Wycherley, William

William Wycherley (1640-1716) was an English playwright of the Restoration era, whose bawdy and satirical plays contain elements of biting social criticism. Despite their harshness, his works enjoyed a great vogue, and Wycherley became a favourite of King Charles II. Congreve was amongst those who saw Wycherley as an essentially moral writer appointed "to lash this crying age." As a young man Wycherley studied law but became bored and abandoned it: his first play, "Love in a Wood, or, St James's Park", was produced at Drury Lane in 1671. He followed this success with "The Gentleman Dancingmast...