The Beaux Stratagem By George Farquhar

I do not have a lot to say about "The Beaux Stratagem" but, I am just wondering if anyone else thought about the horrible picture of marriage that is painted within this play? The expert that I will present at the end of my blog is very heart breaking. After reading this play, I thought about how disgusting and utterly awful it must have been for poor Mrs.Sullen to night after night be raped by her drunken husband, Sullen. It is awful! (even though it is only suttly mentioned in this expert) And to think that he feels that it is his right as a husband to commit those acts every night is even more disturbing. It makes me wonder how often that happened in the past...and still today. Sullen claims that because he is "justice of the peace and must do nothing against the law" (707) that he is obligated, because a sexual encounter with someone else is against the law, to be a "good citizen" by going home in a disgustingly drunken state to rape his wife:

Squire Sullen: Ay, sir; and unless you have pity upon me, and smoke one pipe with me, I must e’en go home to my wife, and I had rather go to the devil by half.


Sir Charles. But I presume, sir, you won’t see your wife to-night; she’ll be gone to bed. You don’t use to lie with your wife in that pickle?

Squire Sullen: What! not lie with my wife! why, sir, do you take me for an atheist or a rake?


Charles: If you hate her, sir, I think you had better lie from her.

Squire Sullen: I think so too, friend. But I’m a justice of peace, and must do nothing against the law.


Sir Charles: Law! as I take it, Mr. Justice, nobody observes law for law’s sake, only for the good of those for whom it was made.

Squire Sullen. But, if the law orders me to send you to jail, you must lie there, my friend.

Sir Charles. Not unless I commit a crime to deserve it.

Squire Sullen. A crime? ’oons, an’t I married?


Sir Charles. Nay, sir, if you call a marriage a crime, you must disown it for a law.

Squire Sullen. Eh! I must be acquainted with you, sir.—But, sir, I should be very glad to know the truth of this matter.


Sir Chas: Truth, sir, is a profound sea, and few there be that dare wade deep enough to find out the bottom on’t. Besides, sir, I’m afraid the line of your understanding mayn’t be long enough.

Squire Sullen: Look’ee, sir, I have nothing to say to your sea of truth, but, if a good parcel of land can entitle a man to a little truth, I have as much as any He in the country.


Bonniface: I never heard your worship, as the saying is, talk so much before.

Squire Sullen: Because I never met with a man that I liked before.

Boniface. Pray, sir, as the saying is, let me ask you one question: are not man and wife one flesh?

Sir Charles: You and your wife, Mr. Guts, may be one flesh, because ye are nothing else; but rational creatures have minds that must be united.