The beaux' stratagem cover

The beaux' stratagem

by George Farquhar

In this new edition, The Beaux' Stratagem is seen as a traditional work, combining characteristics of the Restoration comedy of manners with those of the more conventionally moral comedy that followed. Mr. Fifer discusses the numerous alterations made in the text during the century, many of which eliminated racy dialogue or diminished the importance of the marriage-divorce theme. Farquhar's views on divorce were influenced by Milton; he is also concerned here with the conflict between virtue and vice, and with the importance of money and its influence on personal freedom. Based on a collation of eight copies of the first quarto, this edition includes extensive discussion of text and stage history.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?