The dramaturgy of European countries of the 18th century was marked by important artistic discoveries, and was significantly enriched by thematic richness and genre originality. Not only in the literature of England, but also in France, Germany and other countries, a single direction of these changes is revealed, the obvious similarity of aesthetic requirements and criteria has been put forward by writers and theorists.
Along with this appears a new subgenre of dramaturgy - the bourgeois tragedy, which takes into account the peculiarity of the 18th century English dramaturgy and reflects the innovative character of many works, to which belong George Lillo’s play The London Merchant.
The play became a phenomenon in the history of English dramaturgy. This tragedy is distinguished by a harmonious balance of the parts, its scenes are consistent, logically motivated, the plot, climax and denouement are clearly outlined and easily defined. George Lillo was one of the first to use artistic means to solve moral problems: simplicity, accessibility and expressiveness of the language. One of his contemporaries, probably Samuel Richardson, reacted to the play emphasizing its social significance: “The stage action has a new purpose: to lecture young people.”
George Lillo took the plot of The London Merchant from a ballad made up at the beginning of the 18th century. It went about the unfortunate fate of a young clerk who had got into a trap to a cynical and dissolute woman, and under her influence he committed a crime and ended his life at the gallows. The choice of source itself is characteristic. Lillo does not turn to history or mythology, but to a ballad that had been popular in urban and bourgeois environments and tells of a character, who had emerged from this environment. The play ends with an epilogue, like all theatrical plays of that time. In the 18th century, a great importance was given to the epilogues, as they completed the performance and could consolidate the favorable impression of the public.
The use of prose in drama in the 18th century was a rather controversial attempt, therefore the language of the tragedy deserves special attention. The London Merchant is the first English tragedy almost entirely written in prose. None of Lillo’s predecessors had dared for such an experiment, but he dared and adapted prose in order to compare the bourgeois interest of the tragedy with the harmony of real life.
Still, introducing prose into serious drama was more important from a historical than from an aesthetic point of view. The 18th century was called the century of prose, and such an experiment in the literature was unique, as George Lillo found a new method of expressing thoughts in the play.
The playwright's style served the embodiment of his moral goals. For example, in the final scene, when a courtesan refuses to repent, her language reflects a pathetic transition from despair to challenge. Throughout the tragedy, George Lillo could not use such a simple but emotional language. But at the end of the play Millwood conveys her emotions in a cold, careless tone, and every word of her monologue makes viewers tremble. Her speech is very expressive.
Thus, prosaic language in the tragedy, which was just a daring innovation, glorified the playwright. Simplicity and clarity were the hallmarks of Lillo’s works, not only in the field of creating characters and compositions, but also in the style that served to express the moral background. All this together led to the birth of a new genre - bourgeois tragedy. Therefore, George Lillo will always be deserved to occupy a place of honor among European playwrights.
