Bold Stroke for a Wife

A Bold Stroke for a Wife, like many of the other plays we have read this term, focused on marriage. I really enjoyed the comedy in this play because it reminded me of today’s romantic comedies. The themes surrounding marriage weren’t as “naughty” as some of the other plays we’ve read this term. Although the themes in regards to marriage were more acceptable, the men’s attitudes in regards to women were still frustrating. Periwinkle’s comment “Women are the very gewgaws of the creation; play things for boys, which, when they write man, they ought to throw aside” was pretty disturbing, but hopefully men’s attitudes towards women will improve as we read plays that were written towards the end of the restoration period.