The School: A Comedy of Manners

 

The School for Scandal is an excellent example of a Comedy of Manners. It is a blatant attack on the superficiality of the upper class, pointing up their lack of morals and misplaced attention. In a Comedy of Manners, the characters are very clear and we know exactly who they are the moment they appear, not just by their appearance and actions, but by their names. Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite, and Snake all carry their negative qualities in their names. The Surface brothers are all about what's on the surface -- Joseph appears moral but really isn't while Charles presents the opposite.

The School for Scandal is a brilliant parody of modern metropolitan society. It is one of the most entertaining satires on the lives of ladies and gentlemen who live in so-called modern society. Sheridan, in fact, is a close observer of the upper-class milieu of his time. He lived in Bath for a while, which was a very fashionable city at the time. Bath was, in reality, a gathering place for stylish English upper-class ladies and gentlemen. They used to go there to have a good time. And it's possible that Sheridan was thinking about all of these things when he wrote this play.

In his play The School for Scandal, Sheridan passionately criticizes the technique of scandal-mongering.  Lady Sneerwell is a scandal-representative and her circle, which includes both men and women from the upper crust of society, offers us a clear picture of their slanderous gossiping habits. These people are morally bankrupt because they do not spare their acquaintances and spread scandalous news and rumours about them. As we progress through the play, we discover that Lady Sneerwell engages in scandal-mongering to exact revenge on those who have previously made her a victim of this wickedness. However, the other members of her group engage in this behaviour only for pleasure.

Sheridan has effectively mocked the people for their hypocrisy. Joseph Surface is a model of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. When Lady Sneerwell views Joseph as a greedy man in the very first scene, we get a clear image of his true character. She describes him as a wicked fellow. In fact, Joseph is a source of amusement for the audience. Throughout the play, we enjoy his hypocritical character. When he is discovered by Lady Teazle while pleading with Maria for her favour, we are ecstatic.

A variety of love romances are depicted in the drama The School for Scandal. Lady Sneerwell falls in love with Charles, and she employs Joseph to help her realise her ambition. On the other hand, Maria adores Charles, but Joseph wants to marry Maria, so he works with Lady Sneerwell. But we all know Joseph isn't in love with Maria; he merely wants to usurp her vast fortune, and Maria is well aware of this. As a result, she despises Joseph and informs her guardian, bluntly, that she cannot marry him. As the play progresses, we watch Lady Sneerwell and Joseph go to great lengths to prevent Charles' marriage to Maria. Every attempt, however, proves to be a fruitless one. Furthermore, Joseph is involved with Lady Teazle because she wants to tame a lover for the purpose of fashion.

After a careful reading, we see that Sheridan created the character of Charles to paint a sarcastic portrait of the young men of the day, who are not only extravagant in their behaviour but also have little regard for their elders.

Sheridan doesn't spare even modern journalism in this drama. He mocks the news media. As the play begins several newspapers and periodicals contain gossip columns. "The Town and Country Magazine" is one of these publications. This publication features a particular section dedicated to malicious rumours. Mr Snake is portrayed by Sheridan as a poet and critic, and he is contemporary society's representative of journalists.

To summarize, Sheridan has satirized the lifestyle of his contemporary men and ladies hilariously in this play. This play is unquestionably Sheridan's masterpiece, with all of the hallmarks of a traditional comedy of manners.