Key Terms You Must Know

📖 Key Terms You Must Know

Patent theatre

A theatre operating under a royal licence (patent) granting it exclusive rights to perform. Charles II issued just two patents in 1660 — to the Theatre Royal (Drury Lane) and the Duke's Company (later at Dorset Garden). Only these two companies could legally perform plays in London. This monopoly gave them royal protection but also meant all Restoration drama flowed through a very narrow, court-connected channel.

Restoration comedy

A genre of play dominant in the 1660s–1680s characterised by witty dialogue, sexual intrigue, the mockery of marriage and social conventions, and clever (often amoral) heroes called "rakes." Works by Wycherley, Etherege, and Behn are the key examples. Restoration comedy was controversial then and now — it deliberately celebrated libertine values as a reaction against Puritanism. Examiners love this term because it shows cultural knowledge AND understanding of why the culture was the way it was.

Proscenium stage

A stage format in which the audience faces a framed opening (the "proscenium arch") behind which the action takes place, with painted scenery that can be changed between scenes. This replaced Shakespeare's thrust stage (which projected into the audience on three sides). The proscenium stage, borrowed from French and Italian theatre, allowed far more elaborate visual spectacle — a key feature of Restoration theatre.

Libertine

A person (typically a man) who rejects conventional moral and religious constraints, especially around sexual behaviour. In Restoration England, libertinism was fashionable at court — Charles II himself had many mistresses and made no secret of it. George Etherege's play The Man of Mode (1676) featured a libertine hero, Dorimant, based on real courtiers. The libertine was celebrated in Restoration culture as witty, sophisticated, and free — the opposite of the Puritan ideal.

Royal Society

A scientific academy founded in 1660 and granted a royal charter in 1662. Charles II's support for the Royal Society was part of the same cultural project as his patronage of theatre — the Restoration celebrated both artistic pleasure and intellectual inquiry. Fellows included Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys, and Robert Boyle. The Society published scientific findings and promoted observation and experiment over tradition — a cultural as well as scientific revolution.

Baroque

An artistic style originating in continental Europe, characterised by elaborate ornamentation, grandeur, drama, and emotional intensity. In Restoration England, Baroque influence is visible in Christopher Wren's architecture (St Paul's Cathedral), Henry Purcell's music, and the elaborate staging of court masques. Charles II's French exile had exposed him to Baroque culture at its peak — Louis XIV's Versailles was its supreme expression.

Coffee house

A public establishment where men paid a penny to enter, drink coffee, and discuss news, politics, business, and culture. By the 1670s, London had hundreds of coffee houses, each associated with a particular profession or viewpoint — Lloyd's with shipping insurers, Will's with poets and playwrights, Jonathan's with stockbrokers. Coffee houses were crucial to Restoration cultural life because they spread ideas rapidly and created networks of discussion outside the court. Samuel Pepys was a regular visitor.

Patron/Patronage

A patron is a wealthy or powerful person who supports an artist, writer, or musician financially or through political protection. In Restoration England, the court was the most important source of patronage — Charles II patronised theatre companies, Purcell was employed by the Chapel Royal, Wren received royal commissions. Without patronage, most cultural production was impossible because there was no mass market to fund it. Understanding patronage explains WHY culture flourished — it had powerful, interested sponsors at the very top.