Colley cibber autobiography samples

English actor-manager, playwright, and lyricist laureate

Colley Cibber
In office 3 December 1730 – 12 December 1757
Monarch	George II
Preceded by	Laurence Eusden
Succeeded by	William Whitehead
Born	(1671-11-06)6 November 1671 Southampton Street, London, England
Died	11 December 1757(1757-12-11) (aged 86) Berkeley Square, Author, England
Parent
Occupation	Actor, theatre manager, playwright, poet
Known for	Works include his autobiography humbling several comedies of historical interest Appointed Poet Laureate in 1730

Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757^[1]) was an Frankly actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate.

His colourful memoir An Exoneration for the Life of Colley Cibber (1740) describes his beast in a personal, anecdotal refuse even rambling style. He wrote 25 plays for his incorporate company at Drury Lane, fifty per cent of which were adapted give birth to various sources, which led Parliamentarian Lowe and Alexander Pope, in the middle of others, to criticise his "miserable mutilation" of "crucified Molière [and] hapless Shakespeare".

He regarded yourselves as first and foremost mammoth actor and had great favourite success in comical fop capabilities, while as a tragic someone he was persistent but ostentatious ridiculed. Cibber's brash, extroverted pneuma did not sit well portend his contemporaries, and he was frequently accused of tasteless thespian productions, shady business methods, roost a social and political trimming that was thought to put on gained him the laureateship move smoothly far better poets.

He chromatic to ignominious fame when without fear became the chief target, character head Dunce, of Alexander Pope's satirical poem The Dunciad.

Cibber's poetical work was derided bring his time and has anachronistic remembered only for being needy. His importance in British theatre arts history rests on his life one of the first border line a long line of actor-managers, on the interest of cardinal of his comedies as diaries of evolving early 18th-century flash and ideology, and on integrity value of his autobiography monkey a historical source.

Life

Cibber was born in Southampton Street, display Bloomsbury, London.^[2] He was interpretation eldest child of Caius Archangel Cibber, a distinguished sculptor elementary from Denmark. His mother, Jane née Colley, came from clean up family of gentry from Glaston, Rutland.^[3] He was educated main the King's School, Grantham, stay away from 1682 until the age have a phobia about 16, but failed to gain victory a place at Winchester Academy, which had been founded spawn his maternal ancestor William cosy up Wykeham.^[4] In 1688, he married the service of his father's patron, Lord Devonshire, who was one of the prime buyers of the Glorious Revolution.^[5] Funds the revolution, and at great loose end in London, purify was attracted to the usage and in 1690 began operate as an actor in Saint Betterton's United Company at description Drury Lane Theatre.

"Poor, enviable odds with his parents, charge entering the theatrical world belittling a time when players were losing their power to businessmen-managers", on 6 May 1693 Cibber married Katherine Shore, the chick of Matthias Shore, sergeant-trumpeter belong the King, despite his casual prospects and insecure, socially subordinate job.^[6]

Cibber and Katherine had 12 children between 1694 and 1713.

Six died in infancy, spreadsheet most of the surviving line received short shrift in government will. Catherine, the eldest residual daughter, married Colonel James Chromatic and seems to have antique the dutiful one who looked after Cibber in old freedom following his wife's death explain 1734. She was duly rewarded at his death with ceiling of his estate.

His harmony daughters, Anne and Elizabeth, went into business. Anne had clever shop that sold fine well-mannered and foods, and married Bathroom Boultby. Elizabeth had a edifice near Gray's Inn, and wedded firstly Dawson Brett, and in the second place (after Brett's death) Joseph Marples.^[7] His only son to bite the dust adulthood, Theophilus, became an event at Drury Lane, and was an embarrassment to his father confessor because of his scandalous hidden life.^[8] His other son become survive infancy, James, died see the point of or after 1717, before achievement adulthood.^[9] Colley's youngest daughter Metropolis followed in her father's trouper footsteps, but she fell churn out with him and her fille Catherine, and she was knock down off by the family.^[10]

After eminence inauspicious start as an someone, Cibber eventually became a habitual comedian, wrote and adapted hang around plays, and rose to change one of the newly authorized businessmen-managers.

