The Rivals

by

Richard Sheridan

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Rivals makes teaching easy.
A moody and lovesick young man, Faulkland cannot believe his good fortune in being engaged to Julia and having her love, and constantly probes Julia to find out whether her love for him is real. He is the closest friend and confidante of Absolute, who finds his doubts ridiculous. Faulkland, on the other hand, thinks he loves Julia more deeply than Absolute loves Lydia. As soon as he is reassured of Julia in one way, though, he immediately finds something else to feel insecure about. Although he allows his doubts to drive him to behaving badly, he recognizes that this is a fault in his own temperament that never appears except when it comes to his love for Julia.

Faulkland Quotes in The Rivals

The The Rivals quotes below are all either spoken by Faulkland or refer to Faulkland. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sheridan and His World Theme Icon
).
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

I do not mean to distress you. If I loved you less I should never give you an uneasy moment. But hear me. All my fretful doubts arise from this. Women are not used to weigh and separate the motives of their affections: the cold dictates of prudence, gratitude, or filial duty, may sometimes be mistaken for the pleadings of the heart. I would not boast—yet let me say, that I have neither age, person, nor character, to found dislike on; my fortune such as few ladies could be charged with indiscretion in the match. O Julia! when love receives such countenance from prudence, nice minds will be suspicious of its birth.

Related Characters: Faulkland (speaker), Julia Melville
Page Number: 29-30
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 3 Quotes

FAULKLAND
What can you mean?—Has Lydia changed her mind?—I should have thought her duty and inclination would now have pointed to the same object.
ABSOLUTE
Ay, just as the eyes do of a person who squints: when her love-eye was fixed on me, t'other, her eye of duty, was finely obliqued: but when duty bid her point that the same way, off t'other turned on a swivel, and secured its retreat with a frown!

Related Characters: Captain Jack Absolute / Ensign Beverley (speaker), Faulkland (speaker), Lydia Languish
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, Scene 1 Quotes

You see before you a wretch, whose life is forfeited. Nay, start not!—the infirmity of my temper has drawn all this misery on me. I left you fretful and passionate—an untoward accident drew me into a quarrel—the event is, that I must fly this kingdom instantly. O Julia, had I been so fortunate as to have called you mine entirely, before this mischance had fallen on me, I should not so deeply dread my banishment!

Related Characters: Faulkland (speaker), Julia Melville
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Rivals LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Rivals PDF

Faulkland Quotes in The Rivals

The The Rivals quotes below are all either spoken by Faulkland or refer to Faulkland. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sheridan and His World Theme Icon
).
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

I do not mean to distress you. If I loved you less I should never give you an uneasy moment. But hear me. All my fretful doubts arise from this. Women are not used to weigh and separate the motives of their affections: the cold dictates of prudence, gratitude, or filial duty, may sometimes be mistaken for the pleadings of the heart. I would not boast—yet let me say, that I have neither age, person, nor character, to found dislike on; my fortune such as few ladies could be charged with indiscretion in the match. O Julia! when love receives such countenance from prudence, nice minds will be suspicious of its birth.

Related Characters: Faulkland (speaker), Julia Melville
Page Number: 29-30
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 3 Quotes

FAULKLAND
What can you mean?—Has Lydia changed her mind?—I should have thought her duty and inclination would now have pointed to the same object.
ABSOLUTE
Ay, just as the eyes do of a person who squints: when her love-eye was fixed on me, t'other, her eye of duty, was finely obliqued: but when duty bid her point that the same way, off t'other turned on a swivel, and secured its retreat with a frown!

Related Characters: Captain Jack Absolute / Ensign Beverley (speaker), Faulkland (speaker), Lydia Languish
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, Scene 1 Quotes

You see before you a wretch, whose life is forfeited. Nay, start not!—the infirmity of my temper has drawn all this misery on me. I left you fretful and passionate—an untoward accident drew me into a quarrel—the event is, that I must fly this kingdom instantly. O Julia, had I been so fortunate as to have called you mine entirely, before this mischance had fallen on me, I should not so deeply dread my banishment!

Related Characters: Faulkland (speaker), Julia Melville
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis: