The School for Scandal
3.5/5
()
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
In need of funds, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) turned to the only craft that could gain him the remuneration he desired in a short time: he began writing a play. He had over the years written and published essays and poems, and among his papers were humorous unfinished plays, essays and political tracts, but never had he undertaken such an ambitious project as this. In a short time, however, he completed The Rivals. He was 23 years old.
Read more from Richard Brinsley Sheridan
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Reviews for The School for Scandal
125 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This famous play satirises upper class morality in mid Georgian society (it was first performed at Drury Lane theatre in 1777). The first two acts or so are very funny, with the characters' attitudes towards, and breathless accounts of, scandals affecting one of their number, or numerous outsiders. I found much of the rest of it lacking that sparkle, though, and the characters, both male and female are more or less indistinguishable in terms of their ways of speaking or characteristics.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Very nicely done for the times. An excellent satire of the society of both those times and the current ones. At least the gossips weren't really hypocrites -- there wasn't much two-facedness in their vitriol; they were pretty open about it. But the more hypocritical of their group did get their comeuppance. I also liked that the "failure" of the two nephews was actually considered the good one by his uncle because he was at least forthright about his shortcomings.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cute, but the English of the 1700's is definitely different than the English we speak today!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For its era, I'd say this was darn good. Complete review later on at accidentallymars.wordpress.com.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a read this turned out to be! Surely the title and genre of plays will give someone a thought as to what it'll be about, but surprise, surprise! It was not only not what I expected, but it was BETTER! Better beyond what I long expected out of this time, having been privy to some of the humorous, scandalous plays and poetic works of the earlier half of the 18th Century. But nay! This play outdoes them all by a score of fields! It is not mere humor at the situation, but it is the total immersion of one's self in this play without ever needing to make an attempt at it. One is drawn in as naturally as though involved in a conversation amongst your closest friends, and though you don't know the topic, you listen willingly and are sucked in before you know it! Ah, but it is not mere humor of the chaotic, gossip-inspired mishaps that makes this play so delightful, but its atmosphere itself is light and airy, and while it boasts the title of "Comedy" it does not marr the reader with bawdiness and ungainly thoughts. Instead, it is purely rambunctious without the villainy of some comedies to make it sour and distinctly dark. In fact, even the wrongdoings come off as light-hearted and not fit to offend--with one exception in particular, but very aptly and expertly placed! But that is a surprise twist (perhaps to some) that will not spoil the play in my review!
Yet while the play carries us fancifully on its eager and boastful waves of hear-say and disguises, with honest men pulling hoods over the eyes of people pulling hoods over -their- eyes! Still the play carries within itself a noble message that makes it all the more virtuous for being set amongst its vividly animated scenes. Here we have the distinction drawn between appearances and the heart, the mere pleasant and kind wishes of people versus the crude but honest actions of others. Without once straying from its humorous tones and swift pace, a crystalline image is cut for us as the readers to discern immediately as soon as it's presented to us in the form of this message, and all the mirth and tittering characters meddling in one another's affairs cannot strike it from our thoughts throughout. Indeed, it is portrayed to us so obviously, that its honest form is carried with us easily throughout the entire play without once floundering, so that when we see -real- baseness, we know it for what it is instantly and are not capable of restraining ourselves (much as I could not) from remarking with disgust upon the atrocity being presenting in a saint's clothing.
This play is quite easily the most delightful comedic stage-works I've ever had the chance to read. It exceeds Shakespeare in its natural flow, its refreshing mix of humor and drama, and its clear, singular message that cannot be found to be anything but authentic and appropriate. It is a piece of work that gives you just as much to come away with whether you've read it, or seen it performed, which is why I highly recommend this to anyone with a penchant for comedy, plays, or anything light-hearted at the moment! It's a wonderful piece to read through for fun, as well as for the laughter. The message too, impresses strongly upon the audience! The characters change and are well-formed, with some at first giving you one impression, but by the end of the play turning about in a complete 180! It's truly a masterful, enjoyable piece, and -such- an easy read. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't enjoy this. Even I, adverse to gossips and the like with a -great- deal of vehemence, thoroughly enjoyed this work. Really, you've got to try it out. If you don't like it in the beginning, give it at least until halfway through. By then, you can make the call on things. And just between us, if your complaint is with a certain Joseph Surface--trust me, it all pays off by the end of Act Four. But you've got to get that far to get the satisfaction! And at that point, why -wouldn't- you finish off the read?! Go for it! I think you'll really enjoy it. I absolutely did. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Jane Austen's Mansfield Park's this is on the list of of potential plays to perform.Witty, full of backhanded complements, polite insults. It made me laugh.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The full-cast recording of this classic play sees a small circle of the uppercrust encountering the perils of scandal-mongering when some of their members become the subject of gossip. There's false identities, several rounds of hiding in the same room, and plenty of misunderstanding with an ultimately happy resolution. I could have sworn I read this in a course on Restoration drama during undergrad but the post play interview with the director notes that this play isn't technically part of the Restoration so it's possible I haven't read this one before after all. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Review for audiobook edition. See my hardcover edition of "The Rivals & The School For Scandal" for review of the play itself.While listening to this full cast audiobook was a nice way to revisit this Restoration comedy, I found the pace a bit too slow & didn't care for the voices of some of the characters (Sir Peter & Charles in particular). Elizabeth Klett was magnificent as usual though!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There were plenty of funny speeches - the crowd of scandal mongers with their made-up, ridiculously inflated stories were good for lots of laughs. What I liked best was that in the end the honest ended up happy. They weren't necessarily more upstanding and virtuous, but they weren't playing these games of insinuation and betrayal. And Charles was such an attractive character - joyous, generous, and appreciative of a good laugh!
