The Mistaken Husband
Encyclopedia
The Mistaken Husband is a Restoration comedy
in the canon of John Dryden
's dramatic works, where it has constituted a long-standing authorship problem.
at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
in 1674
, and was first published in a 1675
quarto
issued by the booksellers James Magnes and Richard Bentley. The publishers credited the play's authorship to an anonymous "Person of Quality." In a Preface to the play, Bentley wrote that Dryden had had the anonymous play in his possession for many years; and "finding a Scene wanting he supply'd it" before turning it over to the actors of the King's Company. Bentley's statement may not be literally precise, and may mean that Dryden gave the anonymous original a light revision of some extent.
Dryden, however, responded negatively to this publication. In a note included in the first edition of his King Arthur (1691
), Dryden complained about having been "imposed on by the booksellers foisting in a play which is not mine," and added a list of the plays and poems he'd written and published to that date.
argued, on the basis of internal evidence of plotting, style, and subject matter, that both The Mistaken Husband and another problematical Dryden work, The Wild Gallant
, were based on otherwise-unknown plays by Richard Brome
. Harbage asserts that the sexual scandal in The Mistaken Husband is typical of Brome's drama; he notes that Brome's The Northern Lass
and The Mistaken Husband feature marriages dissolving on the basis on non-consummation; and he argues that "The frequent parenthetical constructions, the abrupt and often purposeless alternation of prose with blank verse...and, above all, the diction, the turn of phrase, the general atmosphere" in The Mistaken Husband all point to Brome.
Harbage's argument is plausible, though by no means certain. One Brome scholar has complained that "there is too little evidence to sustain" the case. Alexander Brome
has also been suggested as a possible original author of The Mistaken Husband.
. In The Mistaken Husband the Senex iratus
is Learcut, a wealthy and ruthless cheesemonger. He resented his son-in-law Manley, a fortuneless younger brother who had eloped with Learcut's daughter. The old man refused to provide Manley with the young woman's dowry (worth £8000), and persecuted him with lawsuits until Manley was forced to flee abroad to avoid debtor's prison, before he and his wife had even consummated their marriage.
Nine years after these events, Manley tells his tale to Hazard, a clever but conniving gentleman (the play's Dramatis personae terms him "a cunning shifting fellow"). Hazard decides to impersonate Manley and return to England in his place. (Hazard bears a strong resemblance to Manley, and even inflicts a scar on himself to strengthen that resemblance.) He manages to convince Learcut, and halfway convince Mrs. Manley, that he is the real Manley; he wins Learcut's approval by claiming that a rich uncle has left him his fortune, and consummates the marriage in Manley's stead after a nine-year delay. Hazard then steals Learcut's gems and plate, and prepares to flee to America with the loot and Manley's wife. (Hazard is ruthlessly prepared to share the woman with his co-conspirator Underwit.) Hazard's schemes grow more extreme: he robs Learcut of an additional £1000, has Underwit imprison the old cheesemonger, and tells Mrs. Manley that her father has drowned.
The real Manley returns in time to prevent Hazard's final triumph; Hazard expresses his regret that he did not poison Manley to forestall this possibility. Yet Hazard boldly maintains his identity as Manley, even to Manley's face — though Mrs. Manley faints upon realizing her error. Hazard and Underwit manage to get Manley arrested as a highwayman. Mrs. Manley tells Hazard that though she has fallen in love with him, she cannot live with him in sin; she attempts suicide. Hazard visits Manley in prison, telling him (truly) that Learcut is still alive and (falsely) that Mrs. Manley is still a virgin. Hazard offers to re-instate Manley in his own identity, which he says was his original plan. Manley strongly suspects that Hazard has had sex with his wife, but has little choice in accepting Hazard's offer. The three meet with Learcut at Learcut's home; Hazard says that he wants only to be allowed the occasional visit. Mrs. Manley favors this — which makes Manley suspect ever more strongly that he's been cuckolded.
The surprise resolution of this untenable situation is that Underwit is revealed as Learcut's long-lost son. He offers Manley the withheld dowry, if Manley departs. The marriage is legally void, since Manley has abandoned his wife for more than seven years; and he is ready to leave the "Skittish Jade, and have money to boot." Learcut offers his daughter's hand to Hazard, and Hazard is taken with her enough to accept, thus making an "honest woman" of her. He also vows to abandon his "wild follies and debaucheries" for a settled and normal life.
Restoration comedy
Restoration comedy refers to English comedies written and performed in the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710. After public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime, the re-opening of the theatres in 1660 signalled a renaissance of English drama...
in the canon of John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
's dramatic works, where it has constituted a long-standing authorship problem.
Performance and publication
The play was first produced on stage by the King's CompanyKing's Company
The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682.-History:...
at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
in 1674
1674 in literature
The year 1674 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Isaac de Benserade is elected to the French Academy, along with Pierre Daniel Huet.* Thomas Ken and Izaak Walton visit Rome together.* The new Theatre Royal, Drury Lane opens in March...
, and was first published in a 1675
1675 in literature
The year 1675 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*November 11 - Gottfried Leibniz's notebooks record a breakthrough in his work on calculus.-New books:...
quarto
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
issued by the booksellers James Magnes and Richard Bentley. The publishers credited the play's authorship to an anonymous "Person of Quality." In a Preface to the play, Bentley wrote that Dryden had had the anonymous play in his possession for many years; and "finding a Scene wanting he supply'd it" before turning it over to the actors of the King's Company. Bentley's statement may not be literally precise, and may mean that Dryden gave the anonymous original a light revision of some extent.
