The Lady of Pleasure : A Comedie, as It Was Acted by Her Majesties Servants, at the Private House in Drury Lane

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shirley, James, 1596-1666

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Lady of Pleasure" by James Shirley is a comedy written in the early 17th century. The play explores themes of social status, desire, and the complexities of marriage, centering around the characters Aretina and Sir Thomas Bornwell. Aretina's longing for the pleasures of city life contrasts with her husband's attempts to curtail her extravagant lifestyle, leading to conflicts that reveal the tensions of their relationship." "The opening of the play introduces Aretina, who expresses her dissatisfaction with the dullness of country life compared to the delights of London. Her conversation with her steward reflects her desire for a life filled with fashion, socializing, and pleasure. Soon after, her husband Sir Thomas enters, and their dialogue unveils a dynamic struggle between Aretina's aspirations for luxury and his concerns over their expenses and reputation. The early interactions set the stage for a comedic exploration of love, social expectations, and the coexistence of personal freedoms within the confines of marriage." (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

E-text prepared by David Starner, Moti Ben-Ari, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by HathiTrust Digital Library (http://www.hathitrust.org/digital_library)

Notes:

Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_Pleasure

Reading ease score: 78.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2014-03-01