 Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
Table of Contents Background Information WILLIAM CONGREVE William Congreve (1670-1729) was born on January 24, 1670, at Bardsey, near Leeds, in Yorkshire. He was the son of an army officer who became the steward to the Earl of Cork. Congreve studied at Kilkenny School, where he received a classical education. At the same time, Jonathan Swift, who was two years his senior, was a student at Kilkenny College. Congreve then entered Trinity College in Dublin at the age of sixteen; he was again a contemporary of Jonathan Swift at Trinity. Congreve’s interest in drama developed at Trinity. It is significant that the formative years of Congreve’s life were spent in Ireland, since Ireland has become almost synonymous with comic writers in English literature, such as Swift, Sterne, Sheridan, Wilde, and Shaw. He, however, left Ireland before he could complete his degree. Civil disturbances during the Jacobite War of 1688 resulted in James II’s losing the throne and forced the temporary closure of Trinity College. Congreve went to England, where he first stayed with his dying grandfather at Stretton in Staffordshire and then moved in with his family in London. In 1691, Congreve published some translations of Juvenal (a Roman satirical poet) and other poetry; he also published a novel, entitled Incognito or Love and Duty Reconciled under the pseudonym of Cleophil. The same year, he entered the Middle Temple, where he studied law for four years. In spite of his studies, his chief interest was the theater. As a result, he worked his way into the London literary scene and made the acquaintance of John Dryden, a famous poet, playwright, and critic. In 1696, he finally received an MA from Trinity.
Congreve’s importance as a writer derives from his five plays written in his late twenties and produced in London between 1693 and 1700. His first play, The Old Bachelor, was staged at the Theater Royal, Drury Lane, in March of 1693. A simple and conventional comedy, it was a huge success and a remarkable accomplishment for such a young playwright. His second play, The Double Dealer, appeared in December of the same year. Dryden wrote a moving tribute in verse entitled "To my Dear Friend, Mr. Congreve, on his Comedy, called The Double Dealer which states, "Thy first Attempt an early promise made; that early promise this has more than paid. The English audience, however, did not seem to share Dryden’s enthusiasm; although The Double Dealer was better written than The Old Bachelor, it took some time before it became established as a stock comedy. The play was criticized for the uncommon gullibility of the hero and also for the unconventional use of soliloquy in the representation of the villain, Maskwell. In 1694, Congreve commemorated the death of Queen Mary in The Mourning Muse of Alexis, for which he received a gift of one hundred pounds from King William. Congreve’s next comedy, Love for Love, was performed at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in April of 1695 and was a huge success. Congreve had been instrumental in setting up this theater, which was controlled by the actors themselves. He became the manager of the new acting company and was active in attracting new writing talent. This left little time for his own writings. His next play and only tragedy, The Mourning Bride, was performed at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theater in February of 1697, and was very well received. In April of 1698 Jeremy Collier published his pamphlet, A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage, in which he attacked the moral licentiousness of the Restoration dramatists and of Congreve in particular. In July of 1698, Congreve responded with his Amendments to Mr. Collier’s False and Imperfect Citations in which he attempted to clarify his position and restore the reputation of the comic dramatists. Congreve’s last play, which represents the height of his achievement, The Way of the World, was performed at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in March of 1700. Unfortunately, this masterpiece received only moderate success. The rest of Congreve’s life was spent in various occupations. He earned a steady income from the proceeds of commissionership for wine and for licensing hackney coaches. In 1714, he was appointed the Secretary to the Island of Jamaica. In his forties, he won the love of Henrietta, Duchess of Marlborough, and fathered a child by her at the age of fifty-three. His health, however, was not good, for he was overweight and suffered from gout. He died on January 19, 1729, in London, leaving his fortune to the Duchess of Marlborough. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. Table of Contents | |
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