Publication Details | Synopsis | Secondary Commentary |Varieties & Dialects | Other
Publication details |
Author: Bickerstaff, Isaac
Author dates: 1733-1808 (?)
Title: The Absent Man
First played: 1768
First published: 1768
C18th availability: Not available.
Modern availability: LION (1996)
http://main.library.utoronto.ca/eir/EIRdetail.cfm?Resources__ID=109752
Genre / subgenre: Farce
Trend(s): None.
Synopsis |
The absent-minded Shatterbrain loses his fiancée Flavia to his friend Welldon, but gives his blessing to their match anyway.
Act I.
A landlady rouses the drowsy Frank to inform him that the Doctor, his master’s father-in-law-to-be, has arrived to take his master to his bride. Due to an “ancient friendship” between the families, Doctor Gruel has arranged for his only daughter to marry Shatterbrain, who is conspicuously absent on the day of the wedding. Concerned about Shatterbrain’s welfare, the Doctor hopes that marriage will cure him of his absentmindedness. Frank tells the Doctor that Shatterbrain has forgotten about his imminent nuptials. The landlady and Frank tell the Doctor about Shatterbrain’s latest mishaps. Frank is sent off to look for Shatterbrain at a coffee-house; the Doctor tells the landlady that his daughter Flavia would have thrown herself at a penniless man, had he not interfered to betroth her to Shatterbrain. Frank runs in to report that Shatterbrain will soon arrive. An apologetic Shatterbrain arrives; Frank shaves him lest his bristly beard approach the delicate young lady. Shatterbrain’s friend Welldon has called several times that day, to Shatterbrain’s surprise. Welldon enters; Shatterbrain, still covered in shaving cream, kisses him on both cheeks. Welldon is horrified to learn that Shatterbrain will marry Flavia; however, the lady is faithful to him, and he decides that he will attempt to right matters for them both. Welldon tells Frank of his plan; Frank vows to keep mum. Welldon leaves as Shatterbrain enters, carrying his sword. Shatterbrain leaves with the Doctor. The party he had lunch with that day, which includes Mrs. Junket, Miss Frolick, Captain Slang and Mr. Coxcomb, returns; Shatterbrain owes the ladies money, and has invited them to supper, forgetting his wedding. They decide to play cards while waiting for him to return, but, upon hearing that Shatterbrain will marry Flavia, change their minds and follow him to Doctor Gruel’s.
Act II.
Robin, a servant boy, lets Welldon into Flavia’s house; after Welldon bribes him, he fetches Flavia. Flavia is delighted to see Welldon, although the latter is angry at her for not writing him. Flavia tells Welldon that she has not given her consent because she loves Shatterbrain, but because she must obey her father. Robin runs in to report that the Doctor has returned; he leads Welldon into a nearby closet, after Welldon makes Flavia swear that she will not marry Shatterbrain. The Doctor notices Robin’s apprehensiveness, and asks him what he is doing in Flavia’s closet; Robin pretends that he is looking for a cat. The party arrives at the Doctor’s house, to the latter’s irritation. Shatterbrain arrives; he has just had a misadventure at the house next door, having entered into an old lady’s bedchamber by mistake because he thought it was a room in the Doctor’s house. A letter arrives for the Doctor, interrupting the wedding proceedings: his old and noble relative is dying, and he must leave immediately. Shatterbrain is left to entertain Flavia, who sneaks off to ask her friends for advice. Noticing that she has disappeared, Shatterbrain opens the closet door and pulls out Welldon, thinking he is Flavia. Mrs. Junket, Miss Frolick and Flavia enter. Miss Frolick pulls Shatterbrain off Welldon by offering him some tea in the next room. Mrs. Junket says that because the chaplain does not know Shatterbrain, a match between Welldon and Flavia can easily be brought off without the chaplains’ suspecting that there has been a groom substitution. Flavia and Welldon go into the study to be married while Shatterbrain is distracted by the others. The Doctor enters, having heard that a match has been concluded in his absence. The Doctor is angry to learn that Shatterbrain seems to have completely forgotten his marriage. Flavia enters to announce that she is married; Welldon appears, to the Doctor’s horror. Shatterbrain is finally justified in knowing that he is not married. When the Doctor tells Flavia that he will disinherit her, Shatterbrain gives his blessing to the young couple. Eventually the Doctor is swayed, and blesses his daughter and Welldon. They all proceed to dinner. Shatterbrain concludes with a quatrain asking the definition of a farce, but has forgotten the question by the end of the stanza.
Secondary commentary |
A) Rudolph, Valerie C.‘Isaac John Bickerstaff: September 26, 1733-1808’. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 89: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Dramatists, Third Series. Edited by Paula R. Backscheider, University of Rochester. The Gale Group, 1989. LiteratureResourceCenter. 23 May 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=utoronto_main&srchtp=athr&ca=3&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U14382890&n=10&docNum=H1200002452&ST=bickerstaff+isaac&bConts=141
In The Absent Man Bickerstaff successfully tried his hand at farce. The work was presented at Drury Lane on 21 March 1768. Pure entertainment, it focuses on the character of the absent-minded Mr. Shatterbrain. Flavia, his fiancée, and her lover, Mr. Welldon, take advantage of Shatterbrain's weakness, deceive the clergyman sent to marry Shatterbrain to Flavia, and marry one another instead. The good-natured Shatterbrain forgives. Then addressing the audience directly, he starts to talk about the meaning of the farce, but four lines later admits that he has forgotten it. The audience is free to clap or hiss but not to analyze.
Varieties & Dialects |
Overview of varieties / dialects
Shatterbrain speaks some French; Robin (servant) adds an -s to a first person verb.
Varieties / dialectsVariety: Shatterbrain
a. Sample of dialect
[Page 10]
Shatter.
A propos, Frank, cou'd you ever learn where I lost my boot, the last day I was out a riding?
[Page 11]
Shatter.
Because you had any particular commands for me, or only en passant?
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “a riding”
b.3 Vocabulary: “En passant” – French, and a chess term; “a propos” – French
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: absent-minded protagonist
e. Consistency of representation: these instances only
Variety: Robin (servant boy)
a. Sample of dialect:
[Page 19]
-- we expects him every minute --
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “we expects” (added s)
b.3 Vocabulary
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: servant boy
e. Consistency of representation: this instance only
None.
Other points of interest |
None.
©2009 Arden Hegele