The Woman Turned Bully

Often attributed to Aphra Behn, The Woman Turned Bully presents the London adventures of a young girl who flees her home in the country, disguised as a man, to escape an arranged marriage. As she seeks inspiration in the theatre to personate the gallant, the play offers an amusing satire of the extravagances of the rake-hero of Restoration comedy. A remarkable gallery of secondary characters includes a ridiculous old lawyer and his clerk, a strong-willed country widow who drinks and smokes tobacco, and an amorous old maid. Its well-structured plot, lively dialogues and comic situations recommend it as an entertaining play for today''s readers and prospective audiences. This is the first edition of the play since its original publication in 1675. The editors offer a modernised text, with abundant critical notes and an introduction which places it in its literary and theatrical context.