William Congreve

William Congreve
William Congreve in 1709 by Godfrey Kneller
Born	(1670-01-24)24 January 1670 Bardsey, England
Died	19 January 1729(1729-01-19) (aged 58) London, England
Occupation	Playwright, poet
Nationality	English
Period	1693–1700

William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet.

William Congreve was born in Bardsey, West Yorkshire, England (near Leeds). His parents were William Congreve (1637–1708) and Mary (née Browning; 1636?–1715). The family moved to London in 1672. They relocated again in 1674 to the Irish port town of Youghal where his father served as a lieutenant in the British army. Congreve spent his childhood in Ireland, where his father, a Cavalier, had settled during the reign of Charles II. Congreve was educated at Kilkenny College where he met Jonathan Swift, who would be his friend for the remainder of his life; and at Trinity College in Dublin. Upon graduation, he matriculated in the Middle Temple in London to study law, but felt himself pulled toward literature, drama, and the fashionable life. Congreve assumed the pseudonym Cleophil and went on to publish a work he had written at the approximate age of 17 called Incognita: or, Love and Duty reconcil'd in 1692. This early work gained him recognition among the men of letters and an entrance into the literary world. Artistically, he became a disciple of John Dryden whom he met through the gatherings of literary circles held at Will's Coffeehouse in the Covent Garden District of London. John Dryden would continue to be a massive supporter of the works of Congreve throughout his life. This support would take the form of panegyrical introductions for some of Congreve's later works.

William Congreve is seen as the man who shaped the English comedy of manners through his use of satire and well written dialogue. Congreve achieved fame in 1693 when he wrote some of the most popular English plays of the Restoration period. This period in time was unique because female roles were beginning to be played predominately by women. This shift in allowing women to perform could be seen in the works of Congreve. One of the favorites of the playwright was a woman by the name of Mrs Anne Bracegirdle. She was the actress that went on to hold many of the female lead roles in the works of Congreve. His first play, The Old Bachelor, written, by his own account, to amuse himself during convalescence, was produced at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1693 and later produced by the Theatre Royale. This first play was hailed as an enormous success, and it ran for an entire two-week period when it first opened. Congreve's mentor John Dryden gave the production rave reviews and proclaimed it to be a brilliant first piece. The second play to be produced was called The Double-Dealer which was not nearly as successful as the first production. By the age of thirty, he had written four comedies, including Love for Love (premiered 30 April 1695) staged in Lincoln's Inn Field which was nearly as well received as the first major success for Congreve, and The Way of the World (premiered March 1700). This play was an utter failure at the time of production but it is seen as one of his masterpieces today, and it is still frequently revived. He also went on to create one tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697) which was extremely popular at the time of creation but is now one of his least regarded dramas. After the production of Love for Love, Congreve became one of the managers for the Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1695. During that time, he went on to write public occasional verse. As a result of his success and literary merit, he was awarded one of the five positions of commissioner for licensing hackney coaches.