George Farquhar

George Farquhar (1678-1707), Irish dramatist, born in Londonderry, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. At the start of his acting career he accidentally wounded a fellow performer in a fencing scene, whereupon he abandoned acting for playwriting. About 1697 he left Dublin for London. His first play, Love and a Bottle (1699), was favourably received. His plays display the urbanity and satirical wit of other Restoration comedies, but are marked by an atmosphere of good humour and reality. The Recruiting Officer (1706) and The Beaux' Stratagem (1707) are considered his best plays and are still regularly performed. The Recruiting Officer was based on Farquhar's experiences and was used by Bertolt Brecht as the basis of his play Pauken und Trompeten, and by Timberlake Wertenbaker for her play Our Country's Good (1988). Farquhar's other works include The Constant Couple (1700) and The Inconstant (1702), based on The Wild Goose Chase, a play by John Fletcher. His plays continue to hold their place in the repertoire of the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon.