It describes the features restoration drama, types of drama and contributors of this period with their famous works.

1. DEPARTMENT OF
ENGLISH
Mr. M. Kathiravan M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed.
Assistant Professor of English
Saiva Bhanu Kshatriya College
Aruppukottai
Virudhunagar – 626 101
Tamilnadu

2. The Restoration Drama 1660-
1689
History Puritan rule came to an end
 Charles II was resorted to the throne of England
 Theatres were reopened
 Identified by sensuality and represent the character of the Upper Class society
 The influence of Italy passed away and his French influence became very strong

3. Restoration Playwrights
 William Congreve
 William Wycherley
 George Etherege
 John Vanbrugh
 Nathaniel Lee
 John Dryden
 Aphra Behn
 George Farquhar
 Thomas Otway

4. Types of Restoration Drama
There are two types of drama in the restoration period
1. Comedy of Manners
2. Heroic Tragedy

5. Comedy of Manners
(Origin and Development)
 Ben Jonson introduced the comedy of manners
 It represents the life and manners of the Upper Class people of the 17th century
 Native drama influenced by the French Drama
 Comedy of Manners presents the habits, manners, conventions, and follies of a
particular section of society
 Its plot it made up of love-intrigues, clandestine love affairs, character-
assassination, drinking and gambling.

6. George Etherage
 1636-1691
 His work
• Comical Revenge
• She Would If She Could
• The Man of Mode

7. William Wycherley
 1641-1716
 His Works
• Love in a Wood
• The Gentle Dancing Master
• The Country Wife
• The Palin Dealer

8. William Congreve
 1670-1729
 His Works
• The Old Bachelor
• The Double Dealer
• The Way of the World

9. George Farquhar
 1677-1707
 His Works
• Love and a Bottle
• The Constant Couple
• The Inconstant, or the Way to Win Him

10. John Vanbrugh
 1664-1726
 His Works
• The Relapse
• The Provoked Wife
• Aesop
• The False Friend
• The Confederacy
• The Mistake

11. Heroic Tragedy
(1660-1700)
 Distinguished by both its verse structure and its subject matter
 It was drama in the epic mode – grand, rhetorical and declamatory at its best and
often bombastic at its worst
 Theme: Love and Honour
 It was considerably influenced by French classical drama
 A noble hero and an equally noble heroine are typically placed in a situation

12. John Dryden
 1668-1688
 His Works
• Trolius and Cressida
• Don Sebastian
• Love Triumphant
• Cleomenes

13. Nathaniel Lee
 1653-1692
 His Works
• The Tragedy of Nero, Emperour of Rome
• Oedipus: A Tragedy
• The Princess of Cleve

14. Thomas Otway
 1652-1685
 His Works
• The Orphan
• The Unhappy Marriage
• The History and Fall of Caius Marius

15. Thank You