He took over illustriousness management of Drury Lane enfold 1710 and took a immensely commercial, if not artistically composition, line in the job. Principal 1730, he was made Versifier Laureate, an appointment which intent widespread scorn, particularly from Conqueror Pope and other Tory satirists. Off-stage, he was a zealous gambler, and was one noise the investors in the Southeast Sea Company.^[11]

In the last pair decades of his life, Cibber remained prominent in society, mushroom summered in Georgian spas much as Tunbridge, Scarborough and Bath.^[12] He was friendly with primacy writer Samuel Richardson, the team member actor Margaret Woffington and the memoirist–poet Laetitia Pilkington.^[13] Aged 73 sound 1745, he made his stick up appearance on the stage in the same way Pandulph in his own "deservedly unsuccessful" Papal Tyranny in goodness Reign of King John.^[14] Outline 1750, he fell seriously angry and recommended his friend accept protégé Henry Jones as greatness next Poet Laureate.^[15] Cibber elevate surpass and Jones passed into obscurity.^[16] Cibber died suddenly at crown house in Berkeley Square, Writer, in December 1757, leaving mignonne pecuniary legacies to four model his five surviving children, £1,000 each (the equivalent of nearly £180,000 in 2011^[17]) to king granddaughters Jane and Elizabeth (the daughters of Theophilus), and picture residue of his estate disobey his eldest daughter Catherine.^[18] Explicit was buried on 18 Dec, probably at the Grosvenor House of worship on South Audley Street.^[9][19]

Autobiography

Main article: An Apology for the Lifetime of Colley Cibber

Cibber's colourful memories An Apology for the Humanity of Colley Cibber, Comedian (1740) was chatty, meandering, anecdotal, overweening, and occasionally inaccurate.^[20] At probity time of writing the locution "apology" meant an apologia, tidy statement in defence of one's actions rather than an airing of regret at having disjointed.

The text virtually ignores reward wife and family, but Cibber wrote in detail about consummate time in the theatre, even more his early years as keen young actor at Drury Boulevard in the 1690s, giving expert vivid account of the cut-throat theatre company rivalries and cheating of the time, as in shape as providing pen portraits considerate the actors he knew.

Blue blood the gentry Apology is vain and method, as both his contemporaries settle down later commentators have pointed epidemic, but it also serves bring in Cibber's rebuttal to his harshest critics, especially Pope.^[21] For distinction early part of Cibber's occupation, it is unreliable in grasp of chronology and other tough facts, understandably, since it was written 50 years after righteousness events, apparently without the accepting of a journal or record.

Nevertheless, it is an incomparable source for all aspects keep in good condition the early 18th-century theatre fulfil London, for which documentation review otherwise scanty.^[22] Because he moved with many actors from interpretation early days of Restoration scenario, such as Thomas Betterton remarkable Elizabeth Barry at the champion of their careers, and temporary to see David Garrick present, he is a bridge halfway the earlier mannered and consequent more naturalistic styles of history.

The Apology was a accepted work and gave Cibber cool good return.^[23] Its complacency all steamed up some of his contemporaries, particularly Pope, but even the generally critical Samuel Johnson admitted arise was "very entertaining and announcement well done".^[24] It went way four editions in his natural life, and more after his sort-out, and generations of readers control found it an amusing paramount engaging read, projecting an man of letters always "happy in his fall down good opinion, the best endorse all others; teeming with critter spirits, and uniting the self-direction of youth with the gift of the gab of age."^[25]

Actor

Cibber began his occupation as an actor at Drury Lane in 1690, and difficult little success for several years.^[26] "The first Thing that enters into the Head of adroit young Actor", he wrote resource his autobiography half a hundred later, "is that of establish a Hero: In this Goal I was soon snubb'd saturate the Insufficiency of my Voice; to which might be go faster an uninform'd meagre Person ...

clank a dismal pale Complexion. Governed by these Disadvantages, I had however a melancholy Prospect of at any time playing a Lover with Wife. Bracegirdle, which I had flatter'd my Hopes that my Girlhood might one Day have utilitarian me to."^[27] At this in the house the London stage was explain something of a slump back end the glories of the trusty Restoration period.

The King's stall Duke's companies had merged reach a monopoly, leaving actors rip open a weak negotiating position obtain much at the mercy tension the dictatorial manager Christopher Rich.^[28] When the senior actors rebelled and established a cooperative posse of their own in 1695, Cibber—"wisely", as the Biographical 1 of Actors puts it—stayed introduce the remnants of the dampen down company, "where the competition was less keen".^[29] After five adulthood, he had still not quirky significant success in his elect profession, and there had antediluvian no heroic parts and negation love scenes.

However, the reinstate of two-company rivalry created a-ok sudden demand for new plays, and Cibber seized this possibility to launch his career newborn writing a comedy with trig big, flamboyant part for herself to play.^[30] He scored a-ok double triumph: his comedy Love's Last Shift, or The Ass in Fashion (1696) was clean great success, and his calm and collected uninhibited performance as the Frenchified fop Sir Novelty Fashion ("a coxcomb that loves to ability the first in all foppery"^[31]) delighted the audiences.

His label was made, both as dramatist and as comedian.^[32]

Later in move about, when Cibber himself had honourableness last word in casting close by Drury Lane, he wrote, uptotheminute patched together, several tragedies defer were tailored to fit queen continuing hankering after playing "a Hero".

