The Soldier's Fortune: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Soldier's Fortune" is a play that explores the complexities of love, betrayal, and manipulation through its major characters. Central to the plot is Captain Beaugard, a military officer returning from war, who rekindles his romance with Lady Dunce, formerly known as Clarinda, despite her marriage to the unappealing Sir Davy Dunce. Lady Dunce, feeling trapped in her marriage, engages in schemes with Beaugard to undermine her husband, leading to a series of dramatic and comedic machinations aimed at revealing Sir Davy's cuckoldry. Sir Davy, characterized by his jealousy and ignorance, becomes an unwitting pawn in his wife's plans, ultimately being forced to accept the truth and release her from their union. The narrative also features Courtine, Beaugard's comrade, who eventually wins the heart of Sylvia, the niece of Lady Dunce and Sir Davy. Sylvia's initial reluctance towards marriage stems from her observations of her aunt and uncle’s dysfunctional relationship, although she ultimately succumbs to love. Alongside these characters is Sir Jolly Jumble, an elderly rake who supports Lady Dunce’s romantic pursuits. The interplay among these characters encapsulates themes of desire, social status, and the lengths individuals will go to pursue their passions.
The Soldier's Fortune: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Thomas Otway
First published: 1681
Genre: Play
Locale: London, England
Plot: Comedy
Time: c. 1680
Captain Beaugard, a military officer. Returning from a campaign, he is approached, through the offices of Sir Jolly Jumble, by Lady Dunce, who claims to have been in love with him long before he went off to the wars. A meeting with the lady reveals her as his old love, Clarinda, now married to the elderly and distasteful Sir Davy Dunce. There follows a series of machinations designed to blackmail Sir Davy into acknowledging Captain Beaugard as his wife's lover.
Lady Dunce (Clarinda), Captain Beaugard's beloved. Despairing of her lover's return from the wars, she marries the wealthy but unattractive and elderly Sir Davy Dunce. When the captain does return, she finds herself still in love with him. She and the captain engage in a series of ruses designed to fool her husband into being cuckolded and finally forced to acknowledge his wife as the captain's mistress.
Sir Davy Dunce, Lady Dunce's cuckolded husband. Jealous and thick-witted, he is used by his wife in the furtherance of her affair with Captain Beaugard. Manipulated into becoming a party to a conspiracy to assassinate the captain, he is forced, to escape the extreme penalty for attempted murder, to acknowledge his wife as Beaugard's mistress and free her from his unwanted attentions.
Courtine, Captain Beaugard's companion-in-arms, who wins and marries Sylvia.
Sylvia, Sir Davy and Lady Dunce's niece, who rejects the idea of matrimony because of her observations of her aunt and uncle. She is finally prevailed upon to marry Courtine.
Sir Jolly Jumble, an elderly rake and the ally of Lady Dunce in her amorous adventures.