The mood of The School for Scandal is consistently jovial and lighthearted for the duration of the production. Even though there are many dastardly plots afoot (including reputation-ruining rumors, multiple disguises and deceptions, would-be-affairs, and licentious behavior), Sheridan avoids rendering any scene that might veer too heavily into tragedy or seriousness. The characters’ dialogue is full of banter (and sometimes posturing), while moments of ridicule and cruelty on the part of those like Snake and Lady Sneerwell (among the other gossips) are curbed by the fact that the subjects of their venom are almost never present to receive the mean-spirited remarks. No real, lasting harm is done to any of the gossips’ intended targets because their targets often do not know that they are being insulted to begin with!
Even the more serious matters in the play, like Charles’s terrible reputation and rumored affair with Lady Teazle, are treated not as all-consuming life-ruining events, but rather as small problems that can be resolved with plain, simple discussion. In the end, every character in The School for Scandal gets their just deserts; punishments for bad behavior are minimal but definitive, while rewards are given to those who deserve them. Liars are exposed, disguises are done away with, marriages are restored, and lovers are reunited. In other words, all’s well that ends well!
