ABSTRACT
The ‘Augustan Age’ is generally reckoned to cover the first four decades of the eighteenth century. Augustan attitudes could also lead to a kind of static neoclassicism. Addison disliked the physicality of the theatre and argued for a cerebral drama. In The Tatler and The Spectator Steele and Addison developed a coherent approach to the stage through a series of reviews, ushering in a new form of dramatic criticism, one which asserted the morality of drama, and advocated a kind of anti-political politics of moderation. The former uses favourite dramatic motifs, such as recruitment to the armed forces and female cross-dressing particularly effectively, and indeed Sylvia, as a man, not only makes the stage her own but also encourages some intriguing gay byplay. The Beaux’ Stratagem is a brilliantly constructed comedy which has at its heart the knotty problem of marital relations.
