EASYPASS LITERATURE’S UGTRB ENGLISH TEST BATCH – 2026

UNIT – II BRITISH LITERATURE – I

ROGER AT THE THEATRE BY JOSEPH ADDISON

About author

 Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was a British writer and politician.
 He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside
that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator
magazine.
 His simple prose style marked the end of the mannerisms and conventional classical
images of the 17th century.
 Addison was born in Milston, Wiltshire, but soon after his birth his father, Lancelot
Addison, was appointed Dean of Lichfield and the family moved into the cathedral
close. His father was a scholarly English clergyman.
 Joseph was educated at Charterhouse School, London, where he first met Richard
Steele, and at The Queen’s College, Oxford. He excelled in classics, being specially
noted for his Neo-Latin verse, and became a fellow of Magdalen College.
 In 1693, he addressed a poem to John Dryden, and his first major work, a book of the
lives of English poets, was published in 1694. His translation of Virgil’s Georgics was
published in the same year.
 Dryden, Lord Somers and Charles Montague, 1st Earl of Halifax, took an interest in
Addison’s work and obtained for him a pension of £300 a year to enable him to travel to
Europe with a view to diplomatic employment, all the time writing and studying politics.
 While in Switzerland, in 1702, he heard of the death of William III, an event which lost
him his pension as his influential contacts, Halifax and Somers, had lost their
employment with the Crown.
Magazine founder

 Addison met Jonathan Swift in Ireland and remained there for a year.
 Later, he helped form the Kitcat Club and renewed his friendship with Richard Steele.
 In 1709, Steele began to publish the Tatler, and Addison became a regular contributor.
 In 1711, they began The Spectator; its first issue appeared on 1 March 1711. This paper,
which was originally a daily, was published until 20 December 1714, interrupted for a
year by the publication of The Guardian in 1713.
 His last publication was The Freeholder, a political paper, in 1715–16.

Plays

 He wrote the libretto for Thomas Clayton’s opera Rosamond, which had a disastrous
premiere in London in 1707.
 In 1713 Addison’s tragedy Cato was produced, and was received with acclamation by
both Whigs and Tories. He followed this effort with a comedic play, The Drummer
(1716).

Hymn

 Addison wrote the popular church hymn “The Spacious Firmament on High”,
publishing it in The Spectator in 1712. It is commonly sung either to the tune known as
“London (Addison’s)” by John Sheeles, written c. 1720, or to “Creation” by Joseph
Haydn, 1798
 In 1718, Addison was forced to resign as Secretary of State because of his poor health,
but he remained an MP until his death at Holland House, London, on 17 June 1719 (aged
47).
 He was buried in Westminster Abbey. After his death, an apocryphal story circulated
that Addison, on his deathbed, had sent for his wastrel stepson to witness how a Christian
man meets death.
 On 6 April 1808, Middletown, a town in upstate New York, was renamed Addison in his
honour. Addison Road in West Kensington was also named after him.
Background

 Joseph Addison was a leading essayist of the 18th century and a co-founder of The
Spectator.
 Sir Roger de Coverley is a fictional character representing the honest, old-fashioned
English country squire.
 The essay depicts Sir Roger’s visit to a London theatre, highlighting his innocent
reactions.
 In this scene from The Spectator (Essay XXIII, “Sir Roger at the Theatre”), Sir Roger de
Coverley watches Ambrose Philips’s tragedy, The Distrest Mother.
 He interprets the play through the lens of his own experiences, specifically his failed
courtship of a widow, commenting on the perverse nature of widows when Andromache
refuses Pyrrhus.

Key details from this scene include

 The Widow Reference: Seeing Andromache reject her lover, Sir Roger whispers to the
narrator that he is sure she won’t have him, adding, “You can’t imagine, Sir, what ‘tis to
have to do with a widow”.
 Mistaken Identity: Sir Roger mistakes one of the characters’ pages for Astyanax but
quickly corrects himself.
 Appreciation of the Play: Despite his confusion with theatrical conventions (asking if
characters should always be understood), he expresses great satisfaction with the
performance.
 Audience Interaction: During intermissions, Sir Roger engages with other audience
members, praising the character of Orestes.
 The passage highlights Sir Roger’s naïve, emotional, and personal engagement with art,
contrasting it with the objective view of the narrator (Addison)

