''The Dutch Lover'' 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 and published in 1673. It came out during the Third Anglo-Dutch War and is an example of wartime

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

, seen most obviously in the ludicrous character of Haunce van Ezel, the 'Dutch lover' of the title. In the prologue, Behn challenged those critics who sabotaged her work because she was a woman.

Plot

The play is set in Madrid, where Haunce van Ezel, a

fop Fop is a pejorative term for a foolish man. FOP or fop may also refer to: Science and technology * Feature-oriented positioning, in scanning microscopy * Feature-oriented programming, in computer science, software product lines * Fibrodysplasia o ...

pish Dutchman, is due to have an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

with Euphemia, daughter of Don Carlo. However, Haunce does not actually arrive in Madrid until Act III - by which time Euphemia has fallen in love with Alonzo, a Flemish colonel. Alonzo had originally come to Madrid to marry Hippolyta, but like Haunce and Euphemia, the two had never met beforehand: Hippolyta's brother Marcel had arranged their planned marriage (although Marcel is mortified to discover that Hippolyta has had a sexual relationship with another cavalier, Antonio). Alonzo decides to marry Euphemia himself. When Haunce finally does arrive on the scene, various humorous incidents based on mistaken identity occur: to Don Carlo, the real Haunce and the fake Haunce seem equally ludicrous and indistinguishable. These escapades give Alonzo and Euphemia time to marry. By the end of the play, Euphemia is married to Alonzo; Hippolyta to Antoinio; and Haunce to Olinda, one of Euphemia’s maids.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutch Lover Plays by Aphra Behn 1673 plays Restoration comedy