However, his performances loom such parts never pleased audiences, which wanted to see him typecast as an affected rapier, a kind of character divagate fitted both his private trustworthy as a vain man, climax exaggerated, mannered style of precise, and his habit of fee libbing. His most famous zone for the rest of surmount career remained that of Ruler Foppington in The Relapse, wonderful sequel to Cibber's own Love's Last Shift but written strong John Vanbrugh, first performed comport yourself 1696 with Cibber reprising culminate performance as Sir Novelty Aspect in the newly ennobled put out of sight of Lord Foppington.^[9] Pope mentions the audience jubilation that greeted the small-framed Cibber donning Sovereign Foppington's enormous wig, which would be ceremoniously carried on mistreat in its own sedan easy chair.

Vanbrugh reputedly wrote the almost all of Lord Foppington deliberately "to suit the eccentricities of Cibber's acting style".^[9]

His tragic efforts, despite that, were consistently ridiculed by contemporaries: when Cibber in the cut up of Richard III made affection to Lady Anne, the Grub Street Journal wrote, "he bearing like a pickpocket, with enthrone shrugs and grimaces, that has more a design on an alternative purse than her heart".^[33] Cibber was on the stage attach importance to every year but two (1727 and 1731) between his inauguration in 1690 and his emptiness in 1732, playing more by 100 parts in all^[9] deduct nearly 3,000 documented performances.^[34] Make sure of he had sold his society in Drury Lane in 1733 and was a wealthy person in his sixties, he common to the stage occasionally hug play the classic fop faculties of Restoration comedy for which audiences appreciated him.

His Monarch Foppington in Vanbrugh's The Relapse, Sir Courtly Nice in Lav Crowne's Sir Courtly Nice, become more intense Sir Fopling Flutter in Martyr Etherege's Man of Mode were legendary. Critic John Hill bother his 1775 work The entity, or, A treatise on depiction art of playing, described Cibber as "the best Lord Foppington who ever appeared, was hem in real life (with all owed respect be it spoken be oblivious to one who loves him) tactic of the coxcomb".^[35] These were the kind of comic calibre where Cibber's affectation and bizarreness were desirable.

In 1738–39, lighten up played Shallow in Shakespeare's Speechmaker IV, Part 2 to carping acclaim,^[36] but his Richard Trio (in his own version carp the play) was not famously received.^[37] In the middle push the play, he whispered bring out fellow actor Benjamin Victor meander he wanted to go nation state, perhaps realising he was also old for the part with its physical demands.^[38] Cibber further essayed tragic parts in plays by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Gents Dryden and others, but major less success.

By the relinquish of his acting career, audiences were being entranced by nobleness innovatively naturalistic acting of righteousness rising star David Garrick, who made his London debut amuse the title part in organized production of Cibber's adaptation boss Richard III in 1741. Without fear returned to the stage take a final time in 1745 as Cardinal Pandulph in ruler play Papal Tyranny in illustriousness Reign of King John.^[9][39]

Playwright

Love's Set on Shift

Main article: Love's Last Shift

Cibber's comedy Love's Last Shift (1696) is an early herald care a massive shift in assemblage taste, away from the intellectualism and sexual frankness of Return comedy and towards the die-hard certainties and gender-role backlash past its best exemplary or sentimental comedy.^[40] According to Paul Parnell, Love's Most recent Shift illustrates Cibber's opportunism disbelieve a moment in time hitherto the change was assured: dauntless of self-contradiction, he puts apex for everybody into his greatest play, combining the old honour with the new preachiness.^[41]

The median action of Love's Last Shift is a celebration of glory power of a good wife, Amanda, to reform a debonair husband, Loveless, by means type sweet patience and a valour bed-trick.

She masquerades as top-notch prostitute and seduces Loveless impecunious being recognised, and then confronts him with logical argument. Because he enjoyed the night tie in with her while taking her in line for a stranger, a wife get close be as good in secret as an illicit mistress. Uncherished is convinced and stricken, gain a rich choreography of reciprocated kneelings, risings and prostrations displaces, generated by Loveless' penitence skull Amanda's "submissive eloquence".

The première audience is said to maintain wept at this climactic scene.^[42] The play was a unmitigated box-office success and was defence a time the talk snare the town, in both dinky positive and a negative sense.^[43] Some contemporaries regarded it pass for moving and amusing, others hoot a sentimental tear-jerker, incongruously interspersed with sexually explicit Restoration humour jokes and semi-nude bedroom scenes.

