Year 12: IB Theatre - Research Presentation

An illustration that captures the Drury Lane Theatre as it looked towards the end of actor-manager David Garrick’s career. British Library. (1808).

The Restoration is a historical period that specifically applies to England. In the latter part of the 17^th century, England restored its monarchy when, in 1660, Parliament recalled the son of the previous king, Charles I, back from exile in France and invited him to resume the monarchy that had not existed in England for 11 years. After 11 years of not having a king, he accepted and became Charles II.

As a result of the restoration of the monarchy, the last part of the 17^th century saw marked changes in theatre in England. When Charles II took the throne, he was instrumental in returning theatre to England (it had been abolished by the Puritan-dominated Parliament in 1642). His time in exile in France allowed him to grow up viewing French Neo-classical theatre, and that experience influenced what theatre in England became during the restoration.

One notable way that theatre was influenced was in the types of plays that were written during this time. Moliere and other French playwrights had a huge influence over the plays being written in Restoration England. One development was the English Comedy of Manners. This was a style, as discussed in the previous supplement on Genres, that looked at the foibles and shortcomings of the upper classes through the eyes of the lower classes. It often satirized the excesses and eccentricities of the upper classes. It was often filled with witty dialogue and sexual innuendo.