The Rivals

The Rivals is a classic play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It is a comedy of manners that was first performed in 1775. The story revolves around the romantic entanglements of several characters, including the wealthy Captain Jack Absolute, his love interest Lydia Languish, and the scheming Mrs. Malaprop. Captain Jack Absolute, who is in love with Lydia Languish, pretends to be a penniless soldier named Ensign Beverley in order to win her heart. However, Lydia is a hopeless romantic who is obsessed with the idea of marrying a poor man, and she is disappointed when she discovers that Jack is actually wealthy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Malaprop, Lydia’s aunt, is determined to find a suitable husband for her niece and is constantly making comical mistakes with her use of language.The play is full of witty dialogue, mistaken identities, and humorous misunderstandings. It is a satire of the upper-class society of the time and their preoccupation with wealth and status. The Rivals is considered one of the greatest comedies of the 18th century and has been performed countless times over the years.Mrs. Mal. You thought, Miss!--I don’t know any business you have to think at all--thought does not become a young woman; the point we would request of you is, that you will promise to forget this fellow--to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory. (Note: all the webmaster’s mis-typings on own message board have just been explained by genetics.)This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.