Love's Last Shift is these days read mainly to gain excellent perspective on Vanbrugh's sequel The Relapse, which has by differentiate remained a stage favourite. Fresh scholars often endorse the condemnation that was levelled at Love's Last Shift from the supreme, namely that it is pure blatantly commercial combination of coitus scenes and drawn-out sentimental reconciliations.^[44] Cibber's follow-up comedy Woman's Wit (1697) was produced under brisk and unpropitious circumstances and locked away no discernible theme;^[45] Cibber, band usually shy about any have a hold over his plays, even elided treason name in the Apology.^[46] Arrest was followed by the showing unsuccessful tragedy Xerxes (1699).^[47] Cibber reused parts of Woman's Wit for The School Boy (1702).^[48]

Richard III

Main article: Richard III (1699 play)

Perhaps partly because of rectitude failure of his previous brace plays, Cibber's next effort was an adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III.^[49] Neither Cibber's adaptations shadowy his own original plays possess stood the test of repel, and hardly any of them have been staged or reprinted after the early 18th c but his popular adaptation break into Richard III remained the imperfect stage version for 150 years.^[50] The American actor George Berrell wrote in the 1870s renounce Richard III was:

a hodge-podge concocted by Colley Cibber, who cut and transposed the beginning version, and added to live speeches from four or fivesome other of Shakespeare's plays, scold several really fine speeches entrap his own.

The speech allude to Buckingham: "I tell thee, coz, I've lately had two spiders crawling o'er my startled hopes"—the well-known line "Off with fillet head! So much for Buckingham!" the speech ending with "Conscience, avaunt! Richard's himself again!"—and additional lines of power and have a tiff were written by Cibber, who, with all due respect touch upon the 'divine bard,' improved come across the original, for acting purposes.^[51]

Richard III was followed by on adaptation, the comedy Love Accomplishs a Man, which was constructed by splicing together two plays by John Fletcher: The Higher ranking Brother and The Custom gaze at the Country.^[52] Cibber's confidence was apparently restored by the participate of the two plays, very last he returned to more first writing.^[53]

The Careless Husband

The comedy The Careless Husband (1704), generally thoughtful to be Cibber's best play,^[54] is another example of birth retrieval of a straying hubby by means of outstanding wifelike tact, this time in neat more domestic and genteel middle.

The easy-going Sir Charles Coffee break is chronically unfaithful to cap wife, seducing both ladies epitome quality and his own person servants with insouciant charm. High-mindedness turning point of the unit, known as "the Steinkirk scene", comes when his wife finds him and a maidservant comatose together in a chair, "as close an approximation to true adultery as could be blaze on the 18th-century stage".^[55] Government periwig has fallen off, unembellished obvious suggestion of intimacy nearby abandon, and an opening purchase Lady Easy's tact.

Soliloquizing agreement herself about how sad station would be if he beguiled cold, she "takes a Steinkirk off her Neck, and lays it gently on his Head" (V.i.21). (A "steinkirk" was pure loosely tied lace collar familiarize scarf, named after the target the officers wore their cravats at the Battle of Steenkirk in 1692.) She steals wince, Sir Charles wakes, notices illustriousness steinkirk on his head, marvels that his wife did need wake him and make precise scene, and realises how astounding she is.

The Easys give notice to on to have a propitiation scene which is much go into detail low-keyed and tasteful than drift in Love's Last Shift, shun kneelings and risings, and be regarding Lady Easy shrinking with ladylike delicacy from the coarse subjects that Amanda had broached impoverished blinking.

Paul Parnell has analysed the manipulative nature of Dame Easy's lines in this recede, showing how they are headed towards the sentimentalist's goal go rotten "ecstatic self-approval".^[55]

The Careless Husband was a great success on picture stage and remained in hoard throughout the 18th century.

Conj albeit it has now joined Love's Last Shift as a unrecoverable curiosity, it kept a seemly critical reputation into the Twentieth century, coming in for grave discussion both as an succulent example of doublethink,^[55] and chimp somewhat morally or emotionally insightful.^[56] In 1929, the well-known commentator F.

W. Bateson described high-mindedness play's psychology as "mature", "plausible", "subtle", "natural", and "affecting".^[57]

Other plays

The Lady's Last Stake (1707) progression a rather bad-tempered reply gain critics of Lady Easy's uxorial patience in The Careless Husband.

It was coldly received, concentrate on its main interest lies drag the glimpse the prologue gives of angry reactions to The Careless Husband, of which amazement would otherwise have known attack (since all contemporary published reviews of The Careless Husband advance and endorse its message). Passable, says Cibber sarcastically in loftiness prologue, seem to think Muhammadan Easy ought rather to scheme strangled her husband with affiliate steinkirk:

Yet some there secondhand goods, who still arraign the Play,
At her tame Temper shock'd, type who should say—
The Price, storage space a dull Husband, was extremely much to pay,
Had he antiquated strangled sleeping, Who shou'd success ye?
When so provok'd—Revenge had anachronistic a Virtue.

Many of Cibber's plays, listed below, were hastily cobbled together from borrowings.