Dryden, however, responded negatively to this publication. In a note included in the first edition of his King Arthur (1691
1691 in literature
The year 1691 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* The first of eight volumes of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy Who Lived Five and Forty Years Undiscover'd at Paris is published; subsequent volumes are issued through 1694...
), Dryden complained about having been "imposed on by the booksellers foisting in a play which is not mine," and added a list of the plays and poems he'd written and published to that date.
Authorship
The question of the identity of the play's original author remains open. Alfred HarbageAlfred Harbage
Alfred Bennett Harbage was an influential Shakespeare scholar of the mid-20th century. He was born in Philadelphia and received his undergraduate degree and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He lectured on Shakespeare both there and at Columbia before becoming a professor at Harvard...
argued, on the basis of internal evidence of plotting, style, and subject matter, that both The Mistaken Husband and another problematical Dryden work, The Wild Gallant
The Wild Gallant
The Wild Gallant is a Restoration comedy written by John Dryden. It was Dryden's earliest play, and written in prose, not verse; it was premiered on the stage by the King's Company at their Vere Street theatre, formerly Gibbon's Tennis Court, on February 5, 1663...
, were based on otherwise-unknown plays by Richard Brome
Richard Brome
Richard Brome was an English dramatist of the Caroline era.-Life:Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, indicate that Brome started out as a servant of Jonson, in some capacity...
. Harbage asserts that the sexual scandal in The Mistaken Husband is typical of Brome's drama; he notes that Brome's The Northern Lass
The Northern Lass
The Northern Lass is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy by Richard Brome that premiered onstage in 1629 and was first printed in 1632. A popular hit with its audience, and one of his earliest successes, the play provided a foundation for Brome's career as a dramatist.-Performance and...
and The Mistaken Husband feature marriages dissolving on the basis on non-consummation; and he argues that "The frequent parenthetical constructions, the abrupt and often purposeless alternation of prose with blank verse...and, above all, the diction, the turn of phrase, the general atmosphere" in The Mistaken Husband all point to Brome.
Harbage's argument is plausible, though by no means certain. One Brome scholar has complained that "there is too little evidence to sustain" the case. Alexander Brome
Alexander Brome
Alexander Brome was an English poet.He was by profession an attorney, and was the author of many drinking songs and of satirical verses in favor of the Royalists and in opposition to the Rump Parliament...
has also been suggested as a possible original author of The Mistaken Husband.
Synopsis
The plot of the play is based on the Amphytrion of PlautusPlautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
. In The Mistaken Husband the Senex iratus
Senex iratus
The senex iratus or heavy father figure is a comic archetype character who belongs to the alazon or impostor group in theater, manifesting himself through his rages and threats, his obsessions and his gullibility....
is Learcut, a wealthy and ruthless cheesemonger. He resented his son-in-law Manley, a fortuneless younger brother who had eloped with Learcut's daughter. The old man refused to provide Manley with the young woman's dowry (worth £8000), and persecuted him with lawsuits until Manley was forced to flee abroad to avoid debtor's prison, before he and his wife had even consummated their marriage.
Nine years after these events, Manley tells his tale to Hazard, a clever but conniving gentleman (the play's Dramatis personae terms him "a cunning shifting fellow"). Hazard decides to impersonate Manley and return to England in his place. (Hazard bears a strong resemblance to Manley, and even inflicts a scar on himself to strengthen that resemblance.) He manages to convince Learcut, and halfway convince Mrs. Manley, that he is the real Manley; he wins Learcut's approval by claiming that a rich uncle has left him his fortune, and consummates the marriage in Manley's stead after a nine-year delay. Hazard then steals Learcut's gems and plate, and prepares to flee to America with the loot and Manley's wife. (Hazard is ruthlessly prepared to share the woman with his co-conspirator Underwit.) Hazard's schemes grow more extreme: he robs Learcut of an additional £1000, has Underwit imprison the old cheesemonger, and tells Mrs. Manley that her father has drowned.
The real Manley returns in time to prevent Hazard's final triumph; Hazard expresses his regret that he did not poison Manley to forestall this possibility. Yet Hazard boldly maintains his identity as Manley, even to Manley's face — though Mrs. Manley faints upon realizing her error. Hazard and Underwit manage to get Manley arrested as a highwayman. Mrs. Manley tells Hazard that though she has fallen in love with him, she cannot live with him in sin; she attempts suicide. Hazard visits Manley in prison, telling him (truly) that Learcut is still alive and (falsely) that Mrs. Manley is still a virgin. Hazard offers to re-instate Manley in his own identity, which he says was his original plan. Manley strongly suspects that Hazard has had sex with his wife, but has little choice in accepting Hazard's offer. The three meet with Learcut at Learcut's home; Hazard says that he wants only to be allowed the occasional visit. Mrs. Manley favors this — which makes Manley suspect ever more strongly that he's been cuckolded.
The surprise resolution of this untenable situation is that Underwit is revealed as Learcut's long-lost son. He offers Manley the withheld dowry, if Manley departs. The marriage is legally void, since Manley has abandoned his wife for more than seven years; and he is ready to leave the "Skittish Jade, and have money to boot." Learcut offers his daughter's hand to Hazard, and Hazard is taken with her enough to accept, thus making an "honest woman" of her. He also vows to abandon his "wild follies and debaucheries" for a settled and normal life.