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Farquhar's last two plays, The Recruiting Officer and The Beaux'
Stratagem, have been called 'the last worthwhile comedies of the
Restoration tradition'. Written during Farquhar's stint in Shrewsbury
as part of a recruiting mission in 1704-5, The Recruiting Officer is a
buoyant, whimsical piece stocked by a fairly conventional cast of
characters: the rake-hero and his spirited lady (who dons breeches in
the course of the action), his sober friend and the heroine's serious
friend, the buffoon/coxcomb and his ill-fated amorous or heroic
ventures. What makes the play entertaining is Farquhar's light, humane
touch; what makes it original is his depiction of a real-life
provincial town and the impact that ongoing warfare (in this case the
War of the Spanish Succession) had on its civilian society.
About the author
George Farquhar (1678-1707) was an Irish-born playwright of the Restoration period. During his ten-year career, he produced two brilliant comedies, The Recruiting Officer in 1706 and The Beaux' Stratagem the following year. The son of a clergyman, he studied at Trinity College, Dublin, before briefly working as an actor at the Smock Alley Theatre in that city. Following an accident during a stage fight, when he mistakenly used a real sword and wounded a fellow actor so badly that he almost died, Farquhar renounced acting. Encouraged by his fellow actor Robert Wilks, he took up the pen and settled in London. His first play Love and a Bottle was well received at Drury Lane in 1698. The following year, The Constant Couple; or, A Trip to the Jubilee was an even greater hit with Wilks in the lead. After Sir Harry Wildair (1701), a sequel to The Constant Couple, and The Twin-Rivals (1702), he wrote his first great play. The first production of The Recruiting Officer starred Anne Oldfield, with whom Farquhar supposedly had an affair. The following year Farquhar, with "not one shilling" in his pocket, was encouraged by Wilks to produce a hastily written play. The next day Farquhar delivered the plot for The Beaux' Stratagem, which was presented on stage within six weeks. He died from tuberculosis after the third performance.
Summary
Revisions to this edition of The Recruiting Officer" include new notes based on recent scholarly material and the editor's further study of the text, and an up-to-date reading list."
Foreword
Revisions to this edition of The Recruiting Officer" include new notes
based on recent scholarly material and the editor's further study of
the text, and an up-to-date reading list."
