A Bold Stroke for a Wife

A Bold Stroke for a Wife is Susanna Centlivre's 18th-century satirical English play first performed in 1718. The plot expresses the author's unabashed support of the British Whig Party: she criticises the Tories, religious hypocrisy, and the greed of capitalism.

Synopsis

Set in 18th-century England, the play tells the story of a military officer who wants to marry a young woman. His obstacles are the four guardians who watch over Anne Lovely. Each of the four has his own idea of the ideal husband. The catch is that each is disagreeable in his own way, and they can't possibly see eye to eye on a man for Anne.
To gain Miss Lovely's hand in marriage, soldier Colonel Fainwell must convince the four guardians that he will make an ideal husband. Fainwell takes the bold stroke of wearing elaborate disguises, four of which mimic the personalities and occupations of each of the guardians in turn: an antiquarian, an old beau, a Quaker, and an exchange broker. In all, Fainwell dons the guise of a preening fop, a mysterious world traveler, a shuffling country steward, a dimwitted Dutchman and a fire-and-brimstone preacher in turn. The fire-and-brimstone Quaker character impersonated by Fainwell is Simon Pure, and one point of the plot is to discover the "real" Simon Pure. Fainwell gets the guardians' permission to wed Lovely but before the marriage can take place, the real Simon Pure shows up at the end to prove his identity.

Characters

Main

Guardians

Periwinkle is described as an antique collector, his wardrobe collection is made up of clothes of fashion from the last century, and he follows the words of the author of a collection of travellers' tales Sir John Mandeville more than the words of the Bible. Deception to obtain his consent fails the first time, but is successful the second time when he is tricked into signing the consent when presented with the false lease for his uncle's estate.
Tradelove is described as a stickler for trade, hates anything that comes with a sword, and is a great admirer of Dutch traders believing they understand trade better than any other nation. It is also noted that he is devilish in his dealings, as he cheated his father for the advantage of stock to get a bargain. He is encouraged to offer his consent to marry Anne Lovely to the Dutch trader in lieu of the payment of two thousand pounds wagered.
Sir Philip Modelove is described as a "beau". He is an old fashioned man who dresses fancy by keeping with the new fashions, and is the cheapest of the whole company on birthdays. He admires the French and enjoys the French operas, balls, and masquerades. Approving Colonel Fainwell's French behaviours and high class appearance, he gives his consent and introduces Fainwell to the rest of the guardians.
Obadiah Prim is a very rigid Quaker. At the start of the play Anne Lovely is seen entering Prim's house to start her three-month stay with him. He believes those who are not Quakers are impure. He is deceived by Colonel Fainwell when he impersonates Simon Pure and gives his consent when he is convinced Colonel Fainwell had converted Lovely.
Other

Summary

Act 1

The act starts with Colonel Fainwell and Freeman at the local tavern as Colonel Fainwell is talking of love. He has seen Anne Lovely earlier in the day and inquires about her of his friend Freeman, who calls upon the Tavern owner Sackbut to tell Fainwell about the four guardians who were left with the care of Lovely and her fortune. It is revealed that her father wished Lovely dead a thousand times because he wished the world would end on his passing. Since fortune was to be passed down to Lovely, the father arranged it so that in order for Lovely to marry, she had to get the consent of all four guardians. Each of the guardians had their own view of the ideal husband in ways that contradicted each other making it impossible for a universal agreement among the four men. Lovely spends three months of each year at each of the guardians' residences. Her three months with Prim begins as the action opens. With promises of help from Freeman and Sackbut, Fainwell plans on obtaining the consent of the guardians, beginning with Sir Philip Modelove.
During Fainwell's meeting with his friends, Lovely and her assistant Betty discuss Lovely's situation with the guardians. Lovely is sick and tired of being subjected to the "preposterous humours" of people in town and being pointed at. Lovely brings up that Colonel Fainwell had promised her freedom from her situation and mentions that she likes the Colonel above all the men she has ever seen.

Key points

Fainwell's method of obtaining consent is to assume the identity of the ideal gentleman to each guardian. Since he has no chance in obtaining consent as himself from all four guardians simultaneously, he is forced to get consent individually. The Colonel only needs to deceive each guardian long enough to receive consent to marry Anne Lovely while disguised as the guardian's ideal husband.

