Publication Details | Synopsis | Secondary Commentary |Varieties & Dialects | Other
Publication details |
Author: Kemble, John Philip
Author dates: 1757-1823
Title: The Female Officer
First played: Not available.
First published: 1763
C18th availability: Available from ECCO (1763)
Full Citation for Kemble, John Philip. The female officer, or the humours of the army, a comedy. Altered from Shadwell. Dublin, 1763. Based on information from English Short Title Catalogue. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale Group.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO
Modern availability: Not available.
Genre: Comedy / Farce
Trend(s): Nationality; Gender; Dialect
Character types: French; Welsh; Scottish; Irish; Professional Female; Class-Crossing; Military
Synopsis |
Major Buck and Victoria fall in love at first sight; her father, the Brigadier-General, does not consent to the match until the end, instead wishing her to marry Bisket. Buck proposes to stand in for Bisket in the wedding, which will be held in the dark. Belinda, Victoria's jealous sister, arranges the marriage ceremony so that Buck will marry her instead without knowing it. Buck is aware of the plot. Willmot gets court-martialed for rebelling against the disguised Charlotte's harsh commands; once she is revealed to be a woman, he is pardoned. The proper matches occur at the play's conclusion.
Act I.
Hearty and Wildish, two army officers, speculate about how many superior officers have to die before they are promoted. They are joined by Major Buck, who has just returned to the front from England. He gives a full report of his own activities and of the fashions and follies of London. Victoria and Belinda enter; Victoria complains about her fiancé Mr. Bisket, who has been chosen by her father. She sees Buck and asks who he is. Belinda explains that he is a rogue and a “nauseous Fellow” who has inherited £1000 a year. Belinda encourages Victoria to see Mr. Bisket’s virtues. Buck falls in love with Victoria at first sight and resolves to “countermine Bisket”. He kisses her hand; Belinda calls him impudent for having taken no notice of her. Victoria would not object to Buck delivering her from her impending marriage to Bisket. The two women leave. Buck decides to ask Victoria’s father, the Brigadier-General, for her hand. A few soldiers’-wives argue about which is their husband’s real wife; one is preeminent because she has done drudge-work for him. The Brigadier-General, Cadwallader, O’Rourk and Macintosh meet to discuss the war with the Portuguese and the Spaniards. They criticize one another’s dialect and nationality. Luconnel, an engineer, enters with a plan of the Spanish camp, in which their Portuguese allies are not interested. The gathered officers insult the French. News comes that Buck has returned from England.
Act II.
Brigadier-General Conquest meets with Major Buck. Victoria, Belinda and Mrs. Conquest enter. Victoria asks to be informed of the new fashions and music in London. Belinda is jealous of Buck’s attentions to Victoria. An alarm sounds and Cadwallader enters to announce that the enemy is on the march. Buck wants to protect Victoria, but her fiancé arrives, to Belinda’s secret satisfaction. Bisket brings Mr. Charlot Hicumbuz, who is given a place as a lieutenant under Buck. Mrs. Conquest and Belinda exit. Bisket asks Victoria for permission “to participate of the last joint of your little finger”, but Buck rushes in and says that he loves her. Victoria protests that she is engaged, but says that she will consider him if she can break off her engagement honourably. Belinda returns and hastily leads Victoria away. Buck tells Charlot that his only duty is to get him Victoria. Buck leaves, and Charlot (really Charlotte in disguise) reads a letter of farewell from her lover Willmot. Charlotte has dressed up as a man and has enlisted in the army in order to find Willmot. However, her maid Clara (also dressed up) has heard nothing of Willmot in the camp. Captain Surly, Charlotte’s commanding officer, enters. They argue and each draws ‘his’ sword. Cadwallader (whose universal use of feminine pronouns adds dramatic irony) and Luconnel enter to break up the fight. They instruct the young officer in proper army behaviour. Buck summons Charlotte to his tent.
Act III.
Belinda tells her mother that Victoria is accepting Buck’s addresses, to Mrs. Conquest’s horror: she would “rather wish her Dead” than married to “a Rak’elly Officer”. Mrs. Conquest plans to have Victoria marry Bisket that very evening. Belinda soliloquizes about the revenge she plans to take on Buck for ignoring her. Bisket enters and asks for her help in punishing Buck for his flirtation. Victoria is confused by the attractive Major’s addresses, and says that she will never consent to Bisket. Her mother enters and berates her for speaking freely with Buck. Although Victoria refuses to marry Bisket, her mother insists. Victoria succeeds in getting permission to be married in the dark, as she says she will not be able to stand seeing Bisket until after they are married. Belinda tells Victoria that she is in love with Buck and asked Mrs. Conquest to hasten Victoria’s match so that Buck will no longer be distracted by her. Concealing her fury, Victoria says that she will find a way to tell Buck how much Belinda loves him. Captain Hearty overhears this statement, which Belinda vigorously denies before leaving quickly. Captain Hearty tells Victoria that all of Buck’s happiness depends upon her. Victoria says that she “do[es] not hate the Major”; Hearty hastens to tell this to the latter. Two ensigns discuss their hunger and poverty; they trick a sergeant out of some money so they can eat. Captain Surly enters, and the ensigns tell him they will sell him French brandy if he pays them now, which he does. Surly leaves and is replaced by Captain Wildish, who is calculating the costs of supplies. Hearty enters and they set off to find Buck. O’Rourke, Cadwallader and Luconnel bicker.
