English Comedy

acted action actors admiration adventures amusing appears audience Beaumont and Fletcher Ben Jonson blank verse burlesque century chapter character characterization Cibber classical clown comedy of manners comic Congreve court Covent Garden criticism dance delightful dialogue disguised drama dramatists Drury Lane Dryden Duke Elizabethan English comedy entertainment Falstaff fancy farce farcical fashion father Fletcher fortune French Gilbert girl heroine honour humour husband imitation intrigue invention Iolanthe Jonson King Lady later laughter literary literature London Lord lover Lyly marriage married Massinger medieval melodrama ment merry Middleton Molière moral novel opera pantomime pastoral perhaps persons pieces Plautus plays plot popular present queen realistic Restoration Restoration comedy revived ridicule romantic comedy satire scenes senti sentimental comedy servant Shakespeare Sheridan shows situations songs spectacle stage story style success theater theatrical theme tion tragedy tragicomedy tricks usually Vanbrugh verse villain virtue wife woman writing