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The School for Scandal - Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Project Gutenberg's The School For Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
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Title: The School For Scandal
Author: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Release Date: October, 1999 [Etext #1929]
Last Updated: July 10, 2013
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL ***
Text file produced by Gary R. Young
HTML file produced by David Widger
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
A COMEDY
A PORTRAIT
1
BY R. B. SHERIDAN, ESQ.
TRANSCRIBER'S COMMENTS ON THE PREPARATION OF THIS E-TEXT:
SQUARE BRACKETS:
The square brackets, i.e. [ ] are copied from the printed book, without change, except thata closing bracket ]
has been added to the stage directions.
FOOTNOTES:
For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been consolidated at the end of the play.
Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote is given a unique identity in the form [X].
CHANGES TO THE TEXT:
Character names have been expanded. For Example, SIR BENJAMIN was SIR BEN.
CONTENTS
THE TEXT OF THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
PROLOGUE WRITTEN BY MR. GARRICK
ACT I
SCENE I.—LADY SNEERWELL'S House
SCENE II.—SIR PETER'S House
ACT II
SCENE I.—SIR PETER and LADY TEAZLE
SCENE II.—At LADY SNEERWELL'S
SCENE III.—At SIR PETER'S
ACT III
SCENE I.—At SIR PETER'S
SCENE II.—At CHARLES's House
SCENE III.—CHARLES, CARELESS, etc., etc.
ACT IV
SCENE I.—A Picture Room in CHARLES SURFACE'S House
SCENE II.—The Parlour
SCENE III.—A Library
ACT V
SCENE I.—The Library
SCENE II.—At SIR PETER'S House
SCENE THE LAST.—The Library
FOOTNTES:
THE TEXT OF THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
The text of THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL in this edition is taken, by Mr. Fraser Rae's generous permission, from his SHERIDAN'S PLAYS NOW PRINTED AS HE WROTE THEM. In his Prefatory Notes (xxxvii), Mr. Rae writes: The manuscript of it [THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL] in Sheridan's own handwriting is preserved at Frampton Court and is now printed in this volume. This version differs in many respects from that which is generally known, and I think it is even better than that which has hitherto been read and acted. As I have endeavoured to reproduce the works of Sheridan as he wrote them, I may be told that he was a bad hand at punctuating and very bad at spelling. . . . But Sheridan's shortcomings as a speller have been exaggerated.
Lest Sheridan's shortcomings
either in spelling or in punctuation should obscure the text, I have, in this edition, inserted in brackets some explanatory suggestions. It has seemed best, also, to adopt a uniform method for indicating stage-directions and abbreviations of the names of characters. There can be no gain to the reader in reproducing, for example, Sheridan's different indications for the part of Lady Sneerwell—LADY SNEERWELL, LADY SNEER., LADY SN., and LADY S.—or his varying use of EXIT and EX., or his inconsistencies in the use of italics in the stage-directions. Since, however, Sheridan's biographers, from Moore to Fraser Rae, have shown that no authorised or correct edition of THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL was published in Sheridan's lifetime, there seems unusual justification for reproducing the text of the play itself with absolute fidelity to the original manuscript. Mr. Ridgway, who repeatedly sought to obtain a copy corrected by the author, according to Moore's account (LIFE OF SHERIDAN, I. p. 260), was told by Mr. Sheridan, as an excuse for keeping it back, that he had been nineteen years endeavouring to satisfy himself with the style of The School for Scandal, but had not yet succeeded.
