The Man of Mode

The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter is a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, written in 1676. The play is set in Restoration London and follows the womanizer Dorimant as he tries to win over the young heiress Harriet and to disengage himself from his affair with Mrs. Loveit. Despite the subtitle, the fop Sir Fopling is only one of several minor characters; the rake Dorimant is the protagonist. The character of Dorimant may have been based on John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester; though there is no evidence of this. The part was first played by Thomas Betterton and Sir Fopling, the flamboyant fop of the hour, by William Smith. In 2007, the National Theatre produced a modern dress production of the play, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Tom Hardy as Dorimant. Rory Kinnear received a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance as Fopling. Mr. Dorimant Mr. Medley Old Bellair Young Bellair, in love with Emilia Sir Fopling Flutter Lady Townley, sister of Old Bellair Emilia Mrs. Loveit, in love with Dorimant Belinda, in love with Dorimant Lady Woodvill, and Harriet, her daughter Pert Busy A Shoemaker An Orange-Woman Three Slovenly Bullies Two Chairmen Mr. Smirk, a parson Handy, a valet de chambre Pages. Footmen, etc. The protagonist of The Man of Mode is Dorimant, a notorious libertine and man-about-town. The story opens with Dorimant addressing a billet-doux to Mrs. Loveit, with whom he is having an affair, to lie about his whereabouts. An "Orange-Woman" is let in and informs him of the arrival in London of a beautiful heiress – later known to be Harriet. Dorimant's closest friend and fellow rake, Medley, arrives and offers more information on her. Dorimant expresses his wish to break off his relationship with Mrs. Loveit, being already involved with her younger friend Belinda. The two friends plot to encourage Mrs. Loveit's jealousy so that she will break off the relationship with Dorimant. Young Bellair, the handsome acquaintance of both men, enters and relates his infatuation with Emilia, a woman serving as companion to Lady Townley—his devotion is ridiculed.

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Related concepts (2)

The Man of Mode

Restoration comedy

"Restoration comedy" is English comedy written and performed in the Restoration period of 1660–1710. Comedy of manners is used as a synonym for this. After public stage performances were banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime, reopening of the theatres in 1660 marked a renaissance of English drama. Sexually explicit language was encouraged by King Charles II (1660–1685) personally and by the rakish style of his court. Historian George Norman Clark argues: The best-known fact about the Restoration drama is that it is immoral.