All these remarks carry “reverse overtones” and hyperbole. Here for the first time Joseph is associated
with one of the underlying themes—hypocrisy degenerated into malice and villainous schemes.
Snake’s exit soon occurs. And Joseph’s comment to Lady Sneerwell that the man is treacherous and
will betray them both completes Sheridan’s portrait of him in all essentials.

Sheridan’s smooth-tongued makers of plots motivated entirely by cold self-interest,
acting under cover of morality and goodness, is presented in toto caelo at one stroke. Lady
Sneerwell has already spoken of him in her gossiping way, and his entrance and subsequent
behavior exactly match the description.
However, Sheridan’s skill resides in his revelation of Joseph’s character in action. Joseph talks to
Lady Sneerwell and Snake as one of a trip of plot-makers and scandalizers who are concerned with
how to make progress of a business. His sharp observation that Snake’s friendship with old Rowley

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