Richard Sheridan’s The Rivals is a play written in five acts, as well as a preface, two prologues, and an epilogue. The preface and body of the play are composed in prose dialogue, while the prologues and epilogue are written in poetic verse. The fact that Sheridan wrote a preface and multiple prologues demonstrates the fact that playwriting, unlike other forms of literature, is a continuous and fluid process that depends on the translation of text to stage and the reception of an audience.
The Rivals underwent a massive rewrite following the play’s disaster-like opening night reception. Course-correcting to suit the tastes of his audience, Sheridan builds lively scenes, making ample use of dramatic irony to create humorous commentary on courtship, class expectations, and generational differences. His dialogue for Mrs. Malaprop in particular deserves note for the fact that the very term "malapropism"—which refers to the act of confusing two words that sound similar—is derived from her name due to her excessive use of the verbal blunder (it's also worth noting that Sheridan most likely borrowed the term from the French mal à propros). The pattern of deception and disguise that appears throughout this play also comes forth in much of his later work—thus, The Rivals may be seen as Sheridan’s early attempts to think through the larger themes that ultimately define his authorial mark.
