The School for Scandal Essay Questions

Compare the characters of Charles Surface and Joseph Surface. Do you think Sir Oliver is right that Charles is worthy of his inheritance?

In the beginning and middle of The School for Scandal, Joseph is seen as the more respected and respectable of the two brothers. Though some say they have faith in him, especially by comparing his attitude to his father's at a young age, many criticize him in public for his lavish living and spending habits. Joseph, we find, has the opposite problem: he is miserly to the point of not giving money to a poor relative (when Sir Oliver comes to him disguised as Mr. Stanley), and this is why Sir Oliver declares Charles the more worthy of the two brothers. Through this decision, Sheridan seems to express the view that the worse fiscal problem in society is not people who spend too freely, but rather those who are too stingy. I would agree that, in terms of creating a more economically equal and stable society, stinginess is the worse trait.

How do names play a role in a reader or audience member's understanding of The School for Scandal? Choose one or two names and give specific examples of how they are used.

Sheridan uses characters' names to create humor and irony. In general, Sheridan uses characters' last names to create meaning, resulting in characters such as Charles, Joseph, and Oliver Surface; Benjamin Backbite; and Careless (no first name given).

This humor through names is present from the outset of the play. In Act I Scene I, Lady Sneerwell and Snake discuss the plan that will drive much of the conflict of the play: a plot to spread a rumor that Lady Teazle is having an affair with Charles. Lady Sneerwell and Snake's names set them up as negative characters—Lady Sneerwell for her judging others and gossiping about them, and Snake for being a sneaky double-crosser.

However, other names seem to be bestowed not to show the truth about a character, but rather to create irony. For example, Mrs. Candour's name suggests the idea of "candour" (or, in American English, "candor"), which means openness and honesty. On the contrary, Mrs. Candour creates and spreads rumors as much as Lady Sneerwell or the other company they keep.

In The School for Scandal, does the revelation of truth and dispelling of rumors lead to positive or negative outcomes? What moral do you think Sheridan means to convey about truth?

In general, revelations in The School for Scandal seem to lead to positive outcomes. This is the case when the truth being revealed is positive, such as when it is revealed that Lady Sneerwell was making up the affair between Charles and Lady Teazle, which was keeping Maria from trusting Charles. Surprisingly, however, this is even more true when the revelation is negative. For example, when Sir Peter discovers the affair between Joseph and Lady Teazle, Sir Peter forgives his wife and even believes that the event could be good for their marriage. Through this, Sheridan upholds the value of truth, even when the truth is negative, thereby arguing that society will be happier and stronger when truths trump rumors.

In what ways does Sheridan use dramatic irony in The School for Scandal? What effect does this have on the audience?

Dramatic irony is created when the audience and/or characters have knowledge that certain characters do not have. Dramatic irony is a major component of the humor and suspense of The School for Scandal, especially it relates to characters plotting to lie, spread rumors, and conceal themselves.

With regard to lies and rumors, one example is the rumor set up in front of the audience in Act I Scene I; Lady Sneerwell, Joseph, and Snake plot to separate Maria and Charles by spreading a rumor about Charles being involved with another woman. The audience watches this rumor spread, knowing the truth, and tension builds as characters spread and discuss the rumor.

Major moments of dramatic irony also come from hiding and disguises. The audience knows that Sir Oliver is in disguise when he visits Joseph as Mr. Stanley and Charles as Mr. Premium, making conversations about their rich uncle humorous, ironic, and full of tension. In another scene, both Lady Teazle and Sir Peter hide in a room where others are discussing them, and the scene is full of suspense as to whether they will be accidentally or purposefully revealed.

The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners, satirizing the social values, virtues, and vices of its time. What might a contemporary comedy of manners look like? What aspects of today’s values might you choose to satirize?

The School for Scandal mostly satirized upper-class people and the way they amused themselves by spreading false information. In fact, this same criticism could be leveled at contemporary society as well. However, where rumors were spread by word of mouth and newspapers in Sheridan's time, a modern comedy of manners might include TV personalities, social media like Twitter and Facebook, and satirical news websites like The Onion. Furthermore, today there are laws in many countries about slander and libel, so these legal issues could be part of the plot more directly than was possible in The School for Scandal.