48 pages • 1 hour read
The School for Scandal
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners written by Richard Sheridan. The play was initially performed at the Drury Lane Theater in 1777. Though the play premiered well into the 18th century, it is often included in collections of Restoration comedies (1660-1710), as it shares many common elements with the comedies of manners from that period and the period immediately following it. Like many comedies of manners, The School for Scandal relies on the common behaviors and social norms of the upper classes to make fun of them, such as pleasantries, their sources of wealth, and gossip.
The play follows a group of upper-class characters who all suffer or partake in the culture of gossip and scandal of the time. Characters like Lady Sneerwell, Snake, Mrs. Candour, and Joseph Surface attempt to use gossip to promote their own interests, including adopting Lady Teazle into their fold. Meanwhile, characters like Peter Teazle, Maria, and Charles Surface struggle to overcome the social consequences of Sneerwell’s group’s rumors. The dominant themes in the text are The Discrepancy Between Public Virtue and Private Vice, The Destructive Nature of Gossip and Scandal, and Unlock all 48 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