Act IV.
Buck presents Charlotte with a commission from Brigadier-General Conquest to be the youngest Lieutenant of the Grenadiers. Charlotte leaves, and the officers speculate as to whether ‘he’ is Buck’s mistress, which Buck denies. Buck sends a footman to give a letter to Victoria, but Belinda intercepts and reads it: Buck plans to stand in for Bisket in the dark during the marriage. Belinda plans to impersonate Victoria and thus be married to Buck without his knowledge. The council of war meets yet again and decides that they will not fight this evening. Luconnel brags about his feats of engineering; refusing to believe him, Cadwallader throws down his glove, but no one agrees to fight with him. They insult the French. Sergeant File-Off teaches Charlotte to drill the men. Charlotte is especially hard on her lover Willmot, who doesn’t recognize her. He draws a pistol when she strikes him, and the other soldiers carry him off to be court-martialed. Charlotte tells Clara that because of Willmot’s abandonment she“conspire[s] the Death of all his Sex”. Surly returns to pick up the brandy; the ensign who sold it to him cannot explain its absence. Another ensign comes in with money and pays off the debt. They go to see Willmot’s court-martialing.
Act V.
Mrs. Conquest and Belinda plan Victoria’s wedding; Major Buck will stand in for Bisket, while Belinda will act as Victoria to entrap the Major into wedlock. Bisket tells Belinda that if his wife dies, she will be his “second” (“tho’ [he’d] as lieve to be married to the Devil”). Bisket is perfumed and admires his own dress. Some criminals prepare to be hanged; they repent for the standard army sins. The officers superintend at Willmot’s court-martial. A Portuguese testifies against a criminal who is being tried for stealing. Willmot’s case is examined. When Willmot tells the story of how he was chased from his country by Charlotte, the lady swoons into his arms; all are shocked that she is a woman. The judges of the court-martial agree to not kill Willmot because the lady was not really an officer. Charlotte is Victoria and Belinda’s cousin, and the ladies rejoice to be reunited. Bisket says that if he knew his traveling companion was a woman, he would have taken the opportunity to lie in the same room as her on their trip. Cadwallader, Macintosh and O’Rourke drink to Buck’s success. Bisket and Belinda are married by mistake, to the disgust of both, because the letter was to fall into Belinda’s, not Victoria’s, hands. The Brigadier-General gives Buck permission to marry Victoria. An order for the cessation of arms arrives; each character says what he or she will do in peace-time.
[Errata from the printed play: replace Luconnel with La Cunette]
Secondary commentary |
A) Thomson, Peter. ‘Kemble, John Philip (1757–1823)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 28 May 2008. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15322
"He had also presented himself as a playwright, with his tragedy Belisarius (manuscript in the Huntington Library), which had been earlier performed in Liverpool, and a farce called The Female Officer, first performed for his own benefit at Manchester on 25 March 1778."
Varieties & Dialects |
Overview of varieties / dialects
Various soldiers represent and ridicule different nationalities (Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French); military expressions are also used.
Varieties / dialectsVariety: Buck’s military expressions
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 6]
Major Buck. I protest she has fine brilliant piercing Eyes, and therefore I’ll forbid the Banes; she gives me a pretty thrilling Pain about my Heart; she sets my Soul on Fire, and I must have her: Serjeant, prepare the Men for an Attack, I am resolved to countermine Bisket, blow up all his Outworks, and take that fair Citadel Sword in Hand.
Wild. Most heroickly express’d.
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar
b.3 Vocabulary: military: “prepare the Men for an Attack”; “countermine”; “blow up”; “outworks”; “take that fair Citadel Sword in Hand”
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: a major in love
e. Consistency of representation: somewhat consistent
Variety: Cadwallader (Welsh)
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 11]
Cad. Cot knows, her own Countrymen are prout enough…
…
Cad. Come, Cornel, praise for a Man her Toings, and not for her Speakings; here is our Frient the Major, has Murtert his share this Campaint.
