The Rivals as a Parody of 18th Century

An important factor influencing the drama of the 18th century is that the nature of the audience is constantly changing. By the middle of the eighteenth century narrow audience in the middle class conveyed the drama and the opposite moral values ​​for unethical behavior to the theater. The comedy is thinned and emotional. In addition, after the French Revolution and the ugly reality of the American Revolutionary War, the audience refused to accept discreet facts, caused sentimentism and broke the order of the times.

British writers of the 18th century, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift are friends and competitors, they write similar topics, but their irony style is quite different. Ironic was very popular in the 18th century, using humor, irony or jealousy to criticize the situation and individuals. The satirical work of the Pope is often fair compared to Swift, and it is often misunderstood that it supports his criticism. Pope's most famous piece, The Locked Rape, is a good example of how he writes in modest mock style rather than Swift. In The Rape of the Lock, he used a famous incident comparing the hair stolen between the two lovers (which can not be married due to Catholic law limitations) and it was abducted Troy Helen

In the 18th century, England created two wonderful portrait painters, Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) and Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). At the same time, the scene painted by the artist William Hogarth (1697-1764) shows the harsh aspect of the 18th century life. Royal College of Art was founded in 1768. In the drama world, the biggest actor in the 18th century was David Gallic (1717-1779). In science, Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) discovered oxygen. Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) discovered hydrogen. He also calculated the mass and density of the Earth. William Herschel (1738-1822) found Uranus. Scottish engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) built roads, canals, and Menai suspension bridges.