''Sir Patient Fancy: A Comedy,'' is a comedic play written by

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

, first performed in 1678. It is Behn's first overtly political play. It was staged by the

Duke's Company The Duke's Company was a theatre company chartered by King Charles II at the start of the Restoration era, 1660. Sir William Davenant was manager of the company under the patronage of Prince James, Duke of York. During hats period, theatres b ...

at the

Dorset Garden Theatre The Dorset Garden Theatre in London, built in 1671, was in its early years also known as the Duke of York's Theatre, or the Duke's Theatre. In 1685, King Charles II died and his brother, the Duke of York, was crowned as James II. When the D ...

in London with a cast that included

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage ...

as Lady Knowell,

Anthony Leigh Anthony Leigh (died 1692) was a celebrated English comic actor. Life He was from a Northamptonshire family, and was not closely related to the actor John Leigh (c.1689–1726?). He joined the Duke of York's company about 1672, and appeared in ...

as Sir Patient Fancy, John Crosby as Leander Fancy,

Thomas Betterton Thomas Patrick Betterton (August 1635 – 28 April 1710), the leading male actor and theatre manager during Restoration England, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in London. Apprentice and actor Betterton was born in August 16 ...

as Wittmore, William Smith as Lodwick Knowell,

James Nokes James Nokes (Noke, Noak, Noakes) (died c.1692) was an English actor, whose laughter-arousing genius was attested by Cibber and other contemporaries. Life Nokes was one of the male actors who played female roles in the newly reopened playhouses s ...

as Sir Credulous Easy, John Richards as Curry,

Elizabeth Currer Elizabeth Currer was an Irish stage actress of the Restoration Era. She was a member of the Duke's Company during the 1670s and subsequently part of the merged United Company from 1682. Although she was likely acting in London several years earl ...

as Lady Fancy,

Mary Betterton Mary Saunderson (1637–1712), later known as Mary Saunderson Betterton after her marriage to Thomas Betterton, was an actress and singer in England during the 1660s and 1690s. She is considered one of the first English actresses. Stage career ...

as Isabella, Emily Price as Lucretia and

Anne Shadwell Anne Shadwell was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. She was one of the first English actresses to appear on stage following the Restoration She was one of six actors recruited in 1660 by William Davenant for the new Duke's Company ...

as Maundy. The play is influenced by Moliere's last play, ''

Le malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H. ...

''.

Plot

Sir Patient Fancy, a hypochondriacal old man, has married the young and beautiful Lucia. She had wanted to marry Charles Wittmore, but neither of them had any money of their own. Charles and Lucia have an affair under Sir Patient's nose. At the end of the play, Lucia and Wittmore reveal to her husband that they are lovers and had plotted her marriage to him for money. Sir Patient announces his plans to

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

Lucia. Now controlling a large fortune (money previously given to her by Sir Patient), she looks forward to a new life with Wittmore.

Reception

''Sir Patient Fancy'' was successful with contemporary audiences, but some writers criticised it for perceived

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

and bawdiness. Behn responded to this criticism by downplaying Moliere's influence on her work, and arguing that her play would not have been accused of bawdiness if she had been a man. The play's epilogue, spoken by the character Mrs. Gwin, has received significant attention from feminist writers. In it, Behn criticises those who damn her play because she is a woman, and suggests that women are in fact better writers of

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

than men.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sir Patient Fancy: A Comedy Plays by Aphra Behn Restoration comedy 1678 plays