The School For Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

The School For S elicitdal by Richard Brinsley SheridanThe flummox of satiric drollery was to subvert the neighborly structures, according to the Glossary, satiric f solely downdy ridicules political policies or philosophical doctrines, or else attacks deviations from the cordial order by making ridiculous the violators of its standards of morals or ingenuity (Abrams 39). Thus the frontmost aim of satire in general is to deconstruct the social and political constructions this was pr comeiced by Aristophanes, and in the Renaissance by Ben Jonson. The bewilderdy of manners originated by Menander, paved the way for Restoration comedy which was ripened by the French dramatist Moliere. After the popularity of Restoration comedy in England in eighteenth nose keisterdy, the senti workforcetal comedy started to dominate the st epoch as a reaction against what was supposed as shamefulity of Restoration comedy, hardly soundless two major dramatists continued writing in Restoratio n comedies Oliver Goldsmiths She Stoops to enamour and his contemporary Richard Brinsley Sheridans The School for Scandal. Among the two, Sheridans pretend satirizes not only the upper-class social structure but also the contents of sightal drama itself.The play shows a dichotomy of pro implant and bad in eighteenth century alliance and that how the sentimental codes of sort has limited the good/ abhorrence double star into a flat pretension this dichotomy is depicted as the jump br some others as their names arouse they argon judged only according to their exterior and surface behavior in the first shooting Miss Verjuice describes the two brothers, Joseph and Charles Surface, this wayhere are two green mento whom Sir ray has acted as a kindof Guardian since their Fathers death, the eldest possessingthe most amiable denotation and univers all toldy well spoken of,the adolescentest the most dissipated and extravagant five-year-old Fellowin the Kingdom, with discover F riends or character (Ii) through with(predicate) the next lines it is revealed that the sr. brother, Joseph, who has apparently the most amiable Character has conspired a plot with doll Sneerwell to come between the love relationship of Charles and Maria (Sir tools ward) so that Joseph can marry Maria and Lady Sneerwll, a widow, can possess the young Charles who is without delay bankrupt. Lady Sneerwell explains about Joseph His real attachment is to Maria or her Fortune/but finding in his Brother a favoured Rival, He has been obliged/to mask his Pretensionsand profit by my Assistance. And then confesses her desire for Charles essential I confess that Charlesthat Libertine, thatextravagant, that Bankrupt in Fortune and Reputationthat Heit is for whom I am therefore anxious and malicious and to gain whomI would sacrifice-everything (Ii)From these confessions the endorser hunch forwards that Joseph who is universally well spoken of is a fraud, but since he is a good pretender a nd hit the hays what the society demands to act as an honorable man, so he is checkern by everybody change surface those who know he is pretending as a man of sentiment.LADY SNEERWELL. I have found outhim a long time since, altho He has contrived to deceiveeverybody besideI know him to be artful selfish and maliciouswhile with Sir Peter, and indeed with all his acquaintance,He passes for a youthful Miracle of Prudencegood senseand Benevolence.VERJUICE. Yes yesI know Sir Peter vows He has not his equalin England and, above all, He praises him as a MAN OF SENTIMENT.LADY SNEERWELL. True and with the assistance of his sentimentsand hypocrisy he has brought Sir Peter entirely in his inte resideswith respect to Maria and is now I gestate attempting to flatterLady Teazle into the same(p) good opinion towards himwhile poorCharles has no Friend in the Housethough I fear he has a decent angiotensin converting enzyme in Marias Heart, against whom we must direct our schemes.In the next sce ne, Rowley informs Sir Peter that Sir Oliver has arrived from the West Indies and is in the town Sir Oliver, the brothers uncle wants to choose his hair, thus he is to come and visit his nephews whom has not chew the fatn him since childhood and thus cannot recognize him by appearance. From their give-and-take it is clear that it is only Rowley that sees through the two gentlemenROWLEY. You know Sir Peter I have always taken the Liberty to differwith you on the face of these two young GentlemenI only wishyou may not be deceived in your opinion of the elder. For Charles,my life ont He get out retrieve his errors yettheir valuable Father,once my honourd master, was at his years nearly as wild a spark. (Iii)But even Sir Peter cannot deny the importance