Presidio Sports Medecine

Presidio Sports Medecine

Presidio Sports Medecine

Posted on: February 23, 2012 - 7:42 pm
by Admin

The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707) by George Farquhar, begins at a country inn with the arrival of a gentleman from London, Mr. Aimwell, and his servant Archer. The innkeeper, the honest and hospitable Bonface, makes them welcome. In fact, as the play will reveal, almost none of the cast are quite who they seem. Cherry, the landlord’s daughter, at first suspects from the strongbox full of money that Archer entrusts to Boniface that he is a “parliament-man” come down to Litchfield to buy votes, but then decides that he and his servant are highwaymen in disguise.

Suspicion and Disguise

Highwaymen are something that Boniface knows about – though he seems to be the archetypal cheery host, he is in fact in league with a gang of thieves led by the highwayman Gibbet (disguised as a soldier), who specialise in working robberies in that area. Boniface is right to be suspicious of the London men: though they aren’t highwaymen, they are both broke gentlemen of fashion who have come down to the country to make fortunes, by marriage if possible. Just for good measure, it turns out that Foigard, the French chaplain in the town, is in fact an Irish renegade. About the only person who turns out to be what she appears is Cherry, who always hoped she was the lost daughter of someone more noble than Boniface.