Editing William Congreve (section)

==Literary career==
William Congreve 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 [[English Restoration|Restoration]] period. This period was distinguished by the fact that female roles were beginning to be played predominantly by women, which was evident in Congreve's work. One of Congreve's favourite actresses was Mrs. [[Anne Bracegirdle]], who performed many of the female lead roles in his plays.

His first play ''[[The Old Bachelor]]'', written to amuse himself while convalescing, was produced at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] in 1693.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Rump|editor1-first=Edward|title=The comedies of William Congreve|date=1985|publisher=Penguin Books|location=Harmondsworth, England|isbn=9780140432312|page=[https://archive.org/details/comediesofwillia00cong/page/10 10]|edition=3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/comediesofwillia00cong/page/10}}</ref> It was recognized as a success, and ran for a two-week period when it 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 30, he had written four comedies, including ''[[Love for Love]]'' (premiered 30 April 1695) staged at the [[Lisle's Tennis Court|Lincoln's Inn Theatre]], which was nearly as well-received as his first major success, and ''[[The Way of the World]]'' (premiered March 1700). This play was a failure at the time of production but is seen as one of his masterpieces today, and is still revived. He wrote 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 wrote 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.

Congreve's career as a playwright was successful but brief. He only wrote five plays, authored from 1693 to 1700, in total. This was partly in response to changes in taste, as the public turned away from the sort of high-brow sexual [[comedy of manners]] in which he specialized. Congreve may have been forced off the stage due to growing concerns about the morality of his theatrical comedies. He reportedly was particularly stung by a critique written by [[Jeremy Collier]] (''A [[Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage]]''), to the point that he wrote a long reply, "Amendments of Mr. Collier's False and Imperfect Citations." Although no longer on the stage, Congreve continued his literary art. He wrote the librettos for two operas that were being created at the time, and he translated the works of [[Molière]].

As a member of the [[British Whig Party|Whig]] [[Kit-Kat Club]], Congreve's career shifted to the political sector, and even a political appointment in Jamaica in 1714 by [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]. Congreve continued to write, although his style changed greatly. During his time in Jamaica, he wrote poetry instead of full-length dramatic productions and translated the works of Homer, Juvenal, Ovid, and Horace.