''The Wife of Bath'' is a 1713

comedy play Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...

by the British writer John Gay. It was inspired by ''

The Wife of Bath's Tale "The Wife of Bath's Tale" ( enm, The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe) is among the best-known of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales''. It provides insight into the role of women in the Late Middle Ages and was probably of interest to Chaucer himsel ...

'' by

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

. The play marked a conscious switch by Gay towards an apolitical and distant past, after his contemporary work ''The Mohocks'' had faced controversy and censorship the previous year.

Robert Wilks Robert Wilks (''c.'' 1665 – 27 September 1732) was a British actor and theatrical manager who was one of the leading managers of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in its heyday of the 1710s. He was, with Colley Cibber and Thomas Doggett, one of th ...

, a celebrated actor and manager of the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

, appeared as Chaucer. The title role of the wife was played by

Margaret Bicknell Margaret Bicknell (1695?–1723) was a Scottish theatre actress and dancer. Early life and education She was sister of Elizabeth Younger, an actress, who survived her some years. Younger informed Mrs. Saunders, a well-known actress who had f ...

with Mary Porter as Myrtilla and the cast rounded out by William Bullock,

Lacy Ryan Lacy Ryan (c. 1694–1760), English actor, appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709. Life By 1718 he had joined the company at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he shared the lead with his friend James Quin. He took leading roles in ''Richard ...

Christopher Bullock Sir Christopher Llewellyn Bullock, KCB, CBE (10 November 1891 – 16 May 1972), a prominent member of the Bullock family, was Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Air Ministry from 1931 to 1936. Appointed at the age of 38, he remains one o ...

William Pinkethman William Pinkethman(also Penkethman, Pinkeman, Pinkerman, etc.; nicknamed Pinkey) (c.1660–1725) was an English comic actor, a low comedian with a droll style, and theatre manager. He was considered an imitator of Anthony Leigh. Starting in th ...

, Susanna Mountfort and Henry Norris. It had been expected to premiere in April 1713, but was delayed by the lengthy run of

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard S ...

's '' Cato'' which had been widely acclaimed. When it was finally able to be staged, it lasted for only two nights. However a publisher

Bernard Lintot Barnaby Bernard Lintot ("Lintott" before 1724, usually referred to as "Bernard" and very rarely as "Bernaby") (1 December 16759 February 1736), was an English publisher who started business in London about 1698. Born at Southwater, Sussex, Lintot ...

paid £25 for the

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

to the work, while

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator''. Early life Steele was born in D ...

had been enthusiastic after seeing it in rehearsals. The

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...

was likely to have been written by Gay's friend and fellow

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

. On 19 January 1730 the play, substantially rewritten by Gay who was now celebrated for his ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'', opened at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. The cast featured John Hippisley and

Jane Egleton Jane Egleton (died 1734) was a British stage actress of the eighteenth century associated with John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. He origins are not entirely clear, but she acted under the name Jane Giffard or Mrs Giffard ...

, who has both appeared in ''The Beggar's Opera''. Other cast members included Thomas Chapman,

Anthony Boheme Anthony Boheme (died 1731) was a British stage actor of the eighteenth century. His year of birth is unknown. From 1720 he was a long-standing part of John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre until his death. He was married to the ...

William Milward William Milward (1702-1742) was a British stage actor. He began his career with John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and also appeared at the Haymarket. From 1734 he became part of the company at Drury Lane where he remained f ...

, Charles Hulett and

Elizabeth Younger Elizabeth Younger whose married name was Elizabeth Finch (2 September 1699 – 24 November 1762), was an actress and dancer. Her sister was the singer and actress Margaret Bicknell.''Younger arried name Finch Elizabeth (1699–1762), actress and ...

. It ran for three nights and this time Lintot paid £75 for the copyright to print it for sale. However, the play was never revived.Winton p.146-147

References

Bibliography

* Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992. * Winton, Calhoun. ''John Gay and the London Theatre''. University Press of Kentucky, 2014. 1713 plays West End plays Plays by John Gay Plays based on works by Geoffrey Chaucer {{1710s-play-stub