What does the term 'Rake' describe in Restoration comedy?
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Correct answer: A witty, fashionable, and sexually promiscuous male hero
The 'Rake' (or Libertine) was the quintessential Restoration comic hero — valuing wit and pleasure above conventional morality. Dorimant in Etherege's 'The Man of Mode' is the archetype: charming, amoral, and irresistible to other characters and audiences alike.
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