Q1: The great writer and
playwright, Oscar Wilde, once wrote that, “an artist, sir, has no ethical
sympathies at all. Virtue and wickedness are to him simply what the colours on
his palette are to the painter. They are no more, and they are no less …
Shakespeare, as Keats said, had as much delight in creating the one as he had
in creating the other.” Do you think this is true for Sheridan and The School
for Scandal? Is there a strong moral that emerges in the final act…or does the
play remain mostly amoral, delighting in society’s depravity without strongly
taking sides?
Q2: In his attempt to seduce Lady Teazle, Joseph Surface claims that “ ‘Tis this very conscious innocence that is of the greatest prejudice to you. What is it that makes you negligent of forms and careless of the world’s opinion? Why, the consciousness of your innocence. What makes you impatient of Sir Peter’s temper and outrageous at his suspicions? Why, the consciousness of your own innocence” (4.3). What does this mean? Why might she need to be “unconscious” of her innocence in order to be truly “innocent”?
Q3: Sir Peter continually proclaims Joseph Surface as “a man of sentiment…there is nothing in the world so noble as a man of sentiment” (4.3). The Oxford English Dictionary defines this as (among other definitions), “What one feels with regard to something; mental attitude (of approval or disapproval, etc.); an opinion or view as to what is right or agreeable.” How does Joseph seem to embody this quality, and by extension, why doesn’t Charles?
Q4: Do you feel that Charles and/or Lady Teazle are truly reformed by the end of the play? While Charles repents for his conduct and Lady Teazle returns her “diploma” to Lady Sneerwell, is this yet another act in the play? Are they still playing roles for a different audience? Or have the masks finally come off? How can we tell?