The term ‘sentimental’ refers to the type of comedy which arose in the mid 18 th century which contrasts traditional comedy where laughing is paramount. Instead there are serious aspects which arise in a sentimental comedy where the characters either have a strict sense of morality or an acute sensibility. The aim of any sentimental comedy is to show its characters in distress, from this aim, the term referring to such plays was ‘weeping comedy.’ This term applies greatly to the character of Julia. The weakness in the play comes from Sheridan’s attempt to follow the times and attitudes towards comedies. Sheridan tries to appeal to both audiences, those of the sentimental comedies and those of the more traditional comedies. The Rivals is a mixture of both, with the characters, Lydia, Mrs Malaprop, Bob Acres and Sir Lucius representing the traditional laughing comedies, whereas Julia is a representation of the sentimental comedies.
The difficulty lies with Julia. Sheridan in his prologue to the Rivals has Julia convince the audience that she is a figure of fun, ‘Is grey experience suited to her youth.’ From this the audience expects the play to be a laughing comedy. However, even though it is true to say that Lydia brings humorous aspects to the play with her ‘violent passions’ and her invention of her quarrel to fulfil the part of a romantic heroine, her friend Julia is quite to opposite. There is almost an anti climax in laughter as Julia, representing the sentimental aspects of the play brings seriousness to the scene as she analyses Faulkland. Her words are mellow contrasting the hyperbolic expressions of Lydia and despite his capricious nature she still excuses his behaviour. Instead of talking about the happiness between the two she talks of her unhappiness saying how their relationship has ‘cost’ her ‘many unhappy hours.’ The weakness arises in the fact that with Lydia’s fantasies of fulfilling her romantic view of love, the audience are attuned to laughter and then suddenly we are asked by Sheridan to weep with Julia.
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This anti-climax of laughter is seen again when Faulkland has a conversation with Julia. But we must first look at the conversations between characters leading up to the conversation involving the two lovers before we can analyse the weakness. Once again the audience are attuned to laughter as we see Faulkland become more angered as Acres talks of Julia’s happiness. He tries to have Acres tell him that Julia was unhappy ‘… yet surely a little trifling indisposition’ but Acres informs him that she was ‘the belle and spirit of the company’ contrasting greatly the view of Faulkland that Julia should be in bed weeping for him constantly.
Comical affect is added as we see how Acres does not know that every word and mention of Julia’s apparent happiness makes Faulkland angrier. When he hears how ‘lively and entertaining’s he was in his absence, he goes to ask his friend Absolute if he has been unhappy whilst Julia was away. The questions asked are comical in themselves but the replies of Absolute are too. It is as if Absolute is fed up of his friend’s capricious nature and just wants to quiet him down, seen through the repetition of the word ‘No.’ Faulkland becomes so agitated and flustered that when he wishes to ask Acres another question, he cannot remember his name ‘what’s his damned name.’ Even Acres, after Faulkland has stormed out repeating himself as if deranged finds space to laugh openly, ‘Ha! Ha!’ This jovial mood will change once the lovers meet. The aspects of a traditional comedy are seen through the conversation between Sir Anthony Absolute and Jack Absolute.
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‘I see an impudent scoundrel before me’ is humorous as the audience do not expect The dramatic irony brings a comical aspect to their interchange as the audience know that Absolute is lying in concern with his father’s ‘past goodness, and kindness, and condescension to me’ to get his own way with his father. It is not only comical but also sickening to see Jack flatter his father in such a manner. Added with this is Sir Anthony’s reply, ‘Well, Sir?’ as if he wants to be showered with more compliments from his ‘dog’ of a son. Jack’s pretence that he has never met the lovely Lydia reaches a climax when he asks his father whether he will have the ‘niece or the aunt?’ He well knows that he will have the niece but wants to make sure that his father does not know that he has already met his future wife. The comical aspects mentioned only emphasise the weakness that occur in this play. It is confusing for the audience as they have been accustomed to the entertaining antics between father and son.
Once Sheridan has the audience view the conversation between the lovers, the mood suddenly changes. Julia talks of her unhappiness whilst being away from her love and how her apparent happiness was her way to deal with the separation as she ‘dressed sorrows in smiles.’ How can an audience laugh when the characters on stage are in such melancholy? ‘Oh you torture me to the heart’ is a dramatic phrase, as the word ‘torture’ has connotations of pain, being asserted onto the sensitive heart. As soon as this is said, Julia exits the stage in tears, and this is the only time in the comedy that someone is crying for meaningful reasons. Faulkland seems to be taken in by Julia’s ways and takes a similar sentimental position when he declares that he ‘often wished’ himself ‘deformed’ when being with Julia. This declaration is melodramatic seen through the word ‘deformed’ and is far removed from the modern view of love and the pain love causes. He continues with his ask for Julia to ‘love me for me’ it is sentimental and extremely overwrought and these words would be heard in a romantic tragedy not in a comedy.
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His plea from Julia is similar to that of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her sonnets, which are sincere. She as Faulkland does, asks her lover, ‘if thou love me, let it be for love’s sake only’ as their love for one another should be pure. The weakness pointed out would not be seen as a weakness in a sentimental play. However, here it is, as Sheridan has created a mixture of the two forms of comedy and thus confusing the audience. There is a great weakness with the relationship between Julia and Faulkland as Sheridan has built a contradiction that makes no sense to any audience let alone a modern one..
