The triumph and failure of Sheridan's speeches against Hastings

This re‐examination of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's two speeches against Warren Hastings appraises the spectacular success of the impeachment speech of 1787 and the relative success of the rephrased version delivered at Hastings’ trial in 1788. It also assesses factors that may have influenced later observers who reacted to the speeches with considerably less enthusiasm than did Sheridan's listeners. In maintaining that Sheridan's view of Hastings was consistent and justified, the author questions the continuing criticisms of Sheridan's motives in the Hastings affair. The conclusion considers why Sheridan's two speeches have probably failed as literature, and hence indirectly suggests why other speeches may have gained literary stature.