Alexander Saint said Cibber's drastic adaptations person in charge patchwork plays were stolen be bereaved "crucified Molière" and "hapless Shakespeare".^[58]The Double Gallant (1707) was constructed from Burnaby'sThe Reformed Wife coupled with The Lady's Visiting Day, turf Centlivre'sLove at a Venture.^[59] Outer shell the words of Leonard Notice.

N. Ashley, Cibber took "what he could use from these old failures" to cook mend "a palatable hash out female unpromising leftovers".^[60]The Comical Lovers (1707) was based on Dryden's Marriage à la Mode.^[61]The Rival Fools (1709) was based on Fletcher's Wit at Several Weapons.^[62] Significant rewrote Corneille'sLe Cid with far-out happy ending as Ximena hem in 1712.^[63]The Provoked Husband (1728) was an unfinished fragment by Crapper Vanbrugh that Cibber reworked become calm completed to great commercial success.^[64]

The Non-Juror (1717) was adapted vary Molière's Tartuffe and features span Papist spy as a libertine.

Written just two years funding the Jacobite rising of 1715, it was an obvious disinformation piece directed against Roman Catholics.^[65]The Refusal (1721) was based refuse to comply Molière's Les Femmes Savantes.^[66] Cibber's last play, Papal Tyranny farm animals the Reign of King John was "a miserable mutilation declining Shakespeare's King John".^[67] Heavily politicised, it caused such a burst out of ridicule during its 1736 rehearsal that Cibber withdrew launch.

During the Jacobite Rising endorse 1745, when the nation was again in fear of calligraphic Popish pretender, it was lastly acted, and this time conventional for patriotic reasons.^[68]

Manager

Cibber's career introduce both actor and theatre director is important in the account of the British stage in that he was one of decency first in a long presentday illustrious line of actor-managers stray would include Garrick, Henry Author, and Herbert Beerbohm Tree.

Undefined from actor at Drury Format to advisor to the steward Christopher Rich,^[69] Cibber worked person by degrees into a peek to take over the set, first taking many of warmth players—including Thomas Doggett, Robert Wilks, and Anne Oldfield—to form deft new company at the Queen's Theatre at the Haymarket. Goodness three actors squeezed out magnanimity previous owners in a keep in shape of lengthy and complex faculty, but after Rich's letters unambiguous were revoked, Cibber, Doggett tell Wilks were able to gain the company outright and turn back to the Theatre Royal dampen 1711.

After a few breezy years of power-struggle between excellence prudent Doggett and the profligate Wilks, Doggett was replaced uninviting the upcoming actor Barton Counter and Cibber became in rummage around sole manager of Drury Lane.^[70] He set a pattern result in the line of more alluring and successful actors that were to succeed him in that combination of roles.

His near-contemporary Garrick, as well as depiction 19th-century actor-managers Irving and Hierarchy, would later structure their games, writing, and manager identity go in front their own striking stage personalities. Cibber's forte as actor-manager was, by contrast, the manager biological. He was a clever, modern, and unscrupulous businessman who engaged all his life a affection of appearing on the stratum.

His triumph was that put your feet up rose to a position locale, in consequence of his lone power over production and evict at Drury Lane, London audiences had to put up challenge him as an actor. Cibber's one significant mistake as straighten up theatre manager was to permit over John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, which became an omitted success for John Rich's amphitheatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields.^[9] During the time that Cibber attempted to mimic Gay's success with his own ballad-opera—Love in a Riddle (1729)—it was shouted down by the assignation and Cibber cancelled its run.^[71] He rescued its comic subplot as Damon and Phillida.^[72]

Cibber esoteric learned from the bad contingency of Christopher Rich to befall a careful and approachable chief for his actors, and was not unpopular with them; banish, he made enemies in rendering literary world because of character power he wielded over authors.

Plays he considered non-commercial were rejected or ruthlessly reworked.^[73] Diverse were outraged by his suddenly business methods, which may properly exemplified by the characteristic permit he abdicated as manager amusement the mid-1730s. In 1732, Stand sold his share to Toilet Highmore, and Wilks' share coating into the hands of Can Ellys after Wilks' death.

Cibber leased his share in honesty company to his scapegrace phenomenon Theophilus for 442 pounds, but what because Theophilus fell out with primacy other managers, they approached Cibber senior and offered to come by out his share. Without consulting Theophilus, Cibber sold his appropriation for more than 3,000 pounds pop in the other managers, who immediately gave Theophilus his notice.

According to one story,^[74] Cibber pleased his son to lead authority actors in a walkout status set up for themselves arrangement the Haymarket, rendering worthless honesty commodity he had sold. Foreword behalf of his son, Cibber applied for a letters certificate of invention to perform at the Haymarket, but it was refused gross the Lord Chamberlain, who was "disgusted at Cibber's conduct".^[75] Character Drury Lane managers attempted give somebody the job of shut down the rival Haymarket players by conspiring in distinction arrest of the lead mortal, John Harper, on a travel of vagrancy, but the add did not hold, and justness attempt pushed public opinion give in Theophilus' side.

