The restoration period in England refers to the period of English history when the monarchies
of England, Scotland and Irish were restored following the English Civil War. Charles II, of
the House of Stuart, was the restored monarch of the period.
The term ‘Restoration’ is not only used to describe the event by which the monarchy was
restored to England but also the period from 1660 to 1700 that witnessed an era of new
political, socio-cultural and literary movements. The return of monarchy was accompanied by
various changes in the country. With the collapse of the Puritan government everything that
had been long suppressed was expressed without restraint.
The return of monarchy was marked by a violent reaction against the Puritan manners and
morals. There was an intense reaction against the stern morality of the Puritans. Restoration
encouraged activities that were immoral and indecent. Individuality was discouraged and
people were expected to follow the ideals of conduct set up in accordance with reason and
common sense. All men were expected to adapt themselves. Rules of etiquette and social
convention were established.
The French influence was predominant during the rule of Charles II because the king had
spent a number of years in exile in the French court. Popularly known as the Cavaliers, the
courtiers had returned from a period of exile in French court. They brought with them French
wit, repartee, humour, refinement, style, fashion, manners, a hedonistic lifestyle to the court.
The French influence was predominant during the rule of Charles II because the king had
spent a number of years in exile in the French court. Popularly known as the Cavaliers, the
courtiers had returned from a period of exile in French court.
One of the most able and popular Stuart kings, Charles II wanted the freedom of Crown from
any kind of parliamentary control. No sooner Charles II ascended the throne of England than
he decided to dissolve the union of England, Ireland and Scotland. The Conventional
Parliament was replaced by the Cavalier Parliament in 1661. The Presbyterians, dominant in
the Convention, remained a handful of fifty members.
The country was divided into two political parties-the Tories and the Whigs. In the political
field, there were signs of strife between the Whigs and the Tories. The Tories supported the
king and ‘strove to check the growing power of the people in interests of their hereditary
rulers.’ The Whigs opposed the Crown and ‘sought to limit the royal power in the interests of
the Parliament and the people.’ Political dissensions began to grow. There were people who
supported the king and there were others who stood in the way of monarchial powers and
prerogatives. The term Whig is now associated with liberalism and Tory is associated with
conservatism. Both parties were largely devoted to the Anglican Church. When James II tried
to establish Catholicism in England by intrigues that aroused the protest of Pope and
Parliament, the Whigs and Tories, Catholics and Protestants, united in England to throw
James II out of power.
Along with it this era witnessed the system of religious repression inspite of the efforts of the
king to bring religious toleration. To further suppress any digression from the Anglican
Church, a Five Mile Act was implemented in 1665. The Five Mile Act forbade any
nonconformist clergy to come within five miles of a city or corporate town where he had
served as minister. As the main body of the Nonconformists belonged to the city and trading
classes, the aim was keep them ignorant of any religious teaching.
The Restoration Society
With the coming of Charles II back to England a great change came in the social life of
England. The pendulum moved from one extreme to another. The atmosphere of gaiety and
cheerfulness was restored. The theatres were reopened. All that was considered noble and of
highest order in the Puritan regime was discarded as trivial and oppressive. The social
structure of England during the Restoration Period had clear cut class distinctions prevalent
in the realms of domestic life, social life and education. The Restoration society was defined
by rank, property and increasingly, money. There was a wide gap between the wealthy and
the poor, which made itself visible in almost all aspects of life.
Science and Economy
The Restoration Period was marked by increasing commercial prosperity and wealth.
Increased literacy, combined with wealth led the British people to an increasingly public life.
New developments in recreation, commercialization and industrialization also led to a
transformation in both entertainment and occupations available. The Restoration Period was
also marked by an advance and expansion in colonization and overseas trade. During the
Restoration Age, there was rapid development of science. The establishment of the Royal
Society was a landmark in the history of England. The establishment of the Royal Society
marked the opening of a great age of scientific discovery in England. Scientific discoveries
brought people closer to knowledge of physical facts.
This period also comprises of natural clamities. In 1665, London was hit by a terrible
calamity, the Plague. It began in London in the poor, overcrowded parish of St. Giles-in-the-
Field. Rats carried the fleas that caused the plague. In six months a hundred thousand
Londoners died of the Plague which broke out in May in the crowded streets of the capital.
The popular nursery rhyme ‘Ring a Ring O’ Roses’ is said to be a parody on the horrors of
the Great Plague. One of the first signs of the plague was a ring of rose-coloured spots, and
the protection against this terrible disease was, in popular belief, a posy of herbs.
The Great Fire of London 1666 that started in Thomas Farriner’s bakehouse in Pudding
Lane, near London Bridge in the early hours of 2nd September, is known as the ‘Great Fire’.
The wind fanned the flames across firebreaks, and, despite the efforts of ward and parish
officials and the lord mayor, the fire became uncontrollable.
LITERATURE OF THE RESTORATION PERIOD
Literature of the Restoration Period too was deeply influenced by revolutionary changes in
social, political and religious life of England. Literature of the Restoration Period was
influenced by France- its ideas, tastes and literature. Charles II had spent most of his years of
exile in France, and when he returned to England he brought with him a new admiration for
French literature. Imagination and emotion were substituted with wit and intellect, rationality
and analysis. The literature of the age also emphasized correctness of rules and regulations
with high regard for established literary conventions classical and French writers instead of
being individualistic and romantic.
The Restoration Period is also known as the Age of Dryden. This is because John Dryden is
considered to be the most representative writer of the Restoration
Dramatic entertainments were made illegal during Cromwell’s rule, all theatres were closed
in 1642. With the restoration of Stuart succession in 1660 theatres were reopened. Public
theatres were back in business and the publishing trade also flourished.
Restoration comedy or the Comedy of Manners, known for its wit, its urbanity, its
sophistication, is the most characteristic literary product of Restoration society. The new
trends in comedy are seen in Dryden’s Wild Gallant , Etheredges’s The Comical Revenge or
Love in a Tub.
Heroic play or Heroic tragedy was also produced during the Restoration Period. The form
was introduced by William Davenant but it was popularized by John Dryden. Dryden’s
popular pieces were Tyrannic Love and The Conquest of Granada.
The Restoration Period witnessed a growth of prose writers. Prose became a vehicle to give
expression to the events of everyday life. Pamphlets were written in abundance on the socio-
political life of England. Important prose writers were John Dryden (Essay of Dramatic
Poetrt), John Bunyan (The Pilgrim’s Progress), Thomas Sprat ( History of Royal Society)
The Restoration poetry also reflected the social, cultural and political concerns of the age.
Poetry became the vehicle of argument, controversy, personal and political satire mostly
written in heroic couplet.
The poetry of Dryden can be conveniently divided under three heads-Political Satires,
Doctrinal Poems and The Fables. Of his Political Satires includes Absalom and Achitophel ,
The Medal. Doctrinal Poems of Dryden includes Religio Laici and The Hind and the Panther.
The Fables; The Palamon and Arcite which is based on Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale.
