The Beaux-Stratagem

At Boniface’s inn, the ale is “smooth as oil, sweet as milk”—and, its landlord boasts, strong enough to sustain him for fifty-eight years. Then Aimwell arrives dressed as a gentleman, with Archer in the livery of a servant, and only £200 between them.

First staged in 1707, George Farquhar’s comedy unfolds in Lichfield, where a fine coat can win respect and poverty is hard to hide. Aimwell and Archer have little money left, but plenty of nerve: they mean to make their way by passing as what they are not and turning opportunity into fortune. Around them, a wealthy household offers fresh prospects—and complications neither man can command. How long can their borrowed roles hold before the game turns against them?

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