Compare and contrast Sheridan's the rivals with the Georgian period.

Although the Rivals were written during the Georgian period, the play did not reflect on this. In the Rivals the centre of entertainment seemed to be the city of Bath people went there for pleasure and to bath in the waters, which were built by the Roman.  They believed that it had special healing powers and for some the main reason for the trip to Bath was for this reason. In the Rivals there was no people playing cards.  For girls the reading of books was forbidden I see this as trying to pursue intelligence, which was not allowed to happen. The playing of instruments did not exist either.

The girls were the property of their fathers and all children who lived in an upper class society were expected to obey their parents with matters of marriage and careers. This idea also existed in the Rivals. However, girls were never really given the opportunity to disobey their fathers, the two main female characters do have fathers. Lydia is looked after by her aunt who is a sort of father figure and Julia’s father is presumed dead (the audience does not definitely know but is under the illusion due to conversations). If the children failed to obey their elders then they would face severe consequences such as not getting inheritance money. . The practice of having arranged marriages existed in both the Georgian age and the Rivals

One factor that didn’t exist in the Rival’s was the condition of the street. In the Rivals people were standing outside strolling down the street, having conversations. In reality the streets would have been filled with raw sewage, people would have thrown human waste out the window. There would have been rat infestations that would carry diseases. There would be poverty stricken areas; ten people would live in one house. People would try and make money by stealing and the only other form of work was at a workhouse.

I think that when Sheridan wrote this play he wanted to escape from reality of the diseases and poverty. He fails to mention the workhouse and hard labour. Children could be hanged for stealing a hanky. There is little or no hint to this in the Rivals. Other than Fag and Thomas he neglects the lower class people and they are not really classed as poor. In the play he talks mainly about love, arranged marriage, money and inheritance. He does not wish to blacken the reputation of king George. It deal with the closed world.