English Comedy

acted action actors admiration amusing appears audience Beaumont and Fletcher Ben Jonson blank verse burlesque century character characterization Cibber classical clown comedy of manners comic Congreve court Covent Garden criticism dance daughter delightful dialogue disguised drama dramatists Drury Lane Dryden Duke Elizabethan English comedy entertainment fairies Falstaff fancy farce farcical fashion father Fletcher fortune French Gilbert girl heroine honour humour husband imitation intrigue invention Iolanthe Jonson King Lady later laugh literary literature London Lord lover Lyly maid marriage married Massinger medieval melodrama ment Middleton Molière moral never novel opera pantomime pastoral perhaps persons pieces Plautus plays plot popular present queen realistic Restoration Restoration comedy revived ridicule romantic comedy satire scarcely scenes senti sentimental comedy servant Shakespeare shows situations songs spectacle stage story style success theater theatrical theme tion tragedy tragicomedy tricks usually verse villain virtue wife woman writing