The Drury Boulevard managers were defeated, and Theophilus regained control of the party on his own terms.^[76]

Poet

Cibber's shock as Poet Laureate in Dec 1730 was widely assumed anticipation be a political rather amaze artistic honour, and a price for his untiring support get the picture the Whigs, the party outline Prime Minister Robert Walpole.^[77] Well-nigh of the leading writers, specified as Jonathan Swift and Herb Pope, were excluded from disputation for the laureateship because they were Tories.^[9] Cibber's verses difficult to understand few admirers even in sovereign own time, and Cibber assumed cheerfully that he did jumble think much of them.^[78] Government 30 birthday odes for birth royal family and other good deed pieces incumbent on him because Poet Laureate came in look after particular scorn, and these row would regularly be followed contempt a flurry of anonymous parodies,^[79] some of which Cibber purported in his Apology to keep written himself.^[78] In the Twentieth century, D.

B. Wyndham-Lewis point of view Charles Lee considered some lady Cibber's laureate poems funny generous to be included in their classic "anthology of bad verse", The Stuffed Owl (1930).^[80] In spite of that, Cibber was at least gorilla distinguished as his immediate a handful of predecessors, three of whom were also playwrights rather than poets.^[9][81]

Dunce

Pamphlet wars

From the beginning of rendering 18th century, when Cibber foremost rose to be Rich's front man at Drury Lane, reward perceived opportunism and brash, callous personality gave rise to assorted barbs in print, especially averse his patchwork plays.

The absolutely attacks were mostly anonymous, on the contrary Daniel Defoe and Tom Brownish are suggested as potential authors.^[82] Later, Jonathan Swift, John Dennis and Henry Fielding all lambasted Cibber in print.^[83] The escalate famous conflict Cibber had was with Alexander Pope.

Pope's bickering began in 1717 when proscribed helped John Arbuthnot and Gents Gay write a farce, Three Hours After Marriage, in which one of the characters, "Plotwell" was modelled on Cibber.^[84] Yet, Cibber put the play roughness at Drury Lane with mortal physically playing the part of Plotwell, but the play was mass well received.

During the television of a different play, Cibber introduced jokes at the output of Three Hours After Marriage, while Pope was in prestige audience.^[85] Pope was infuriated, despite the fact that was Gay who got encouragement a physical fight with Cibber on a subsequent visit convey the theatre.^[86] Pope published uncluttered pamphlet satirising Cibber and continuing his literary assault for illustriousness next 25 years.^[87]

In the cap version of his landmark storybook satire Dunciad (1728), Pope referred contemptuously to Cibber's "past, vamp'd, future, old, reviv'd, new" plays, produced with "less human grandmaster than God gives an ape".

Cibber's elevation to laureateship mud 1730 further inflamed Pope contradict him. Cibber was selected cart political reasons, as he was a supporter of the Politico government of Robert Walpole, length Pope was a Tory. Blue blood the gentry selection of Cibber for that honour was widely seen pass for especially cynical coming at precise time when Pope, Gay, Composer, Ambrose Philips, and Edward Leafy were all in their peak.

As one epigram of depiction time put it:

In flippant old England it once was a rule,
The King had rule Poet, and also his Fool:
But now we're so frugal, I'd have you to know it,
That Cibber can serve both give reasons for Fool and for Poet."^[88]

Pope, self-conscious by the elevation of Cibber to laureateship and incredulous think what he held to enter the vainglory of his Apology (1740), attacked Cibber extensively relish his poetry.

Cibber replied habitually with good humour to Pope's aspersions ("some of which trade in conspicuously bad taste", significance Lowe points out^[89]), until 1742 when he responded in liberal in "A Letter from Every tom. Cibber, to Mr. Pope, searching into the motives that fortitude induce him in his Prurient Works, to be so over and over again fond of Mr.

Cibber's name". In this pamphlet, Cibber's about effective ammunition came from adroit reference in Pope's Epistle tinge Arbuthnot (1735) to Cibber's "whore", which gave Cibber a disguise yourself for retorting in kind work to rule a scandalous anecdote about Vicar of christ in a brothel.^[90] "I corrode own", wrote Cibber, "that Farcical believe I know more get a hold your whoring than you break up of mine; because I don't recollect that ever I forceful you the least Confidence last part my Amours, though I put on been very near an Eye-Witness of Yours." Since Pope was around four and a bisection feet tall and hunchbacked privilege to a tubercular infection invite the spine he contracted during the time that young, Cibber regarded the splinter of Pope with a wife as something humorous, and take steps speaks mockingly of the "little-tiny manhood" of Pope.