of the codes of sentiment for a young manJoseph is indeed a modelfor the young men of the AgeHe is a man of Sentimentand acts upto the Sentiments he professesbut for the other, take my word forgather if he had any grain of Virtue by descenthe has dissipated itwith the rest of his inheritance. (Iii)Changing appearances once again enables the characters this time Sir Oliver, who has decided to put his nephews on a trial, is set to meet Charles as Premium, a cistron. When they meet, Charles proposes selling his ancestors portraits to the broker for gaining money this makes Sir Oliver furious, but Charles denial of selling Sir Olivers own portrait even for eight hundred pounds under the mask of a broker, Sir Oliver understands the kind temper of his nephewCHARLES. No, hang it Ill not part with poor Noll. The old matchhas been very good to me, and, egad, Ill keep his picture while Ivea room to put it in.SIR OLIVER. Aside. The rogues my nephew afterwards allContrary to the supposed social values of an honorable man in eighteenth century, here Sheridan lets the hearing have faith on a lax man who obdurate to a man of sentiment, loves wine and women and puts his ancestors on an auction for money. He shifts the b inaries of good/evil, moral/immoral, gentleman/rogue by giving attributes of one to the other and vice versa.Just as appearances can be useful for pretenders such as Joseph, Sheridan makes a comic scene in unveiling of appearances in the famous library scene in act 4 scene three Joseph who secretly woos Sir Peters young wife, Lady Teazle, hides her understructure a sort when Sir Peter enters unexpectedly, telling Joseph that he thinks his wife has an affair with Charles, the next visitor is Charles himself, Sir Peter also hides in the closet to hear his reaction to what he is accused of. Sir Peter comes out of the closet when he understands that Charles is innocent and when Joseph goes out, tells Charles that Joseph has a girl, a French Milliner, with himself who is now in this room Charles gets curious to see her and unveils the screen to their astonishment it is Lady Teazle standing there. Charles asks each of them to explain the officeCHARLES. Sir PeterThis is one of the sma rtest French MillinersI ever sawEgad, you seem all to have been diverting yourselveshere at Hide and Seekand I dont see who is out of the SecretShall I beg your Ladyship to inform meNot a wordBrotherwill you please to explain this matter? What is truthfulness Dumb too?Sir Peter, though I found you in the Darkperhaps you are not sonowall mute Well tho I can make nothing of the Affair, I makeno doubt but you utterly understand one anotherso Ill leave youto yourselves.Going. Brother Im downcast to find you have giventhat worthy man grounds for so much uneasinessSir Petertheresnothing in the globe so nobleman as a man of Sentiment-(IViii)Charles comparison of the situation to a risque (hide and seek) is a subversive look at the upper-class society of the time suggesting the fact that all these people of sentiment all playing roles in the game, and that when being found out by others they lose the game since their supposed nobility is gone. They are decent, righteous fellows as lo ng as they are hidden, and when they are found the game is over and simultaneously their self-respect is over. This is the deconstructive view of a supposed noble society and this is what Sheridan predicts for pretenders of his time. The irony found in Charles witty comment to Sir Peter theres/nothing in the world so noble as a man of Sentiment hints the earreach as well as Sir Peter and people who thinks like him, that the tilt is a void pretension, just a tool for villains to act out as a nobility.The main center of the structure of social moral philosophy and principles which is sentiment is totally decentered and deconstructed when Sir Oliver encounters this time Joseph But now I am no more/a Broker, and you shall introduce me to the elder Brother/as Stanley. Once again borrowing another identity, (of Stanley a poor congener of the brothers mothers), Sir Oliver is to test Joseph, who unaware of the true identity of his companion, does not act his sentiments and declares th at his uncle Oliver has through nothing for himSURFACE. My dear Siryou are strangely misinformedSir Oliveris a worthy Man, a worthy mana very worthy sort of Manbut avariceMr. Stanley is the vice of ageI will tell you my good Sir inconfidencewhat he has done for me has been a merenothingtho People I know have thought other than and for my Part I neverchose to contradict the Report.SIR OLIVER. Whathas he never transmittedyouBullionRupeesPagodasSURFACE. O Dear SirNothing of the kindnonoa few Presentsnow and thenchina, shawls, congo Tea, Avadavatsand indianCrackerslittle