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English Plays You Should Read
(at least once)
The Rover
Aphra Behn
 
Reading any of Aphra Behn's comedies is a good idea, The Rover is simply one of the more popular ones today.  Behn was the first female English playwright, so it is interesting to compare her works with her male contemporaries.
◘ Shows how "breeches roles" were incorporated into plays.
◘ Great example of sexual subtext, and there are even some scenes in a brothel.
◘ The play originally starred Thomas Betterton, one of England's most popular actors.
◘ Behn's works are great examples of comedies of intrigue.
The Royal Mischief
Delariviere Manley
 
A comedy written by another English female playwright.  While not as well-known as Aphra Behn, Manley was part of a group knows as the Female Wits (other members were Catharine Trotter and Mary Pix).  The Female Wits were not known as a part of theatre history until feminist movements pushed for inclusion of important female figures in history.
◘ Written by a playwright with a less-than-perfect reputation (she married her cousin who said he was grieving over his dead wife, only his wife ended up being alive, so Manley was left alone with an illegitimate child).
◘ This play was turned into a satire (which was pretty harsh on the Female Wits).
◘ You should read it because it's always fun to read things that are scandalous!
All for Love
John Dryden
 
While Restoration tragedies are not as popular today as the comedies, they were crucial to the development of theatre in England.  Some reasons this play stands out:
◘ It is a transformation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra into a neoclassical tragedy (many Restoration playwrights reworked Shakespeare plays).
◘ Dryden is the most well-known author of Restoration tragedy.
 
 

The Country Wife
William Wycherley
 
This play weaves three plots together and was very popular on the English stage.  A great example of a comedy of manners.
◘ Wycherley's mastery of sexual subtext goes unparalleled.
◘ The relationship between Pinchwife and Margery is recurrent in drama (based on Moliere's The School for Wives). This won't be the last time you see the idea of an older man raising a younger woman to be ignorant, so that when they marry she will not know about adultery.
◘ It will make you laugh, and even if it doesn't make you laugh you will learn what made English people laugh in the late 1600's
◘ If you plan on being involved in the world of theatre (or even literature), the "china" scene in this play is still often used as an exemplary reference to sexual subtext.
The Way of the World
William Congreve
 
This was Congreve's last play, and was actually considered a failure when it was first performed (after which he vowed never to write again).  In 1700, when the play was written, English people were placing more focus on traditional values and morals, and were less interested in seeing Restoration comedies.  They preferred instead the English sentimental comedies which focused on punishing sinners and rewarding virtue. 
◘ It is now believed to be one of the best comedies of the Restoration.
◘ Provides an example of a play written during a cultural transition (historical transitions are never seamless).
◘ Congreve is known for his beautiful prose style and as an excellent comedy writer.