Rattigan wrote most of his comedies in the early part of his writing career, and in the latter part he wrote mostly serious dramas. Some comedies, however, were written at about the same period with his serious dramas. The same playwright, of course with the same inner life, wrote both comedies and serious dramas one after another. What made him do so is an interesting question.
It is the aim of this paper to examine some elements of a light comedy and a serious drama, and also their relationship, if any, in Who Is Sylvia? by Terence Rattigan.