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Overview
Synopsis
Aphra Behn’s The City Heiress is a Restoration comedy that mixes political satire with farcical intrigue. The play centers on the conflict between Sir Timothy Treat-all, a greedy and hypocritical Tory, and his disinherited nephew Tom Wilding, a witty and roguish rake. Wilding has lost his inheritance because of his political loyalties, but he remains determined to outwit his uncle and win back his fortune by cunning rather than by conventional means.
Wilding devises several elaborate schemes to humiliate and cheat Sir Timothy. He disguises himself, plays on his uncle’s vanity, and manipulates situations to his advantage. Much of the comedy comes from these tricks, which expose Sir Timothy as both corrupt and foolish. The play also satirizes the shifting political climate of Restoration England, where opportunism and self-interest were often rewarded more than loyalty or principle.
Alongside the political satire, the play develops a romantic subplot involving Charlot, the wealthy “city heiress” of the title. Charlot is pursued by Sir Timothy, who covets her money, but she ultimately favors the clever Wilding. Their budding romance intertwines with Wilding’s tricks against his uncle, allowing the rakish hero to balance both love and fortune in his schemes.
By the end, Wilding succeeds in outmaneuvering Sir Timothy. He exposes his uncle’s hypocrisy, secures Charlot’s fortune through marriage, and restores his own position. The play closes with a celebration of wit, energy, and youthful cleverness triumphing over greed and hypocrisy. In typical Restoration fashion, Behn combines bawdy humor, sharp political commentary, and romantic intrigue to craft a lively comedy that critiques both family and society.
Show Information
Context
Plot
Characters
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The antagonist is a character who opposes the protagonist and creates conflict within the story. They are not always villains but are critical to the development of dramatic tension.
An anti-hero is a central character who lacks traditional heroic qualities such as morality, bravery, or idealism. Often flawed and complex, anti-heroes appear frequently in modern drama and literature.
Farce is a comedic style that emphasizes exaggerated situations, improbable coincidences, mistaken identities, and rapid pacing. It often includes physical humor such as slamming doors, frantic chases, or characters hiding in plain sight. Farce is designed to generate nonstop laughter, often prioritizing chaos and absurdity over realistic storytelling.
The main character of a play or story, typically the one whose journey or conflict drives the plot. The protagonist often experiences growth or change.
Works not protected by copyright and available for free use or adaptation. Many classical plays, including Shakespeare's, fall into the public domain.
A genre from 17th-century England known for its wit, sexual explicitness, and satirical portrayal of social mores.
A stock character of the English Restoration period, representing a carefree, witty, and sexually irresistible aristocrat known for riotous living and patronage of the arts, as seen in the comedies of the era. The term, a shortened form of "rakehell," describes an elite, witty, and libertine man of the world who used his wealth and sharp tongue to pursue sensual pleasures
Structured poetic lines used in classical theatre, especially Shakespeare, often following specific metrical patterns like iambic pentameter.
Wit in theatre refers to the quick, clever use of language to create humor or reveal deeper truths about characters and situations. It often relies on sharp wordplay, irony, or unexpected turns of phrase to keep audiences engaged. Wit is commonly found in comedies and serves both to entertain and to highlight human flaws in a lighthearted way.
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
THEMES
Political satire
The play is a piece
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