The Relapse by Sir John Vanbrugh

First produced: 1696

First published: 1696

Type of work: Drama

Type of plot: Social satire

Time of work: Seventeenth century

Locale: England

Principal Characters:

• Sir Novelty Fashion, Lord Foppington, a London fop
• Young Fashion, his brother
• Loveless, a gentleman
• Amanda, his wife
• Worthy, a gentleman of the town
• Sir Tunbelly Clumsey, a country squire
• Miss Hoyden, Sir Tunbelly’s daughter
• Coupler, a matchmaker
• Berinthia, a comely widow

Critique:

THE RELAPSE, OR, VIRTUE IN DANGER was written as a sequel to Colley Cibber’s LOVE’S LAST SHIFT because in Vanbrugh’s opinion the latter play did not present an accurate picture of human nature. Lord Foppington is Cibber’s Sir Novelty Fashion elevated to the peerage. THE RELAPSE was a huge success, and for more than fifty years it held the London stage, sometimes running in more than one theater at a time. Historically, the play is important because it helped to break up the formulas followed in the artificial comedy of manners. Vanbrugh has been accused of irreligion, which is probably not wholly true, and of licentiousness, which is probably accurate.

The Story:

In the country Loveless and Amanda led a quiet life after a stormy period of marriage troubles. Because Loveless had to go to London rather frequently and because she had reason to doubt his fidelity, Amanda was apprehensive. But Loveless assured her he was temptation-proof; going to London provided a test of his reform.

Young Fashion and his servant Lory called on Sir Novelty Fashion, the new Lord Foppington, young Fashion’s elder brother. Lord Foppington had recently bought a title. Since he was the eldest son, he had plenty of money, although he spent too much as it was. Young Fashion, on the contrary, was destitute. He was minded to join the army as a last resort, but at Lory’s suggestion he resolved to humble himself to ask the new lord to pay his debts. But Lord Foppington was busy with the tailor and the shoemaker and hardly spared his brother a word. Although Lord Foppington was on the point of going out, he did invite his brother to stay and have a home dinner by himself.

Angered by his brother’s attitude, young Fashion determined on revenge. Coupler, a matchmaker who providentially came in, had a plan. Coupler had arranged a marriage between Lord Foppington and Miss Hoyden, wealthy daughter of Sir Tunbelly Clumsey. Lord Foppington was to pay the matchmaker two thousand pounds, but he was afraid the new lord would evade the money agreement. It was decided that young Fashion was to go to Sir Tunbelly’s house and, pretending to be his brother, marry Miss Hoyden. Coupler, in turn, was to receive a fee of five thousand pounds. Young Fashion agreed to the plan, after a hard time fighting off Coupler’s amorous advances.

Loveless and Amanda were installed in their London lodgings and Loveless had already been to the theater. In a confidential mood he told his wife of seeing a beautiful woman in the audience, a woman so handsome he had been unable to keep his eyes off her. Amanda was alarmed, but he told her he admired the woman only in an aesthetic way. Berinthia, Amanda’s widowed friend, came to call. To Loveless’ surprise, she was the woman he had admired in the theater. Because he pretended to be indifferent to Berinthia’s charms, Amanda invited her to stay with them while they were in London.

Lord Foppington also came to call and was quite smitten with Amanda’s beauty. Resolving to make a conquest at once, he drew her aside and declared his love. Amanda slapped his face. Loveless, seeing the fracas, wounded Lord Foppington with his sword. Although the wound was not serious, the surgeon pretended that it was, in order to increase his fee. As Lord Foppington was being carried out, Worthy entered and was also attracted by Amanda’s charms. After the men had all left, Berinthia had a long talk with Amanda about men and love.

Young Fashion determined to make one more attempt before taking revenge on his brother. Once again he told Lord Foppington of his debts and asked for money to settle them. Lord Foppington refused haughtily, and in the ensuing quarrel young Fashion tried to fight a duel with his brother. Lord Foppington contemptuously refused to fight and left. Resolved to do his worst, young Fashion set out for Coupler’s house.

Loveless made love to Berinthia and finally seized her. He left, however, when they were interrupted by Worthy’s arrival. Worthy was in love with Amanda. Because Berinthia had once been his mistress, he asked her help in his suit. Berinthia’s plan was to let Amanda become jealous of her erring husband; in her anger she would be an easier prey. When Amanda returned, Berinthia told her that Loveless was pursuing a strange woman.

Armed with a letter from Coupler, young Fashion called at Sir Tunbelly’s house. When he knocked, Sir Tunbelly quickly locked Miss Hoyden in her room with her old nurse and sent armed peasants to the gate. Young Fashion was cordially received, however, when he explained that he was Lord Foppington. Miss Hoyden, ripely nubile, was all atwitter.