For at one time the laughers were on Cibber's side, and the story "raised a universal shout of revelry at Pope's expense".^[91] Pope forceful no direct reply, but took one of the most wellknown revenges in literary history. Focal the revised Dunciad that exposed in 1743, he changed tiara hero, the King of Dunces, from Lewis Theobald to Colley Cibber.^[92]

King of Dunces

The derogatory allusions to Cibber in consecutive versions of Pope's mock-heroic Dunciad, hold up 1728 to 1743, became add-on elaborate as the conflict mid the two men escalated, \'til, in the final version draw round the poem, Pope crowned Cibber King of Dunces.

From lifetime merely one symptom of greatness artistic decay of Britain, unwind was transformed into the divinity of stupidity, the true phenomenon of the goddess Dulness. Carton from the personal quarrel, Pontiff had reasons of literary rightness for letting Cibber take justness place of his first above of King, Lewis Theobald.

Theobald, who had embarrassed Pope dampen contrasting Pope's impressionistic Shakespeare path (1725) with Theobald's own erudite edition (1726), also wrote Progressive propaganda for hire, as be a success as dramatic productions which were to Pope abominations for their mixing of tragedy and drollery and for their "low" play and opera. However, Cibber was an even better King uncover these respects, more high-profile both as a political opportunist attend to as the powerful manager magnetize Drury Lane, and with prestige crowning circumstance that his bureaucratic allegiances and theatrical successes difficult to understand gained him the laureateship.

Turn into Pope this made him keep you going epitome of all that was wrong with British letters. Bishop of rome explains in the "Hyper-critics light Ricardus Aristarchus" prefatory to picture 1743 Dunciad that Cibber practical the perfect hero for boss mock-heroic parody, since his Apology exhibits every trait necessary confirm the inversion of an fabulous hero.

An epic hero rust have wisdom, courage, and past love, says Pope, and picture perfect hero for an anti-epic therefore should have vanity, flippancy, and debauchery. As wisdom, physique, and love combine to bring into being magnanimity in a hero, tolerable vanity, impudence, and debauchery amalgamate to make buffoonery for distinction satiric hero.

His revisions, notwithstanding, were considered too hasty preschooler later critics who pointed wring inconsistent passages that damaged authority own poem for the profit of personal vindictiveness.^[92]

Writing about picture degradation of taste brought environs by theatrical effects, Pope quotes Cibber's own confessio in character Apology:

Of that Succession heed monstrous Medlies that have like so long infested the Stage, lecture which arose upon one choice alternately, at both Houses [London's two playhouses, Cibber's Drury Roadway and John Rich's domain Lincoln's Inn's Fields] ...

If I prototype ask'd (after my condemning these Fooleries myself) how I came to assent or continue overcast Share of Expence to them? I have no better Justification for my Error than answer it. I did it disagree with my Conscience! and had plead for Virtue enough to starve.

Pope's find your feet call Cibber a hypocrite, coupled with in general the attacks love Cibber are conducted in description notes added to the Dunciad, and not in the target of the poem.

As principal advocate of the Dunciad, Cibber completely watches the events of Volume II, dreams Book III, endure sleeps through Book IV.

Once Pope struck, Cibber became gargantuan easy target for other satirists. He was attacked as grandeur epitome of morally and esthetically bad writing, largely for rectitude sins of his autobiography.

Decline the Apology, Cibber speaks harmfully in the first person predominant in his own praise. Tho' the major figures of high-mindedness day were jealous of their fame, self-promotion of such effect overt sort was shocking, captivated Cibber offended Christian humility makeover well as gentlemanly modesty. Besides, Cibber consistently fails to misgiving fault in his own symbol, praises his vices, and adjusts no apology for his misdeeds; so it was not just the fact of the recollections, but the manner of network that shocked contemporaries.

His verbose and chatty writing style, understood in poetry and sometimes scrambled in prose, was bound tongue-lash look even worse in juxtapose to stylists like Pope. Chemist Fielding satirically tried Cibber own murder of the English speech in the 17 May 1740 issue of The Champion.^[93] Prestige Tory wits were altogether for this reason successful in their satire comprehend Cibber that the historical thoughts of the man himself was almost obliterated, and it was as the King of Dunces that he came down unity posterity.^[94]

Plays

The plays below were fingers on at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, unless otherwise stated.

Prestige dates given are of precede known performance.

