The Rival Widows
Her comments on marriage convey her recognition that power is at the core of all pleasure for a libertine: "why would you exchange all these pretty things for a husband?
I had rather have twenty lovers, than be troubled with another [husband] for all that; there's some joy in having the man you doat on for your slave, but none for your Lord; I can now dispose of my frowns and smiles like an absolute Princess, to whom I please; can humble, exalt, undo, create again, to keep my subjects in obedience and exercise my power ... Tis always my way to strip Nature stark naked and view her without the disguise of custom and Hypocrisy--I think freely and speak openly, and the same honest frankness that obliges me to speak what I think, will oblige me to think what is right" (2.2).
Young Modern provides a point of comic ridiculousness as would-be rival for Lady Bellair's affections and victim of her witty performances of power.
When Young Modern seeks to seduce Bellair, she replies that she cannot risk her reputation: if she is to agree to sleep with him, he must change the world's opinion of him from extravagant libertine of the old Restoration model to a puritan-style man of religious respectability.
While Young Modern believes he is terribly witty and edgy in his role playing, he is rendered ridiculous in his failures, most clearly in his not-quite-correct clothing choices and in the fact that when he purchases the "godly library" that Lady Bellair demands, every book is wrong.
In a surprising twist, it is revealed that Lady Lurcher's marriage is part of a larger plot, and Freelove holds the key to breaking it off.
At the end of the play, Lady Bellair agrees to marry Freelove, reveals Lady Lurcher's moral hypocrisy, and—following the tradition of fifth-act reformations in later libertine comedies—makes a moral statement in the last hundred words of the play, in response to the generosity of Modern's gift: "These are the only actions I can envy, and such as I only would be rich and great to imitate-- Pleasure, I have ever thought to be the chiefest good, but that pleasure is to be found no where, but in obeying reason and virtue" (5.11).
The themes of love, deception, and virtue are woven throughout the intricate plot, resulting in a comedic and morally instructive theatrical piece.
Plot Summary: Tiffany Potter summarizes the play's reflections on Bellair's mediation of libertinism, sentiment, and gender: "The relative social liberty of widowhood allows Bellair to recreate herself not as a mere extension of a man, nor just as a woman appropriating the privilege of masculinity, but as a model for a revised eighteenth-century femininity that others might emulate ...
The box contains various items such as "a choice Collection of excellent new Receipts for the Complexion, Hair, Lips, Teeth," along with "Select Passages of Rochester’s Poems" and "certain amorous Miniatures from Italy.
Lady Bellair acknowledges Modern's generosity but expresses her admiration for his actions, emphasizing that true pleasure is found in adhering to reason and virtue.
The epilogue, delivered by a "Friend," addresses potential criticisms of the play, defending it against harsh judgments and urging the audience to consider the intent behind the work, specifically highlighting the character development and moral aspects depicted.