Summary

 Roger at the Theatre” is a humorous prose essay written by Joseph Addison and
published in The Spectator. The piece centers on Sir Roger de Coverley, a country
 gentleman, and presents a contrast between rural simplicity and urban sophistication,
using gentle satire.
 Sir Roger, who is unfamiliar with city life, goes to a theatre in London accompanied by
the narrator (Addison himself). From the moment he enters, his behavior attracts attention
because of his old-fashioned manners and simple curiosity.
 At the beginning, Sir Roger is more interested in the audience than the play itself. He
observes the spectators closely, admires well-dressed ladies, and politely bows to people
he knows, behaving as if he were at a social gathering rather than a public performance.
 When the play begins, Sir Roger tries to understand everything literally. He becomes
confused by theatrical conventions such as stage fighting, acting, and make-believe
emotions. At emotional scenes, he reacts sincerely, showing real concern for the
characters, which reveals his kind-hearted nature.
 Sir Roger is especially impressed by the music and songs, responding with genuine
delight. He applauds enthusiastically and expresses his opinions openly, without
worrying about social expectations. His innocent responses amuse the people around him.
 Throughout the essay, Addison gently mocks Sir Roger’s naivety, but the tone remains
affectionate rather than cruel. Sir Roger’s honesty and moral simplicity are presented as
virtues, even when they appear ridiculous in a fashionable urban setting.

Themes

 Contrast between town and country life

 Innocence vs. artificiality
 Social manners and polite behavior
 Gentle satire of human nature

Character Sketch of Sir Roger de Coverley

 Sir Roger de Coverley is one of the most memorable fictional characters created by
Joseph Addison in The Spectator. He represents the old English country gentleman, and
through him Addison presents a blend of humor, simplicity, and moral goodness.
 A Country Gentleman
Sir Roger is a wealthy landowner living in the countryside. He prefers rural life to the
artificial and fashionable life of the city. His manners, dress, and outlook are old-
fashioned, which often make him appear out of place in London society.

 Simple and Innocent

One of Sir Roger’s most striking qualities is his simplicity. He takes things literally and is
unfamiliar with urban customs. At the theatre, for example, he does not fully understand
acting or stage conventions, which leads to his amusing reactions.
 Kind-hearted and Benevolent
Sir Roger is deeply kind and generous. He cares for others sincerely and shows genuine
sympathy for people in distress—even fictional characters on stage. His goodness is
natural and unpretentious.
 Honest and Moral
He has a strong moral sense and believes in honesty, virtue, and traditional values. He
dislikes hypocrisy and artificial behavior, preferring straightforward conduct. His moral
judgments, though sometimes naïve, are always sincere.
 Polite but Old-fashioned
Sir Roger is courteous and respectful, especially towards women. However, his politeness
follows outdated social codes, which makes him appear slightly ridiculous in modern
urban society.
 A Comic yet Admirable Figure
Although Sir Roger is often laughed at, Addison’s tone is affectionate, not satirical. He is
never presented as foolish in a cruel sense. Instead, readers admire him for his humanity,
warmth, and integrity.
Sir Roger de Coverley embodies the virtues of simplicity, kindness, and moral sincerity.
Through his character, Addison gently contrasts the natural goodness of country life with
the artificial sophistication of city society, making Sir Roger both a comic figure and a
moral ideal.
 XXIIL SIR ROGER AT THE THEATRE.

SPECTATOR NO. 335.

Addison.

My friend Sir Roger de Coverley, when we last met together at the Club, told me that he had a
great mind to see the new tragedy [83] with me, assuring me, at the same time that he had not
been at a play these twenty years. The last I saw, said Sir Roger, was the ‘Committee, [84] which
I should not have gone to neither, had not I been told beforehand that it was a good Church of
England comedy. He then proceeded to inquire of me who this distressed mother was, and, upon
hearing that she was Hector’s widow, he told me that her husband was a brave man, and that
when he was a school-boy, he had read his life at the end of the dictionary. My friend asked me,
in the next place, if there would not be some danger in coming home late, in case the Mohocks
[85] should be abroad, I assure you, says he, I thought I had fallen into their hands last night, for
I observed two or three lusty black men that followed me half way up Fleet Street, and mended
their pace behind me in proportion as I put on to get away from them. You must know, continued
the Knight with a smile, I fancied they had a mind to hunt me, for I remember an honest
gentleman in my neighborhood who was served such a trick in King Charles the Second’s time;
for which reason he has not ventured himself in town ever since. I might have shown them very
good sport had this been their design; for, as I am an old fox-hunter, I should have turned and
dodged, and have played them a thousand tricks they had never seen in their lives before. Sir
Roger added that if these gentlemen had any such intention they did not succeed very well in it;
for I threw them out, says he, at the end. Of Norfolk Street, where I doubled the corner and got
shelter in my lodgings before they could Imagine what was become of me. However, says the
Knight, if Captain Sentry will make one with us to-morrow night, and if you will both of you call
upon me about four o’clock, that we may be at the house before it is full, I will have my own
coach in readiness to attend you, for John tells me he has got the fore wheels mended.