Act 2

Colonel Fainwell shows up at the park dressed nicely to impress Sir Philip with a few footmen to show off. Fainwell is supposedly dressed in a French style which attracts the attention of Sir Philip as Colonel approaches him. Once they begin to "praise one another", the woman sitting with Sir Philip leaves and the Colonel says everything that Sir Philip wants to hear. Sir Philip gives his consent and they arrange for Fainwell to be introduced personally to the other three guardians.
At Obadiah Prim's house, Mrs. Prim and Anne Lovely argue about Lovely's choice of dress, Mrs. Prim saying it is too revealing. Lovely argues back saying Mrs. Prim is a prude and a believer of Quaker to Quaker relations. Mr. Prim enters and states that Lovely's breasts are too exposed and that she should hide them with a handkerchief, also stating that it inflames desire in other men. Lovely is upset and declares that her father never meant the tyranny of guardianship to control her life, while Mr. Prim defends himself by stating that all he meant was to prevent her from wearing temping attire and provoking others to sin.
Sir Philip and Fainwell arrive at Prim's house and Fainwell is introduced to Mr. Prim formally for the first time. Then he is introduced to Lovely and as he goes to kiss her hand, he attempts to give her a letter which she drops and Prim picks up. After Fainwell reveals to Lovely who he really is, Lovely realizes she had made a mistake refusing his letter. She snatches the letter away from Prim and shreds it before anyone can take it back from her. The other guardians arrive and Fainwell is introduced to Periwinkle and Tradelove. Both guardians question Colonel Fainwell, determine that they disapprove of Sir Philip's suggestion, and leave declaring their requirement that all of their personal qualifications be met.

Key Points

We see in this act that Sir Philip is a fop. He has very big interests in Fashion and is made to believe the Colonel is a higher figure than he really is. The Colonel plays every card he knows to mirror Sir Philip's personality to make them seem to "...appear to have but one soul, for our ideas and conceptions are the same.".
In the next scene, we see how Lovely rejects Quaker strictures and notions of 'modesty.' Mr. and Mrs. Prim's characteristics are revealed even more when the point about romance between Quakers is accepted even with temptation being involved, but if they are not Quakers, it is evil and is looked down upon.
It is reconfirmed that the disapproval of the other guardians is unanimous, as each fails to see the Colonel as one of his own kind.

Act 3

Act three starts with Sackbut congratulating Colonel Fainwell for obtaining the consent of at least one of the guardians. The Colonel is in an Egyptian dress, disguised as a foreigner, to meet Periwinkle. Periwinkle is intrigued by not only the foreign appearance of Fainwell, but also the antique "habits" the Colonel displays. Periwinkle asks Fainwell if he has collected any rarities, as odd trinkets capture his interest, even asking if he's had a crocodile. Fainwell plays it off saying that he possesses more worthy knowledge than would be shown by possession of such petite items. He claims that he has great knowledge of the sun, more than what Descartes has claimed to discover and find out. With Periwinkle astonished and jealous, Fainwell lists a slew of items with claims of outrageous things they can do. He finishes off the list with a typical girdle claiming it has the power to make the wearer invisible and able to teleport instantaneously. Fainwell explains that in order for the girdle to work, the others in the room must face east. After the explanation Periwinkle tries on the girdle, Fainwell and Sackbut turn towards the east, and when they turn back, they pretend that Periwinkle disappeared. Not convinced, Periwinkle requests that the Colonel try the girdle on. Fainwell agrees and when Periwinkle and Sackbut turn east, Fainwell hides underneath a trap door so that when Periwinkle turns back, the illusion of invisibility is played out.
After the demonstration, Sackbut raises a point saying that if Periwinkle would purchase the girdle and use it, he would be able to travel as he always wanted to. The Colonel says that the girdle would never change ownership for money and reveals that the point of his trip is to find the guardians of Lovely and win their consent in his marriage suit. The first guardian to give consent would receive the girdle, and Periwinkle declares that he is one of the four guardians of Lovely. Right when the agreement is to be signed and finalized, a drawer of the tailor reveals to Periwinkle that the foreigner is actually Colonel Fainwell, ruining Fainwell's plans. Fainwell flees immediately and Freeman enters to set forth the backup plan. Freeman informs Periwinkle that his uncle is dying and suggests that he make a trip to the estate despite it being far away. Periwinkle thanks Freeman, leaves, and the Colonel and Sackbut re-enter with the plan of going after the next guardian, Tradelove.