The Rivals: A Comedy

Richard Brinsley Butler SheridanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.3

Word count: 163K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Rivals: A Comedy by Richard Brinsley SheridanAuthor: Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 6, 2008

Editor's review

The Rivals is Sheridan's signature comedy, driven by witty dialogue, exaggerated characters, and ingenious misunderstandings—a classic of eighteenth-century English comedy. The play revolves around love, rivalry, and social vanity; its dialogue is sharp, its staging vividly felt, and reading it is like watching a briskly paced stage performance. Its value lies not only in its humor but in its gentle satire of human weakness. As a public-domain ebook, it suits theater lovers, readers of English literature, and anyone curious about the tradition of English comedy. As you read, pay attention to the sharpness of the lines and the rhythm of the dialogue—that is where the play rewards rereading most.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic English comedy and witty dialogue
Students studying English literature or dramatic texts
Enthusiasts of the eighteenth-century English stage comedy tradition

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer serious tragedy or heavy themes
Readers unaccustomed to script format who read only novels
Beginners whose English reading skills are not yet up to irony and puns

Reading tips

Read the list of characters first and clarify relationships before entering the dialogue.
Try reading several scenes aloud to feel the comic rhythm and tone.
After finishing, revisit the key misunderstanding scenes and trace how the plot is driven forward.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can someone who has never read a play understand this book?

Yes. The play consists mainly of dialogue, with brief stage directions. Start with the list of characters and get a basic sense of their relationships; imagine the dialogue as a stage performance as you read, and you will be able to follow the plot.

How difficult is the English in this book?

Moderately advanced. The dialogue is witty and contains many ironic and punning passages, some with period flavor. Readers with a solid foundation in English can follow it smoothly; beginners may need annotations.

Why is it considered a classic of English comedy?

Sheridan is known for his intricate plotting and sharp dialogue. The Rivals displays the typical manner of eighteenth-century English comedy: vivid characters and humor built on personality and misunderstanding, which is why it is often counted among important works of the English dramatic tradition.

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About the author

Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan Author · Irish · 1751–1816

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) was an Irish-born playwright, orator and Whig politician, born in Dublin. His masterpiece The School for Scandal (1777) is regarded as one of the finest comedies of manners in the English language. He also wrote The Rivals, The Critic, St. Patrick's Day and The Duenna, and long managed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Six of his works are held here, including comedies, an opera and a one-act farce; they centre on gossip, marriage and witty dialogue among the upper classes, with playful language and ingenious plots that have deeply influenced later English comedy. Public information on his life is limited, so this note relies only on the facts held here.