Although the nurse was supposed to be a chaperone, she was an indulgent one, and she allowed young Fashion to talk privately with Miss Hoyden. Sir Tunbelly wanted to defer the wedding for a while to allow time to invite the guests, but young Fashion did not dare wait so long. For a small bribe, since Miss Hoyden was more than willing, the nurse made arrangements for Bull, the chaplain, to marry them secretly in the morning. And, since they were to be married so soon, she saw no harm in their staying together that night. The following morning the complaisant Bull performed the ceremony.

When Berinthia and Amanda again discussed the subject of love, Berinthia skillfully played on Amanda’s doubts of Loveless’ fidelity. According to plan, Worthy then arrived to say that Loveless would be out until very late, and that while waiting for Loveless he would play cards with the ladies. Artful Berinthia withdrew to her chamber and left Worthy and Amanda alone. In her bedroom, meanwhile, Berinthia received the erring Loveless. Putting out the candles, he seized Berinthia and dragged her into the closet. She shouted for help, but she was careful to scream very softly.

Lord Foppington arrived at Sir Tunbelly’s house to claim his bride. Taken for an impostor, he was set upon and bound, and young Fashion declared he had never seen the man before. A neighbor identified Foppington, however, and young Fashion fled precipitately. Miss Hoyden decided to keep still about her marriage to young Fashion and to marry again, this time the real Lord Foppington.

Back in London, Coupler showed young Fashion a letter. Lord Foppington had married Miss Hoyden but would wait until they returned to Lord Foppington’s own bed to consummate the marriage. Young Fashion had to wait until the couple came to town to regain his Miss Hoyden. Fortunately, the parson of Fat-goose Living had just died and young Fashion had the disposition of the post. By promising the living to Bull, young Fashion persuaded him that he should tell the truth about the secret marriage.

Meanwhile Berinthia, trying to arouse Amanda’s jealousy to the point where she would accept Worthy as a lover, arranged to have Amanda present at a masquerade. Loveless was there in the company of Berinthia, who was masked. Convinced that her husband had a mistress, Amanda received Worthy in her home, but in spite of his best efforts she retained her virtue.

Lord Foppington invited the whole company to come and honor his new bride. Young Fashion appeared also and declared that Miss Hoyden was married to him. Sir Tunbelly was thunderstruck and Lord Foppington was contemptuous of his younger brother’s story. True to their agreement, the nurse and Bull backed him up. When it was learned that young Fashion was Lord Foppington’s brother, Sir Tunbelly withdrew his opposition and accepted his son-in-law. Lord Foppington met the new turn of events as gracefully as he could. Miss Hoyden, having learned that her first husband was Lord Foppington’s brother, had no complaint to make, just so long as she was married to someone.

Further Critical Evaluation of the Work:

Although the earthiness and witty cynicism of Vanbrugh’s play provide a healthy correction to Colley Cibber’s sentimental tendencies, Vanbrugh lacked Cibber’s sense of dramatic form. He may have been more accurate than Cibber in depicting human nature, but he was less adept at fashioning a well-constructed play. This is particularly odd because Vanbrugh eventually became one of England’s greatest architects, the builder of Blenheim Palace for the Duke of Marlborough and the designer of the Haymarket Theatre, which he managed for two years. He was well aware of the indifferent plotting of his play, however, because he apologized for it in the “Prologue” where he attributed the play’s lack of “plot or wit” to the haste of its composition: “It was got, conceived, and born in six weeks space.”

If Vanbrugh was weak in plot and dialogue, his characters were nevertheless compelling creations and very popular with actors. Even Colley Cibber, whose work was the object of Vanbrugh’s satire, admitted that Vanbrugh’s lines were easier to memorize than those of any other playwright. Vanbrugh gave actors a great deal to do in the sense that action in his plays is broad and suggestive; even if the language is not rich in wit, it often has a dramatically effective force. In the opening scene, Amanda fears that if Loveless goes to town, he will be unfaithful. She expresses this in a series of direct statements ending with a bathetic conclusion:

I know the weak defence of natureI know you are a man—and I—a wife.

Vanbrugh is one of those writers of Restoration Comedy who fed the arguments of its moralistic enemies. His husbands are corrupt sensualists, and because of Vanbrugh’s crude dramaturgy there is little to redeem them in their wit. When they seduce, they do so with their bodies, not a bon mot. Loveless actually carries Berinthia off stage. The humor is salacious and broad. Her response is to cry “I’m ravished”—in a soft voice. One can easily understand the enthusiasm of Vanbrugh’s audiences, and one can also appreciate the opportunities for farcical acting that his plays provide.