The cast list for the original King's Men's production, added in the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1679, cites Richard Burbage, Henry Condell, Nathan Field, Robert Benfield, John Underwood, John Lowin, Richard Sharpe, and Thomas Holcombe, indicating that the play was performed in the 1616–1619 period – after Field joined the troupe in 1616 but before Burbage's death in March 1619.
The authors depended upon the Filocolo of Giovanni Boccaccio as their source, specifically the section of that work called "The Thirteen Questions of Love.
"[1] Scholars, from F. G. Fleay[2] to Cyrus Hoy[3] and after, have attributed the authorship of the play to Fletcher, Field, and Philip Massinger.
While not unanimous on all points, critics have generally favoured a division of authorship along these lines: The play was roughly contemporaneous with The Queen of Corinth, another work by the same trio of writers.
He maintains a sexual relationship with an African serving woman, Zanthia; more recklessly, he has also been propositioning Oriana, sister to Valletta, the Grand Master of the Order.
Two prominent probationers, Miranda and Gomera, are being honoured for their victories; each is given the opportunity to accept promotion from "Squire at Arms" to full membership as a Knight of the Order.
Meanwhile, Miranda is engaged in warfare with the Turks; in the process, a beautiful young woman named Lucinda has come into his custody.
Miranda subjects her to the kind of "chastity tests" that are such a noteworthy feature of Fletcherian drama; she passes all of them, consistently resisting his advances.
Both Mountferrat and his servant attack Gomera with their swords, but are unable to defeat him; Abdella decides to resolve the combat with a pistol.
Her shot wounds Gomera in the arm—but the report of the pistol attracts the attention of Norandine, which leads to the apprehension of Mountferrat and Abdella.
In the play's denouement, Oriana and her son are re-united with Gomera, as Lucinda is with the man who was her intended husband prior to her capture.