more, believe me.SIR OLIVER. Heres Gratitude for dozen thousand poundsAvadavats and indian Crackers. (Vi)Joseph even refuses giving money to the supposed Mr. Stanley who has come for borrowing money and instead flatters himself for what he has done for that unfortunate young man and accuses Charles of being extravagant. Later Sir Oliver and Rowley, knowing what Joseph has done to Sir Peter wiretap his ideas of sentime nt.SIR OLIVER. I come only to tell you,that I have seen two my Nephews in the manner we proposed.SIR PETER. A Precious Couple they areROWLEY. Yes and Sir Oliveris convert that your judgment was rightSir Peter.SIR OLIVER. Yes I find Joseph is Indeed the Man after all.ROWLEY. Aye as Sir Peter says, Hes a man of Sentiment.SIR OLIVER. And acts up to the Sentiments he professes.ROWLEY. It sure enough is Edification to hear him talk.SIR OLIVER. Oh, Hes a model for the young men of the ageBut hows this, Sir Peter? you dont Join us in your FriendJosephs extolment as I expected.SIR PETER. Sir Oliver, we live in a damned direful world,and the fewer we praise the better. (Vii)The supposed binaries of good/evil that are now broken and it is not easily appropriate to call one as good and the other as bad explains how the transcendental signified of sentiment was decenterd by Sheridan at the time. As Jacque Derrida proposed the binaries can be meaningful in a relation of difference that is w e know red is red because it is different from blue. In this drama, Sheridan pictures that the difference between good and evil, honest and dishonest, moral and immoral has turned into a deceptive play of appearances. For eighteenth century people, a person was good, because he did not gamble, drink, and did not court women. At the same time a person is evil since he did not stomach morally and according to the defined sentiments. Sheridan wishes to change the attitude of the audience to suggest that the criterion of difference for judging between good and evil is not right.Joseph is depicted as the epitome of the societys hypocrisy, he is known by his friends who act in the same wayLADY SNEERWELL. O Lud you are going to be moral, and forgetthat you are among Friends.SURFACE. Egad, thats trueIll keep that sentiment till I seeSir Peter.It seems that being hypocritical is the fashion of the era and if one does not follow this fashion he is ruined as Charles was going to be ruined b efore his uncles arrival. The set of persons whose major task is to talk rear people and ruin characters create this school for scandal whose president as Sir Peter declares is Lady Sneerwell. Sir Peters astonishment implies how dangerous the result of their assembly could beSIR PETER. Mercy on mehere is the whole seta characters dead at every word, I suppose. (IIii)Mrs. Candour, Benjamin Backbite and Crabtree assist her in this buoyant business they have time to include everybody in their malevolent conversations as Mrs. Candour says the world/is so censorious no character escapes.They know that Charles is no man of pretending, and because of this they call him a miserable scandal in comparison to his brother. As Derrida studies the binaries, he claims that each binary opposition is a hierarchy, because always one term in the pair is privileged or considered superior to the other (Tyson 254). Hence, if one finds the binary oppositions in a culture and at the same time identifies the privileged one in the pair, one can discover something about the ideology of that culture. In this case in the binary of good/evil, the privileged is good, but the problem is that, good and evil are arbitrary concepts. What the eighteenth century upper-class society silent as good were just a set of sentiments that were practiced through appearances. And what they recognized as evil, were again a set of behaviors that were announced universally as evil by the ideological apparatuses.What Sheridan does in his play, is to challenge the sound judgement of the audience to rethink about the structure of these pre-established binaries and their ideological hierarchies hidden behind them and to try to deconstruct these structures in every individuals comprehension. Drinking and flirting women and borrowing money from usurers cannot be an appropriate criterion for judging people as evil and immoral while good sticking to the fashionable norms of behavior of the time and the moral sent iments cannot be a correct measure for estimating a character as good. He also compares the situation of a alleged(prenominal) good person to an actor who plays games and acts out roles by changing appearances and thus is a deceiver and a pretender. This is the great deconstruction of social ideologies perfectly done by Restoration comedies such as The School for Scandal.