The desire of characters in The Rivals to demonstrate their sophistication, education, and wit often results in hilarious exchanges as they overextend themselves in their efforts. One of the ways Sheridan’s characters try to demonstrate their education is via allusions to Greek mythology, as well as the use of Latin (and other foreign languages like French), as in the following passage from Act 2, Scene 1:
Acres: there is no meaning in the common oaths, and that nothing but their antiquity makes them respectable; because, he says, the ancients would never stick to an oath or two, but would say by Jove! or by Bacchus! or by Mars! or by Venus! or by Pallas! according to the sentiment – so that to swear with propriety, says my little major, the ‘oath should be an echo to the sense’; and this we call the oath referential, or sentimental swearing – ha! ha! ha! ’tis genteel, isn’t it?
In the quote above, Squire Bob Acres equates respectability to one’s acumen in oath-making and invokes both the wisdom of the ancients and the power of the Grecco-Roman gods to make his point. Although he claims that making such swears will allow speakers to seem more “genteel,” in reality, his petty, gleeful interest in the intricacies of such statements demonstrates his own lack of refinement.
Additionally, the allusions to Greek mythology made by the servant characters in the play demonstrate the ambitions of the lower class—particularly their aspirations to appear similar to the educated people they serve. For example, in Act 1, Scene 1, Fag alludes to the god Jupiter in his attempt to verbalize the excessive magnitude of Absolute’s deceptive scheme:
Why then the cause of all this is — LOVE — Love, Thomas, who (as you may get read to you) has been a masquerader ever since the days of Jupiter.
However, like many of the humorous wealthy characters in the play, the allusions made by those belonging to the lower class do not actually serve to elevate the servants’ status in any way. Instead, they merely reveal their own pretentious qualities.
The desire of characters in The Rivals to demonstrate their sophistication, education, and wit often results in hilarious exchanges as they overextend themselves in their efforts. One of the ways Sheridan’s characters try to demonstrate their education is via allusions to Greek mythology, as well as the use of Latin (and other foreign languages like French), as in the following passage from Act 2, Scene 1:
Acres: there is no meaning in the common oaths, and that nothing but their antiquity makes them respectable; because, he says, the ancients would never stick to an oath or two, but would say by Jove! or by Bacchus! or by Mars! or by Venus! or by Pallas! according to the sentiment – so that to swear with propriety, says my little major, the ‘oath should be an echo to the sense’; and this we call the oath referential, or sentimental swearing – ha! ha! ha! ’tis genteel, isn’t it?
In the quote above, Squire Bob Acres equates respectability to one’s acumen in oath-making and invokes both the wisdom of the ancients and the power of the Grecco-Roman gods to make his point. Although he claims that making such swears will allow speakers to seem more “genteel,” in reality, his petty, gleeful interest in the intricacies of such statements demonstrates his own lack of refinement.
Additionally, the allusions to Greek mythology made by the servant characters in the play demonstrate the ambitions of the lower class—particularly their aspirations to appear similar to the educated people they serve. For example, in Act 1, Scene 1, Fag alludes to the god Jupiter in his attempt to verbalize the excessive magnitude of Absolute’s deceptive scheme:
Why then the cause of all this is — LOVE — Love, Thomas, who (as you may get read to you) has been a masquerader ever since the days of Jupiter.
However, like many of the humorous wealthy characters in the play, the allusions made by those belonging to the lower class do not actually serve to elevate the servants’ status in any way. Instead, they merely reveal their own pretentious qualities.