Mr. Rae (SHERIDAN, I. p. 332) recorded his discovery of the manuscript of two acts of The School for Scandal prepared by Sheridan for publication,
and hoped, before his death, to publish this partial revision. Numberless unauthorized changes in the play have been made for histrionic purposes, from the first undated Dublin edition to that of Mr. Augustin Daly. Current texts may usually be traced, directly or indirectly, to the two-volume Murray edition of Sheridan's plays, in 1821. Some of the changes from the original manuscript, such as the blending of the parts of Miss Verjuice and Snake, are doubtless effective for reasons of dramatic economy, but many of the cuts
are to be regretted from the reader's standpoint. The student of English drama will prefer Sheridan's own text to editorial emendations, however clever or effective for dramatic ends.
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
ADDRESSED TO MRS. CREWE,
WITH THE COMEDY OF THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
Tell me, ye prim adepts in Scandal's school,
Who rail by precept, and detract by rule,
Lives there no character, so tried, so known,
So deck'd with grace, and so unlike your own,
That even you assist her fame to raise,
Approve by envy, and by silence praise!—
Attend!—a model shall attract your view—
Daughters of calumny, I summon you!
You shall decide if this a portrait prove,
Or fond creation of the Muse and Love.—
Attend, ye virgin critics, shrewd and sage,
Ye matron censors of this childish age,
Whose peering eye and wrinkled front declare
A fixt antipathy to young and fair;
By cunning, cautious; or by nature, cold,
In maiden madness, virulently bold!—
Attend! ye skilled to coin the precious tale,
Creating proof, where innuendos fail!
Whose practised memories, cruelly exact,
Omit no circumstance, except the fact!—
Attend, all ye who boast,—or old or young,—
The living libel of a slanderous tongue!
So shall my theme as far contrasted be,
As saints by fiends, or hymns by calumny.
Come, gentle Amoret (for 'neath that name,
In worthier verse is sung thy beauty's fame);
Come—for but thee who seeks the Muse? and while
Celestial blushes check thy conscious smile,
With timid grace, and hesitating eye,
The perfect model, which I boast, supply:—
Vain Muse! couldst thou the humblest sketch create
Of her, or slightest charm couldst imitate—
Could thy blest strain in kindred colours trace
The faintest wonder of her form and face—
Poets would study the immortal line,
And REYNOLDS own HIS art subdued by thine;
That art, which well might added lustre give
To Nature's best and Heaven's superlative:
On GRANBY'S cheek might bid new glories rise,
Or point a purer beam from DEVON'S eyes!
Hard is the task to shape that beauty's praise,
Whose judgment scorns the homage flattery pays!
But praising Amoret we cannot err,
No tongue o'ervalues Heaven, or flatters her!
Yet she, by Fate's perverseness—she alone
Would doubt our truth, nor deem such praise her own!
Adorning Fashion, unadorn'd by dress,
Simple from taste, and not from carelessness;
Discreet in gesture, in deportment mild,
Not stiff with prudence, nor uncouthly wild:
No state has AMORET! no studied mien;
She frowns no GODDESS, and she moves no QUEEN.
The softer charm that in her manner lies
Is framed to captivate, yet not surprise;
It justly suits th' expression of her face,—
'Tis less than dignity, and more than grace!
On her pure cheek the native hue is such,
That, form'd by Heav'n to be admired so much,
The hand divine, with a less partial care,
Might well have fix'd a fainter crimson there,
And bade the gentle inmate of her breast,—
Inshrined Modesty!—supply the rest.
But who the peril of her lips shall paint?
Strip them of smiles—still, still all words are faint!
But moving Love himself appears to teach
Their action, though denied to rule her speech;
And thou who seest her speak and dost not hear,
Mourn not her distant accents 'scape thine ear;
Viewing those lips, thou still may'st make pretence
To judge of what she says, and swear 'tis sense:
Cloth'd with such grace, with such expression fraught,
They move in meaning, and they pause in thought!
But dost thou farther watch, with charm'd surprise,
The mild irresolution of her eyes,
Curious to mark how frequent they repose,
In brief eclipse and momentary close—
Ah! seest thou not an ambush'd Cupid there,
Too tim'rous of his charge, with jealous care
Veils and unveils those beams of heav'nly light,
Too full, too fatal else, for mortal sight?
Nor yet, such pleasing vengeance fond to meet,
In pard'ning dimples hope a safe retreat.
What though her peaceful breast should ne'er allow
Subduing frowns to arm her altered brow,
By Love, I swear, and by his gentle wiles,
More fatal still the mercy of her smiles!
Thus lovely, thus adorn'd, possessing all
Of bright or fair that can to woman fall,
The height of vanity might well be thought
Prerogative in her, and Nature's fault.
Yet gentle AMORET, in mind supreme
As well as charms, rejects the vainer theme;
And, half mistrustful of her beauty's store,
She barbs with wit those darts too keen before:—
Read in all knowledge that her sex should reach,
Though GREVILLE, or the MUSE, should deign to teach,
Fond to improve, nor tim'rous to discern
How far it is a woman's grace to learn;
In MILLAR'S dialect she