Definition and pronunciation
Restoration comedy — noun: a style of English stage comedy flourishing after the restoration of the monarchy (1660–early 1700s), famous for sharp wit, sexual politics, and social satire.
Pronunciation: /ˌrɛstəˈreɪʃən ˈkɒmədi/ (US/UK).
Easy explanation
Restoration comedy is lively, clever theater about manners, flirting, and marriage games among fashionable people. Expect fast talk, disguises, and plots about love, money, and reputation.
Part of speech and grammar
- Noun (uncountable/countable): Restoration comedy shaped later sitcoms; a Restoration comedy by Congreve.
- Attributive use: Restoration-comedy wit; Restoration-comedy hero.
- Time frame: roughly 1660–c. 1710 (after Charles II returned to the throne).
Register and tone
Literary/cultural history. Tone can be celebratory (for its polish and wit) or critical (for class snobbery or dated gender norms).
Connection to sexuality
Direct. Plots center on desire, courtship, adultery scares, and double standards. The “rake” and “coquette” are key figures. Modern productions often add care with consent and update staging to handle bawdy jokes responsibly.
Common collocations
comedy of manners; rakish hero; witty couple; fop/dandy; coquette; cuckold plot; bawdy repartee; intrigue comedy; duels of wit; masking and unmasking; marriage market; libertine ethos; “china scene” (from The Country Wife).
Idioms and expressions
- duel of wit — rapid back-and-forth banter between equals.
- a rake’s progress — cultural shorthand for a libertine’s slide (used later but evokes the same world).
- Restoration sparkle — critics’ phrase for its verbal dazzle.
Prepositions and nuance
- in Restoration comedy — setting for themes: In Restoration comedy, reputation rules.
- of the Restoration — historical label: plays of the Restoration stage.
- from Restoration comedy — influence: sitcom tropes from Restoration comedy.
- about marriage/sex/money — topic focus.
- with disguises/epilogues/prologues — stylistic features.
Word comparisons
- Restoration comedy vs comedy of manners — near-synonyms; Restoration comedy is the period form, comedy of manners is the broader type.
- Restoration comedy vs sentimental comedy — the later 18th-century sentimental kind softens satire and moralizes; Restoration is sharper and more cynical.
- Restoration comedy vs Restoration tragedy — tragedy of the same era favors heroic couplets and high stakes, not social flirtation.
- Restoration comedy vs Molière — shared roots in wit and hypocrisy satire; Molière is French/classicist, Restoration is English/urbane.
Real-life examples
- Aphra Behn’s The Rover features clever women negotiating desire and danger in carnival settings.
- William Wycherley’s The Country Wife satirizes hypocrisy (the infamous “china scene”).
- William Congreve’s The Way of the World climaxes with a “proviso scene,” where lovers negotiate terms before marrying.
- George Etherege’s The Man of Mode creates the template for the charming rake and vain fop.
Sample sentences
- The production leaned into Restoration-comedy banter while trimming dated jokes.
- Critics praised the duels of wit between the would-be couple.
- Her essay reads The Way of the World as a negotiation of consent long before the term existed.
- The director set the Restoration plot in a modern cocktail-party world.
- Costumes and rakish posture helped the actor play a classic rake without glamorizing harm.
Synonyms
comedy of manners, Restoration stage comedy, wit comedy, high comedy (contextual), libertine comedy (contextual)
Antonyms
sentimental comedy, moral drama, tragedy, melodrama, didactic theatre
Related terms
rake, rakehell, roué, fop, coquette, bawdy, libertine, bon vivant, repartee, epigram, prologue/epilogue, patent theatres, Aphra Behn, William Congreve, William Wycherley, George Etherege, The Rover, The Country Wife, The Way of the World, The Man of Mode, Nell Gwyn, Jeremy Collier (critique), censorship, comedy of manners, Restoration era
Notes and etiquette
When writing about these plays today, name outdated attitudes plainly (classism, sexism) and focus on staging choices—consent-aware intimacy direction, content notes, and cutting or reframing jokes that punch down—while keeping the sparkle of the language.
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