It was the last of Shirley's plays performed in London prior to the closing of the theatres in September 1642, at the start of the English Civil War.
"Slight in substance, The Sisters is excellent in matter of technique, and especially in...structural unity...."[1] The play was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 26 April 1642 and acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre later in the year.
In that volume, the play is dedicated to William Paulet, esq., and is preceded by verses written by Shirley in praise of Shakespeare, Fletcher, and Jonson.
Paulina, proud and extravagant, is determined to marry the prince; Angellina is her temperamental opposite, gentle, modest, eager to become a nun.
When Angellina makes her feelings known, a surprise is in store for all involved — though no one familiar with the conventions of English Renaissance comedy will be astonished to learn that Vergerio is a lady in disguise.