The English Restoration greatly influenced the work of artists of the time. As England transitioned from a monarchy under Charles I, to a Commonwealth under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, and then back to a monarchy with Charles II on the throne, artists, and particularly playwrights, were given much material to explore in their respective roles. fields. The struggle between Catholicism and Protestantism, the identification of a clear successor, and the discussion of monarchical loyalty were among the themes that often found their way into the literary work of this period. John Dryden, one of the most prolific and well-known Restoration playwrights, discusses issues of royalist loyalty, moral rectitude, and unclear succession. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Tragicomedy was the form taken by most of these Restoration dramas, from the 1660s until well into the 18th century. The form was heavily influenced by the French. Nancy Klein Maguire writes: "Continental influence, especially French, stimulated interest in tragicomedy. Charles I's wife, Henriette Marie, was a French princess with strong dramatic interests. Many of the Restoration playwrights had been with Charles II during his exile and spent many years in France. They acquired French tastes, and among these tastes was a taste for tragic comedy" (88). The tragicomic form allowed the playwright to bring together two divergent genres - tragedy and comedy - often employing two parallel plots. In the case of Dryden's Marriage-a-la-Mode, the "tragic" plot primarily involves Polydamas and Leonidas and the struggle to find a legitimate heir to the throne. This theme would have been one with which Dryden's audience would have been familiar as the marriage between Charles II and Catherine of Braganza produced no children, just as "this old king, all the world thought childless" (ll. 278-9 ). The "comic" plot, centered on the couples Rhodophiles and Doralice, and Palamedes and Melantha, takes as its themes questions of monarchical loyalty and provisional morality as the two couples attempt, while remaining faithful to their vows and social position, to collaborate in ways not -traditional ways. But the influence of the French is seen not only in the structure of Marriage-a-la-Mode. Such pervasive Francophilia is understandable considering the long exile the Stuarts had there and the impending Third Dutch War (1672-74). Conducted "[i]n alliance with France, there was a widespread feeling that, in combining with an absolutist Catholic regime against a Protestant country, Britain had chosen the wrong ally and the wrong enemy" (Hughes 133). In the play, Dryden establishes Melantha as a symbol of all things French. His speech, his mannerisms and his ideals are all typically Francophile. From daily vocabulary lessons to courteous manners, virtually every aspect of Melantha's character is influenced by French in some way. However, "her coquetry, her love of the court, and her peculiar vocabulary are affectations which, however ridiculous, never detract from her visible, exuberant, triumphant vitality" (Martin 752). Melantha's importance in the show requires a judgment of some kind from the audience. Although his facile language and often childish actions may lead one to give a lackluster assessment of his character and consequently of the influence of the French during the Restoration, he possesses a real zest for life, which managed to attract Rhodophiles and will finally, Palamedes maintains. Therefore, one cannot simply pass off Melantha as a naive amateur. Rather, he seems to embody many:, 2000.