The Conscious Lovers

Discuss the idea of “honest dissimulation” in the play? Do characters who engage in this behavior succeed? Why or why not?

Consider Myrtle as Bevil Jr.’s foil. How do their approaches to morality differ? Why are both rewarded with loving marriages at the end of the play?

Examine how Tom and Phillis expose the play’s class conflicts. Why does this play feature this theme?

Lucinda has greater wealth and opportunity than Phillis, but also envies her servant. What are the women’s relative freedoms and limitations?

Richard Steele considered the first scene of Act IV the basis for the entire play. How does Myrtle and Bevil Jr.’s conflict inform the overall narrative?

Investigating Indiana’s background seems obvious, so why does the play delay this plot element? What does the suspense add to the play’s conflicts, themes, and characterizations?

The revelation that a character of mysterious origin is actually of noble birth was common in 18th-century literature. How does Steele play into this trope? How does he subvert it?

Consider how the play portrays courtship. How do Myrtle, Bevil Jr., Tom, and Cimberton approach their potential marriage partners? What do the differences between their wooing styles say about them?