--
[page 24]
Cad. Well come, what has her to say for herself now?
--
[page 25]
Cad. Cott knows, you are always a trusting yourself into a Gentleman’s Pussnesses, have a care of your provoking me into a Passion, get her gone quickly, or I protest I will pe in her Poty.
b.1 Orthography: “Cot” (God); “prout” (proud); “Cornel” (Colonel); “Toings” (doings); frient (friend); “murtert” (murdered); “campaint” (campaign); “Pussnesses” (businesses?)
b.2 Grammar: “her” used universally (here in place of the nominative and the male pronouns): what has her to say for herself?
b.3 Vocabulary: “pe in her Poty” (“be in her body”, or...?!)
c. Nationality: Welsh
d. Character profile: military officer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent and undiscerning use of female pronouns (adds dramatic irony when applied to Charlotte, the female officer)
Variety: O’Rourke (Irish)
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 11]
Maj. O’Rourke. Buy my Shoul ‘tes a deplorable Story, that we must tay suddenly of a lingering Shackness, when we might march away to the Enemy, and have Time to repent of our Shins.
b.1 Orthography: “buy” (by); “’tes” (‘tis); “Shoul,” “Shackness”, “Shins”)
b.2 Grammar
b.3 Vocabulary
c. Nationality: Irish
d. Character profile: military officer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Macintosh (Scottish)
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 11]
Mac. ’Tis a very malancholy Tale, Sir, that we must die here like a parsal of Duggs, when we maight Gallantly have our Brains knockd out in the Bad of Honour.
…
Mac. Waunds Mon, wan wad thank you studdy’d to talk irishtically (?) on purpose; I have heard mare Iricisms fram you, than a whole Gang of the Nation, Sir.
b.1 Orthography: “malancholy” (melancholy); “Duggs” (dogs); “maight” (might); “Mon” (man), “wan wad thank” (one would think); “studdy’d” (studied); “Iricisms” (Irishisms); “fram” (from)
b.2 Grammar
b.3 Vocabulary: Waunds, irishtically,
c. Nationality: Scottish
d. Character profile: military officer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Luconnel / La Cunette (French)
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 12]
Luc. Gentlemens, your Serviteurs ten tousand Time over; my goot General I have made a de very grat a Discovery of de Situation, of what you call de Camp of de Enemy, dere is the Plang of every Ting.
b.1 Orthography: dropped ‘th’: “tousand”, “Ting”; “de”; “grat”; “goot”; “dere”; “plang” (plan)
b.2 Grammar: “Gentlemens”; “I have made a de very grat a Discovery”
b.3 Vocabulary: Serviteurs (servants: French)
c. Nationality: French
d. Character profile: engineer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Charlotte (as a woman) to Willmot
a. Sample of dialect:
[page 57]
Char. Have I run all the Hazards in the World to find thee out, repented of my ill usage to thee, and thus far followed you to take away your Life, ’tis a grief I never can survive.
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “Have I…” (no question mark); “thee/you” inconsistency
b.3 Vocabulary
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: the female officer (now revealed to be a woman)
e. Consistency of representation: inconsistent
Speaking in "Iricisms":
[page 11]
Maj. O’Rourke. Buy my Shoul ‘tes a deplorable Story, that we must tay suddenly of a lingering Shackness, when we might march away to the Enemy, and have Time to repent of our Shins.
Mac. Waunds Mon, wan wad thank you studdy’d to talk irishtically on purpose; I have heard mare Iricisms fram you, than a whole Gang of the Nation, Sir.
Cad. Come, Cornel, praise for a Man her Toings, and not for her Speakings; here is our Frient the Major, has Murtert his share this Campaint.
--
[page 43]
(O’Rourke speaking about Buck) Den how de Devil shou’d he have more Sence den I, by St. Patrick, he only speaks his vords one way, an I do speak them an oder way, but we do mean de same Ting.
Maj. Buck. Exactly, my dear country man.
Other points of interest |
Description of a play’s audience:
[page 4]
(Buck) The Women of Quality always have that discerning Taste of good Sense, that they always crowd the front Boxes at a good Play: And our rakelly young Fellows, live as much by their Wits as ever; and to avoid the clinkling Dun of a Box-keeper, at the End of one Act, they Sneak to the opposite Side ‘till the End of another; then call the Box-keeper fancy Rascal, ridicule the Poet, laugh at the Actors, march to the Opera, and spunge away the rest of the Evening. The Women of the Town take their places in the Pit, with their wonted Assurance. The middle Gallery is filled with the middle Part of the City: and your high exalted Galleries are graced with handsome Footmen, that wear their Master’s Linen, and their Mistresses Favours.
©2009 Arden Hegele