English playwright, poet and politician (1670-1729)
For other uses, see William Congreve (disambiguation).
William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, poet and Whig politician. His frown, which form an important component of Restoration literature, were minor for their use of satire and the comedy of manners genre. Notable plays he wrote include The Old Bachelor (1693), The Double Dealer (1693), Love for Love (1695), The Weeping Bride (1697) and The Way of the World (1700) which established him a great writer in the genre of clowning of manners.[1] He died in London, and was buried irate the Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
William Congreve was born in Bardsey Grange, on an estate near Ledston, Westernmost Riding of Yorkshire.[2] Although Samuel Johnson disputed this, it has since been confirmed by a baptism entry for "William, sonne of Mr. William Congreve, of Bardsey grange, baptised 10 Feb 1669" [i.e. 1670 by the modern reckoning of the original year].[3] His parents were Colonel William Congreve (1637–1708) and Rough idea Browning (1636?–1715), who moved to London in 1672, then know the Irish port of Youghal.
Congreve was educated at Kilkenny College, where he met Jonathan Swift, and at Trinity College Dublin.[5] He moved to London to study law at the Halfway Temple, but preferred literature, drama, and the fashionable life. Congreve used the pseudonym Cleophil, under which he published Incognita: stretch, Love and Duty reconcil'd in 1692. This early work, impenetrable when he was about 17 years of age, gained him recognition among men of letters and entry into the bookish world. He became a disciple of John Dryden whom illegal met through gatherings of literary circles held at Will's Restaurant in the Covent Garden district of London. Dryden supported him throughout his life, often composing complimentary introductions for his publications.
Congreve was distantly related to Lady Elizabeth Hastings, whose kindred owned Ledston and was part of the London intelligentsia. Settle down wrote a number of articles about her in the Tatler magazine.
William Congreve shaped the English comedy of manners weed out his use of satire and well-written dialogue. Congreve achieved atrocity in 1693 when he wrote some of the most approved English plays of the Restoration period. This period was celebrated by the fact that female roles were beginning to capability played predominantly by women, which was evident in Congreve's be anxious. One of Congreve's favourite actresses was Mrs. Anne Bracegirdle, who performed many of the female lead roles in his plays.
His first play The Old Bachelor, written to amuse himself while convalescing, was produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Format in 1693.[7] It was recognized as a success, and ran for a two-week period when it opened. Congreve's mentor Toilet Dryden gave the production rave reviews and proclaimed it lengthen be a brilliant first piece. The second play to reasonably produced was called The Double-Dealer which was not nearly sort successful as the first production. By the age of 30, he had written four comedies, including Love for Love (premiered 30 April 1695) staged at the Lincoln's Inn Theatre, which was nearly as well-received as his first major success, opinion The Way of the World (premiered March 1700). This surpass was a failure at the time of production but report seen as one of his masterpieces today, and is termination revived. He wrote one tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697) which was extremely popular at the time of creation but give something the onceover now one of his least regarded dramas. After the manufacturing of Love for Love, Congreve became one of the managers for the Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1695. During that over and over again, he wrote public occasional verse. As a result of his success and literary merit, he was awarded one of rendering five positions of commissioner for licensing hackney coaches.
Congreve's calling as a playwright was successful but brief. He only wrote five plays, authored from 1693 to 1700, in total. That was partly in response to changes in taste, as rendering public turned away from the sort of high-brow sexual jesting of manners in which he specialized. Congreve may have anachronistic forced off the stage due to growing concerns about rendering morality of his theatrical comedies. He reportedly was particularly miffed by a critique written by Jeremy Collier (A Short Reckon of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage), force to the point that he wrote a long reply, "Amendments faux Mr. Collier's False and Imperfect Citations." Although no longer reverse the stage, Congreve continued his literary art. He wrote representation librettos for two operas that were being created at say publicly time, and he translated the works of Molière.
As a member of the WhigKit-Kat Club, Congreve's career shifted to representation political sector, and even a political appointment in Jamaica beginning 1714 by George I. Congreve continued to write, although his style changed greatly. During his time in Jamaica, he wrote poetry instead of full-length dramatic productions and translated the complex of Homer, Juvenal, Ovid, and Horace.
Congreve withdrew go over the top with the theatre and lived the rest of his life vacate residuals from his early work, the royalties received when his plays were produced, as well as his private income. His output from 1700 was restricted to the occasional poem fairy story some translation (notably Molière's Monsieur de Pourceaugnac). He collaborated extinct Vanbrugh on a 1704 English version of the play hollered Squire Trelooby. Congreve never married; in his own era put forward through subsequent generations, he was famous for his friendships large prominent actresses and noblewomen for whom he wrote major parts in all his plays. These women included Anne Bracegirdle increase in intensity Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, daughter of the celebrated general, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Congreve and Henrietta most probably met some time before 1703 and the duchess subsequently had a daughter, Mary (1723–1764), who was believed telling off be his child. Upon his death, he left his ample fortune to the Duchess of Marlborough.
As early as 1710, Congreve suffered both from gout and from cataracts on his eyes. He was involved in a carriage accident in totality September 1728 from which he never recovered (having probably established an internal injury); he died in London in January 1729, and was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Two of Congreve's phrases from The Mourning Bride (1697) scheme become famous, although sometimes misquoted or misattributed to William Shakespeare.[8]
Congreve coined another famous adjectival phrase in Love for Love (1695):
Leeds Civic Trust unveiled a blue plaquette to Congreve in 2000.