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The Rivals
by Richard Sheridan
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! The Rivals: Act 3, Scene 2
Summary & Analysis
Themes Key ! ! ! ! ! !
Summary Analysis
Faulkland awaits Julia
in her dressing room
and reflects that when
he first saw her after
she had arrived in
Bath, she had seemed
very happy to see him,
but because he had
heard how happy she
had been in his
absence, he had acted
like he was not excited
to see her. Julia enters.
She asks Faulkland
why his greeting had
been cold and why he
now seems upset. He
says that he was
bothered to have
heard that she had
been merry during
their separation. She
chides him for always
finding something to
be unhappy about, but
explains that she only
pretended to be so
happy so that no one
would think he had
made her unhappy and
rebuke him.
Faulkland feels better,
but when Julia tells
him that her heart is
pledged to him he
gripes at her choice of
words. He says that
perhaps she is only
grateful to him, and
does not actually love
him. He wishes that he
were deformed, so
that he could be sure
that she loved him for
his true essence and
not for any superficial
reason. She says there
are men who are more
handsome than he is,
but she never looks at
them because she
loves him. Now he is
offended that she does
not think him the
handsomest man alive,
and worries that she is
only attached to him
because her father
arranged for their
engagement. Julia
responds that they can
break off their
engagement and she
would still have eyes
for no other, but now
Faulkland gets angry
that she would think of
letting him go. Finally
Julia rushes out crying,
saying that she will
spare him having to
feel guilty for any
further insults,
because it’s clear all he
can say to her is
insulting. Faulkland
calls to her and thinks
she will return, but she
does not.
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Act 3, Scene 1
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Faulkland means for
his cold reception of
Julia to level the
playing field between
them, as he assumes
she has been happy in
his absence because
she loves him less
than he loves her. But
she is too earnest
about her feelings for
him and sure in his
love for her to be
manipulated.
Meanwhile, Julia’s use
of artifice has not
been to pursue her
own ends and charm
those around her, but
to protect Faulkland’s
reputation. In fact,
Julia sees protecting
Faulkland’s reputation
as one of her own
priorities, again acting
as an ideal example of
Sheridan’s view of
feminine virtue.
THEMES
!!
Julia and Faulkland’s
fight reflects their
different conceptions
of themselves. While
Julia feels it is her duty
as a future wife to
support Faulkland,
while also being
reasonable and frank
with him, Faulkland
believes that, if their
love is real, they ought
to be consumed by
passion and
indifferent to rational
arguments. Julia’s
view represents a
more traditional view
of the role of women,
while Faulkland’s
expectations are
drawn from the
sentimental ideas
popularized at that
time in some
literature.
THEMES
!!
QUOTES
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Next
Act 3, Scene 3 !
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