The Captain, who did not fail to meet me there at the appointed hour, bid Sir Roger fear nothing,
for that he had put on the same sword which he made use of at the battle of Steenkirk. Sir
Roger’s servants, and among the rest my old friend the butler, had, I found, provided themselves
with good oaken plants to attend their master upon this occasion. When he had placed him in his
coach, with myself at his left hand, the Captain before him, and his butler at the head of his
footmen in the rear, we convoyed him in safety to the playhouse, where, after having marched up
the entry in good order, the Captain and I went in with him, and seated him betwixt us in the pit.
As soon as the house was full, and the candles lighted, my old friend stood up and looked about
him with that pleasure which a mind seasoned with humanity naturally feels in itself, at the sight
of a multitude of people who seem pleased with one another, and partake of the same common
entertainment. I could not but fancy to myself, as the old man stood up in the middle of the pit,
that he made a very proper centre to a tragic audience. Upon the entering of Pyrrhus, the Knight
told me that he did not believe the King of France himself had a better strut. I was, indeed, very
attentive to my old friend’s remarks, because l looked upon them as a piece of natural criticism;
and was well pleased to hear him, at the conclusion of almost every scene, telling me that he
could not imagine how the play would end. One while he appeared much concerned for
Andromache; and a little while after as much for Hermione; and was extremely puzzled to think
what would become of Pyrrhus.

When Sir Roger saw Andromache's obstinate refusal to her lover's importunities, he whispered
me in the ear, that he was sure she would never have him; to which he added, with a more than
ordinary vehemence, "You can't imagine, Sir, what 'tis to have to do with a widow. Upon Pyrrhus
his threatening afterwards to leave her, the Knight shook his head, and muttered to himself, Ay,
do if you can. This part dwelt so much upon my friend's imagination, that at the close of the third
act, as I was thinking of something else, he whispered in my ear, These widows, Sir, are the most
perverse creatures in the world. But pray, says he, you that are a critic, is this play according to
your dramatic rules, as you call them? Should your people in tragedy always talk to be
understood? Sir Roger de Coverly Essays from The Spectator XXIII.

SIR ROGER AT THE THEATRE. 48 Why, there is not a single sentence in this play that I do not
know the meaning of. The fourth act very luckily begun before I had time to give the old
gentleman an answer: Well, says the Knight, sitting down with great satisfaction, I suppose we
are now to see Hector's ghost. He then renewed his attention, and, from time to time, fell a
praising the widow. He made, indeed, a little mistake as to one of her pages, whom at his first
entering he took for Astyanax; but he quickly set himself right in that particular, though, at the
same time, he owned he should have been very glad to have seen the little boy, who, says he,
must needs be a very fine child by the account that is given of him. Upon Hermione's going off
with a menace to Pyrrhus, the audience gave a loud clap, to which Sir Roger added, On my word,
a notable young baggage!

As there was a very remarkable silence and stillness in the audience during the whole action, it
was natural for them to take the opportunity of these intervals between the acts to express their
opinion of the players and of their respective parts. Sir Roger hearing a cluster of them praise
Orestes, struck in with them, and told them that he thought his friend Pylades was a very sensible
man; as they were afterwards applauding Pyrrhus, Sir Roger put in a second time: "And let me
tell you, says he, though he speaks but little, I like the old fellow in whiskers as well as any of
them. Captain Sentry seeing two or three wags, who sat near us, lean with an attentive ear
towards Sir Roger, and fearing lest they should smoke the Knight, plucked him by the elbow, and
whispered something in his ear, that lasted till the opening of the fifth act. The Knight was
wonderfully attentive to the account which Orestes gives of Pyrrhus his death, and at the
conclusion of it, told me it was such a bloody piece of work that he was glad it was not done
upon the stage. Seeing afterwards Orestes in his raving fit, he grew more than ordinary serious,
and took occasion to moralize (in his way) upon an evil conscience, adding, that Orestes, in his
madness, looked as if he saw something.

As we were the first that came into the house, so we were the last that went out of it; being
resolved to have a clear passage for our old friend, whom we did not care to venture among the
jostling of the crowd. Sir Roger went out fully satisfied with his entertainment, and we guarded
him to his lodgings in the same manner that we brought him to the playhouse; being highly
pleased, for my own part, not only with the performance of the excellent piece which had been
presented, but with the satisfaction which it had given to the good old man..