In dramatic terms, not all comedies are farces, but all farces are most definitely comedies. A farce is a comedy where much, if not all, of the action is ridiculous, highly improbable, and well over-the-top.

This description fits Sheridan's The Rivals to a tee. Here, we have a plot that is based on mistaken identities and miscommunication. It is self-consciously ridiculous in presenting us with a tale in which a wealthy young lady pursues whom she mistakenly believes to be a poor young man for love. This is a farcical situation indeed, but it also yields a good deal of the play's humor.

Then we have the highly improbable romance between the ludicrous Mrs. Malaprop and Sir Lucius O'Trigger, utterly absurd characters who provide the audience with a regular source of laughs. What makes their romance all the more farcical is that Sir Lucius has never even met Mrs. Malaprop. All this time, he thinks he's been exchanging love letters with Lydia instead of the silly woman with the remarkable talent for mangling the English language.

Further complications ensue, with all kinds of bizarre romantic entanglements coming along to remind us that the course of true love never did run smooth. As the play progresses, farcical elements become ever more prevalent, each one providing a humorous commentary on the strange manners of the English upper classes.