DRAMA
LECTURE NINE
ACRES Ha! ha! you've taken notice of it—'tis genteel, isn't it!—I didn't invent it myself though; but a commander in our militia, a great scholar, I assure you, says that there is no meaning in the common oaths, and that nothing but their antiquity makes them respectable;—because, he says, the ancients would never stick to an oath or two, but would say, by Jove! or by Bacchus! or by Mars! or by Venus! or by Pallas, according to the sentiment: so that to swear with propriety, says my little major, the oath should be an echo to the sense; and this we call the oath referential, or sentimental swearing—ha! ha! 'tis genteel, isn't it?
Here we have classical allusion , Sheridan imitates the classical writers because it was the neo classical age.
Then we have a conversation in which the father tells his son that he has chosen a wife for him, he expect him to accept her and he does not tell him who she is , jack gets very angry and he tells his father I will disobey you because he has promised another lady to marry her , he tells him break up with her he is an authoritative father he thinks of his son as if he is a toy in his hand, so he gets very and with his son and tells him I will never call you jack again this is at the end of scene 1 act 2, so jack thinks that the woman his father chose is ugly so his father says:
Sir ANTHONY Zounds! sirrah! the lady shall be as ugly as I choose: she shall have a hump on each shoulder; she shall be as crooked as the crescent; her one eye shall roll like the bull's in Cox's Museum; she shall have a skin like a mummy, and the beard of a Jew—she shall be all this, sirrah!—yet I will make you ogle her all day, and sit up all night to write sonnets on her beauty.
This quotation shows how authoritative and unfair sir Antony is he is really block minded , sir Antony at the end gives his son a period of six hours and a half to reconsider his opinion, why 6 hours and a half???
It is to keep the unity of time and before going deep he threatens his son he says if you refuse I will disinherit and disown you .
ABSOLUTE Mild, gentle, considerate father—I kiss your hands!—What a tender method of giving his opinion in these matters Sir Anthony has! I dare not trust him with the truth.—I wonder what old wealthy hag it is that he wants to bestow on me!—Yet he married himself for love! and was in his youth a bold intriguer, and a gay companion!
He is criticizing his father , saying that his father married for love so how could he force me to have get married without love, he says that his father betrays his own ideals he is contradicting himself when he was young he was searching for love but when he got older he became authoritative forcing his son to marry without love , this shows conflict between generations , when people grow old the change as if there is a stereotype towards old people .
Act 2 scene 2:
We are in a park Lucy is there waiting for sir luscious O'Trigger but before he appears she says a soliloquy اقروها انتو she says that Acers is no more one of the suitors of Lydia because Mrs. Malaprop changed her mind and she accepted that jack absolute to marry Lydia and she says she will meet sir luscius O'Trigger and she will give him a letter from Mrs. Malaprop, signed Celia or Delia luscius thinks that this letter is written by Lydia which means he loves Lydia too he never thought that the letter was written by Mrs. Malaprop مين يصدق انه هالعجوز حاطة عينها على شاب صغير حتى هو ما يجي على باله يطالعها
Who are the rivals in the play? من هم المتنافسون في المسرحية ؟؟؟
Jack absolute ,ensign Beverly, Acers , sir luscius O'Trigger إذا جاء في الاختبار هذا السؤال تتكلمون عن كل شخصية
Sir luscius O'Trigger arrives he meets Lucy she gives him a letter signed Celia or Delia he took the letter and he was very happy and then he tells Lucy that he should propose to Lydia, he will leave the old aunt and propose to Lydia , he is sure that the letters are from Lydia , he gives Lucy money and she takes it she does not tell him that the letters are from Mrs. Malaprop and then he tells her come again in this place I will give you the reply of the letter tonight and if I ask you why tonight ??? it is to keep the unity of time. Before leaving fag saw Lucy and he asks her what is that in your hand you are giving to my master and she says they are love letters sent from Mrs. Malaprop fag also came to his mind that the love letters are from Lydia , then she tells him that sir Antony went to Mrs. Malaprop and told her that he wants his son jack absolute to marry Lydia , this is very important because captain absolute does not know that his father chose the same woman that he loves which is Lydia .
In scene one of act 3 we have a soliloquy by captain Absolute:
Scene I—The North Parade. [Enter CAPTAIN ABSOLUTE.]
ABSOLUTE 'Tis just as Fag told me, indeed. Whimsical enough, faith! My father wants to force me to marry the very girl I am plotting to run away with! He must not know of my connection with her yet awhile. He has too summary a method of proceeding in these matters. However, I'll read my recantation instantly. My conversion is something sudden, indeed—but I can assure him it is very sincere. So, so—here he comes. He looks plaguy gruff. [Steps aside.]
Jack will hide the fact the he love Lydia and that he chose her to be his wife, Lydia is sentimental so he will not tell her now that he will not elope he will leave it for another time , Fag told him that his father chose Lydia for him so now he will talk to his father and he will show complete obedience and tells him I will do whatever you ask me to do. He says I will accept the wife you choose for me .
Sir ANTHONY No—I'll die sooner than forgive him. Die, did I say? I'll live these fifty years to plague him. At our last meeting, his impudence had almost put me out of temper. An obstinate, passionate, self-willed boy! Who can he take after? This is my return for getting him before all his brothers and sisters!—for putting him, at twelve years old, into a marching regiment, and allowing him fifty pounds a year, besides his pay, ever since! But I have done with him; he's anybody's son for me. I never will see him more, never—never—never.
Sir Antony is very angry for the change of attitude of jack he turned to be very obedient to his father , his father tells him that I have chosen Lydia to be your wife, she is a young lady of 17 years old she is beautiful and rich jack says I don't know her any one would do he pretends that he does not know her , the father started to accuse him of being phlegmatic this is very important ,this is a medieval influences sir Antony tells his son that he will write a note to Mrs. Malaprop to tell her that jack is coming to visit her directly , why directly??? To keep the unity of time.
All of the above are examples that shows Richard Sheridan sticks to the unity of time throughout the whole play.
Now we know the character of Falkland through his soliloquy :
I think I love beyond my life, I am ever ungenerously fretful and madly capricious! I am conscious of it—yet I cannot correct myself! What tender honest joy sparkled in her eyes when we met! how delicate was the warmth of her expression! I was ashamed to appear less happy—though I had come resolved to wear a face of coolness and upbraiding. Sir Anthony's presence prevented my proposed expostulations: yet I must be satisfied that she has not been so very happy in my absence. She is coming! Yes!—I know the nimbleness of her tread, when she thinks her impatient Faulkland counts the moments of her stay.
He loves Julia very much more than his life he never meets her without threatening her هو شخصية هوائية
Richard Sheridan makes the audience sympathy Falkland , does Sheridan satirizes Falkland severely??? No he satirizes the sentimental character but not harshly don't forget that Sheridan himself is a character similar to the character of Falkland , there is an auto biographical element here Falkland mirrors Sheridan's character .
FAULKLAND They told me Julia would return directly; I wonder she is not yet come! How mean does this captious, unsatisfied temper of mine appear to my cooler judgment! Yet I know not that I indulge it in any other point: but on this one subject, and to this one subject, whom I think I love beyond my life, I am ever ungenerously fretful and madly capricious! I am conscious of it—yet I cannot correct myself! What tender honest joy sparkled in her eyes when we met! how delicate was the warmth of her expression! I was ashamed to appear less happy—though I had come resolved to wear a face of coolness and upbraiding. Sir Anthony's presence prevented my proposed expostulations: yet I must be satisfied that she has not been so very happy in my absence. She is coming! Yes!—I know the nimbleness of her tread, when she thinks her impatient Faulkland counts the moments of her stay.
Faulkland whenever he meets Julia he controls his emotions and he shows her that he is very cold, some lovers do like this, this is realistic characterization .
Faulkland goes to meet Julia, from their conversation we know he do his best to show that he is cold ,in the second time he meets her he justifies why he was cold ,he cannot show his love to Julia when a third person is there the second reason he says that he knew from her neighbor she was happy when he was absent, when he expected her to be sick and sad for his absence , he tells her that parting lovers should be upset , Julia tells him that she was really sad because he was away , however she pretends to be happy in order to avoid people proposing to her, because if people saw her crying and sad , they will think that she broke up with Faulkland so she keeps making herself look happy , Faulkland blames her that she might not be in love with him she is acting out of gratitude or duty because she is contracted to him , Julia felt very sad and she tells him that she loves him and she says stop having these fears and worries and she cried and she left, she told him to stop tormenting him .
What did he say after Julia left him???:
FAULKLAND In tears! Stay, Julia: stay but for a moment.—The door is fastened!—Julia!—my soul—but for one moment!—I hear her sobbing!—'Sdeath! what a brute am I to use her thus! Yet stay!—Ay—she is coming now:—how little resolution there is in a woman!—how a few soft words can turn them!—No, faith!—she is not coming either.—Why, Julia—my love—say but that you forgive me—come but to tell me that—now this is being too resentful. Stay! she is coming too—I thought she would—no steadiness in anything: her going away must have been a mere trick then—she shan't see that I was hurt by it.—I'll affect indifference—[Hums a tune; then listens.] No—zounds! she's not coming!—nor don't intend it, I suppose.—This is not steadiness, but obstinacy! Yet I deserve it.—What, after so long an absence to quarrel with her tenderness!—'twas barbarous and unmanly!—I should be ashamed to see her now.—I'll wait till her just resentment is abated—and when I distress her so again, may I lose her for ever! and be linked instead to some antique virago, whose gnawing passions, and long hoarded spleen, shall make me curse my folly half the day and all the night. [Exit.]
He is talking to himself like a mad man, he is very scared that she might leave him because she left in tears , he says I have lost her by my actions towards her god will punish me with a viragoيعني حرمة مافيها انوثة متسلطة على زوجها ولسانها أطول منها
Sheridan by presenting sentimental characters as Faulkland is normal but excess sentimentality in Falkland's character tells us that it is a kind sickness he means himself too because Faulkland mirrors Sheridan.