Addison and Steele - Part C

  • Comment on Steele's art of characterization with reference to "The Spectator's Club". [NU. 2015, 2020]

/What pictures of the 18th century England do you get from The Spectator's Club?

/Write a note on Steele as a critic of the contemporary England with reference to The Spectator's Club.

Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) was one of the most famous Irish playwrights, essayists, and also a politician. He is considered the co-founder of the famous magazine “The Spectator” with his close friend Joseph Addison (1672-1719). 

The Spectator is a valuable document of the social and cultural history of the age of Queen Anne. Addison and Steele paint English life in the early 18th century. Each member of the club is the representative of a profession, or trade or class of society.

Sir Roger de Coverley is an English country gentleman of fifty-six. He is the first member of the Spectator's Club. He is very singular in his behaviour towards others. He behaves in an odd manner only when he is sure that people around him are in the wrong. He is a kind-hearted, benevolent, and slightly eccentric figure. Through him Addison and Steele provided commentary on various social, political, and cultural issues of their time.

In the Essay, The Templar is a representative of the legal profession, art, and learning. His father wants to make him a barrister, but he has no interest in the study of law. Only to fulfil the whimsical desire of his father he goes to the Inner Temple to study the laws of the land. His father sends him to the next door to solve their problems about land-laws but he becomes unable to answer the questions. For this reason, he always hires and appoints an attorney.


Sir Andrew Freeport is a wealthy merchant and a representative of the rising middle class in early 18th-century England. He has become rich by means of his own efforts and hard work. He trades with most countries of the world and is in favour of keeping English ports duty free. He wants that for the sake of promoting trade no tax should be imposed on exports and imports. Here lies the significance of his name: he wants to keep the ports tax-free. As he is a representative of the fast-growing English commercial groups, he supports the laissez-faire trade policy.


Captain Sentry is the representative of the army. He is a modest military man with great courage. As a military man he has bravely taken part in many battles. But he has failed to achieve promotion. He possesses the necessary merit to be promoted, but he is so modest that he cannot exhibit his merit to the officers. So, he resigns from his job in the military because he does not consider himself fit for it.

Will Honeycomb is the fifth member of the Club. He is the representative of the class of gallants. He is a city man. He is a sort of lady-killer who knows how to entertain and please the ladies. He can narrate the love-affairs of the old English lords and ladies in detail and thus wins the favour of the ladies.


We can say that Steele was a man of very genius who displayed his Intelligence by creating a bunch of amazing characters. He is a fine critic of the contemporary England. He skillfully portrayed the pictures of the 18th century England.