Richard sheridan

R ichard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (1751-1816) was an Irish playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as The Rivals, The School for Scandal and A Trip to Scarborough.

R.B. Sheridan was born in 1751 in Dublin, Ireland, His mother, Frances Sheridan, was a playwright and novelist. His father, Thomas Sheridan, was for a while an actor-manager at the Smock Alley Theatre but, following his move to England in 1758, he gave up acting and wrote a number of books concerning education in London.

In London Sheridan began writing for the stage. In 1775, his first play “The Rivals” was produced at London’s Covent Garden Theatre. His most famous play “The School for Scandal” (1777) is considered one of the greatest comedies of manners in English.

T he myth of pygmalion

In ancient Greece there lived a sculptor, Pygmalion by name. Once he made a statue of a young woman. The statue was so beautiful that Pygmalion fell in love with it. He wanted the statue to come to life and he asked the gods to help him. But the statue remained silent. Then Pygmalion decided to go to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. He asked Aphrodite to make the statue talk. On returning home Pygmalion ran up to his statue, looked at it, and suddenly he saw it move and then he heard it speak. The statue turned into a beautiful woman, and Pygmalion married her.

This myth is known to have inspired a number of artists, writers, composers.

Words & Expressions:

ancient – древний

a sculptor – скульптор

to come to life – ожить

Goddess – богиня

turned into – превратиться в

to inspire – вдохновлять

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) an Irish playwright was born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1876 he moved to London. He wrote regularly. In 1895, he became a music and theatre critic for the Saturday Review and he began writing plays. He decided to write plays in order to illustrate his criticism of the English stage. During his lifetime he wrote more than 60 plays (Caesar and Cleopatra, Widower's Houses, Arms and the Man, The Man of Destiny).

Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” (1912), a witty study of phonetics as well as a clever treatment of middle-class morality and class distinction, proved some of Shaw's greatest successes on the stage. It is a combination of the dramatic and the comic means. The play brought Shaw world-wide fame and the reputation of the most brilliant playwright of his time. The role of Eliza has become the most coveted role at the theatre and brought success to a number of outstanding actresses.

Bernard Shaw is known to have written “Pygmalion” for Mrs. Patrick Campbell, inspired by her brilliant performance as Ophelia. Mrs. Patrick or Pat, as she was called, was at the height of her fame and was well-known not only in Britain but in Europe as well. She was flattered that Shaw had written the play for her and she thanked him for offering her the leading part. She loved the role of Eliza and was delighted to play it. B. Shaw directed the play himself. The word-rehearsal lasted eight hours. The premiere of “Pygmalion” was superb and was a great success. The audience laughed all the time. At the end the spectators went mad with delight. There were endless curtain-calls, flowers and flattering speeches.

The play “Pygmalion” was later made into the film “My Fair Lady”. His screenplay won an Oscar (1938). He was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature (1925) for his contribution to literature.

Words & Expressions:

fame – слава

to be delighted – быть в восторге

a word-rehearsal – прогон

superb – великолепный

a screenplay – киносценарий

a coveted role – желаемая роль

to award – награждать