Prologue Summary

The writer, David Garrick, tells the audience that the subject of the play will be scandal and the fact that there is no need to bring more of it into the world. Unfortunately, everyone is always eager to hear bad reports and gossip about people, making it altogether impossible to root out entirely. However, Garrick says that Sheridan will try to attack it with his pen so that it might be brought under control.

Prologue Analysis

Prologues were another common device used by playwrights of the period in order to build sympathy for the subject matter and create interest in the play. However, they were usually written by someone other than the playwright and, in this case, it is David Garrick's words that are used.

Garrick makes an allusion to Don Quixote in this section when he refers to Sheridan. This shows that...