Restoration comedy

Style of English theatre, dating from the Restoration period. The genre placed much emphasis on wit and sexual intrigues. It also witnessed the first appearance of women on the English stage, most notably in the ‘breeches part’, specially created in order to costume the actress in male attire, thus revealing her figure to its best advantage. Examples of Restoration comedy include English dramatists William Wycherley (whose works include The Country Wife, 1675) and William Congreve (whose works include The Way of the World, 1700), and Irish dramatist George Farquhar (whose works include The Beaux Stratagem, 1707)

As the genre developed into what might be more properly termed the Augustan period, wit and ironic dialogue replaced more the more explicit dialogue and themes.