The Rivals

By Richard Brinsley Sheridan

During a brief but brilliant literary career, Irish-born dramatist and statesman Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) wrote cleverly plotted plays that revealed his nimble wit and keen eye for comic situations. Two of them — The School for Scandal and The Rivals — are among the funniest in the English language.
The Rivals, brimming with false identities and with romantic entanglements carried on amid a cloud of parental disapproval, satirizes the pretentiousness and sentimentality of the age. It features a cast of memorable characters, among them the lovely Lydia Languish, whose pretty head has been filled with nonsense from romantic novels; Capt. Jack Absolute, a young officer in love with Lydia; Sir Anthony Absolute, Jack's autocratic father; Sir Lucius O'Trigger, a fiery Irishman; and Jack's provincial neighbor, Bob Acres, a bumptious but lovable country squire in love with Lydia.
Hoping to win Lydia's affection, Captain Jack woos the pretty miss by pretending to be a penniless ensign named Beverley, an act that nearly incites a duel with Acres. His actions also provoke serious objections from Lydia's aunt, Mrs. Malaprop, a misspeaking matron whose ludicrous misuse of words gave the English language a new term: malapropism. Ultimately, the hilarious complications are resolved in a radiant comic masterpiece that will entertain and delight theater devotees and students of English drama alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Jun 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486112077

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.

Book preview

ACT I

Scene I.—A Street

Enter THOMAS; he crosses the Stage; FAG follows, looking after him.

FAG. What! Thomas! sure ’tis he?—What! Thomas! Thomas!

THOMAS. Hey!—Odd’s life! Mr. Fag!—give us your hand, my old fellow-servant.

FAG. Excuse my glove, Thomas:—I’m devilish glad to see you, my lad. Why, my prince of charioteers, you look as hearty!—but who the deuce thought of seeing you in Bath?

THOMAS. Sure, master, Madam Julia, Harry, Mrs. Kate, and the postillion, be all come.

FAG. Indeed!

THOMAS. Ay, master thought another fit of the gout was coming to make him a visit;—so he’d a mind to gi’t the slip, and whip! we were all off at an hour’s warning.

FAG. Ay, ay, hasty in every thing, or it would not be Sir Anthony Absolute!

THOMAS. But tell us, Mr. Fag, how does young master? Odd! Sir Anthony will stare to see the Captain here!

FAG. I do not serve Captain Absolute now.

THOMAS. Why sure!

FAG. At present I am employed by Ensign Beverley.

THOMAS. I doubt, Mr. Fag, you ha’n’t changed for the better.

FAG. I have not changed, Thomas.

THOMAS. No! Why didn’t you say you had left young master?

FAG. No.—Well, honest Thomas, I must puzzle you no farther:—briefly then—Captain Absolute and Ensign Beverley are one and the same person.

THOMAS. The devil they are!

FAG. So it is indeed, Thomas; and the ensign half of my master being on guard at present—the captain has nothing to do with me.

THOMAS. So, so!—What, this is some freak, I warrant!—Do tell us, Mr. Fag, the meaning o’t—you know I ha’ trusted you.

FAG. You’ll be secret, Thomas?

THOMAS. As a coach-horse.

FAG. Why then the cause of all this is—Love,—Love, Thomas, who (as you may get read to you) has been a masquerader ever since the days of Jupiter.

THOMAS. Ay, ay;—I guessed there was a lady in the case:—but pray, why does your master pass only for ensign?—Now if he had shammed general indeed—

FAG. Ah! Thomas, there lies the mystery o’ the matter. Hark’ee, Thomas, my master is in love with a lady of a very singular taste: a lady who likes him better as a half-pay ensign than if she knew he was son and heir to Sir Anthony Absolute, a baronet of three thousand a

Reviews for The Rivals

[atreic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was witty and amusing with very strongly drawn characters - much better than I was expecting, and a good readthrough.

[wenestvedt_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Saw "The Rivals" in 5th grade with my best friend Matt and his parents at the tiny Park Square Theater in downtown Saint Paul, and loved it. I bought this copy at the Killarney Bookshop on my honeymoon. (Yes, I got to go book-shopping on my honeymoon: what a lucky man!)

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this full audiobook via the L.A. Theatre Works website. I so do enjoy this play, especially Mrs. Malaprop! A wonderful way to spend a grey morning :)

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This comedy was first produced in 1775 and much of its humour still comes across well, with confusions of identities, romantic misunderstandings and, most famously, the wonderful comic creation of Mrs Malaprop, with her confusions of similar sounding words which have given birth to a term in modern English, such as "an allegory (alligator) on the banks of the Nile" or "the very pine-apple (pinnacle) of politeness". I enjoyed this rather more than School for Scandal.