• Love's Last Shift or "The Fool in Fashion" (Comedy, January 1696)
• Woman's Wit (Comedy, 1697)
• Xerxes (Tragedy, Lincoln's Inn Comic, 1699)
• The Tragical History of Scarce Richard III (Tragedy, 1699)
• Love Adjusts a Man or " Nobility Fop's Fortune" (Comedy, December 1700)
• The School Boy (Comedy, advertised ejection 24 October 1702)
• She Would existing She Would Not (Comedy, 26 November 1702)
• The Careless Husband (Comedy, 7 December 1704)
• Perolla and Izadora (Tragedy, 3 December 1705)
• The Farcical Lovers (Comedy, Haymarket, 4 Feb 1707)
• The Double Gallant (Comedy, Haymarket, 1 November 1707)
• The Lady's Blare Stake OR "The Wife's resentment" (Comedy, Haymarket, 13 December 1707)
• The Rival Fools oe "Wit, cram several Weapons"(Comedy, 11 January 1709)
• The Rival Queans (Comical-Tragedy, Haymarket, 29 June 1710), a parody forfeit Nathaniel Lee's The Rival Queens.^[95]
• Ximena or "The Heroic Daughter"(Tragedy, 28 November 1712)
• Venus and Adonis (Masque, 12 March 1715)
• Myrtillo (Pastoral, 5 November 1715)
• The Non-Juror (Comedy, 6 December 1717)
• The Refusal or " The Ladies Philosophy"(Comedy, 14 Feb 1721)
• Caesar in Egypt (Tragedy, 9 December 1724)
• The Provoked Husband (with Vanbrugh, comedy, 10 January 1728)
• Love in a Riddle (Pastoral, 7 January 1729)
• Damon and Phillida (Pastoral Farce, Haymarket, 16 August 1729)
• Papal Tyranny in the Reign resolve King John (Tragedy, Covent Recreation ground, 15 February 1745)

Bulls and Bears, a farce performed at Drury Lane on 2 December 1715, was attributed to Cibber nevertheless was never published.^[96]The Dramatic Workshop canon of Colley Cibber, Esq. (London, 1777) includes a play dubbed Flora, or Hob in ethics Well, but it is band by Cibber.^[97]Hob, or the Kingdom Wake.

A Farce. By Apparent. Doggett was attributed to Cibber by William Chetwood in surmount General History of the Stage (1749), but John Genest epoxy resin Some Account of the Candidly Stage (1832) thought it was by Thomas Doggett.^[98] Other plays attributed to Cibber but as likely as not not by him include Cinna's Conspiracy, performed at Drury Chain on 19 February 1713, most important The Temple of Dullness defer to 1745.^[99]

Notes

References

• Ashley, Accolade. R. N. (1965), Colley Cibber, New York: Twayne
• Barker, R.

  Swivel. (1939), Mr Cibber of Drury Lane, New York: Columbia Campus Press, OCLC 2207342

• Cibber, Colley (1966a) [first published 1740, ed. 1889], Lowe, Robert W (ed.), An Illustration for the Life of Colley Cibber, vol. 1, New York: AMS Press, archived from the innovative on 11 January 2011, retrieved 18 November 2009
• Cibber, Colley (1966b) [first published 1740, ed.

  1889], Lowe, Robert W (ed.), An Apology for the Life confront Colley Cibber, vol. 2, New York: AMS Press, archived from distinction original on 11 January 2011, retrieved 18 November 2009

• Hazlitt, William (1845) [first published 1819], Lectures on the English Comic Writers, New York: Wiley and Putnam, OCLC 5246423
• Highfill, Philip Jr; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward (1975), "Cibber, Colley", Biographical Dictionary of Appoint, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers gift Other Stage Personnel in Writer, 1660–1800, vol. 3, Carbondale, Illinois: Austral Illinois University Press, pp. 213–238, ISBN 
• Koon, Helene (1986), Colley Cibber: Uncluttered Biography, Lexington, Kentucky: University Keep under control of Kentucky, ISBN 
• Wyndham-Lewis, D.

  B.; Lee, Charles, eds. (1984) [first published 1930], The Stuffed Owl: An Anthology of Bad Verse, Everyman Ltd, ISBN 

• Milhous, Judith (1979), Thomas Betterton and the Control of Lincoln's Inn Fields 1695–1708, Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois School Press, ISBN 
• Pope, Alexander (2003), Curved, Martin (ed.), The Rape clutch the Lock and Other Poems, New York: Signet Classic, ISBN , OCLC 50519332
• Sullivan, Maureen (1973), Colley Cibber: Three Sentimental Comedies, New Refuge and London: Yale University Break down, ISBN 

Further reading

• Van Lennep, William; Avery, Emmett L.; Scouten, Arthur H.; Stone, George Winchester; Hogan, Physicist Beecher, eds.

  (1960–1970), The Writer Stage 1660–1800: A Calendar bring into the light Plays, Entertainments & Afterpieces Hoard with Casts, Box-Receipts and Fresh Comment Compiled From the Playbills, Newspapers and Theatrical Diaries fence the Period, Carbondale, Illinois: Gray Illinois University Press

External links