Divorcing the Sullen Squire The Beaux Stratagem is considered the best play written by George Farquhar. Jonne C. Thornton exclaimed, “The Beaux Stratagem is the epitome of Restoration comedy” (4). Unlike his contemporaries, Farquhar uses more theatrical devices, subplots, characters and surprises in the play (Thornton 4). Farquhar has a unique sense of play structure that creates a combination of lighthearted comedy with serious underlying social issues. A social problem that constitutes the main theme of the work is the acceptance of divorce. He is able to write a comic work while also addressing a serious social issue. Farquhar uses his recognizable main characters to express his opinions and themes. George Farquhar attempts to reform society in his play, The Beaux Stratagem, through the character of Mrs. Sullen. In the play Mrs. Sullen is married to Sullen. Coincidentally, grumpy means to be hostile, which may also describe Sullen's personality. Sullen is a simple country squire. He is constantly drunk. He shocks his wife, Mrs. Sullen, with his actions and words. They have a miserable marriage. They each married for different reasons. Sullen married his wife to have a successor (5.4.460). The play always emphasizes Mrs. Sullen's unhappiness. His marriage to Sullen turned out to be a disaster. Mrs. Sullen constantly wishes she could separate from her husband. When Mrs. Sullen agrees to marry Sullen she expected a different life for herself. When asked why she married Sullen, she replies "To support the weakness of my sex by the strength of his, and to enjoy the pleasures of agreeable society" (5.4.460). She wants someone to support her. Mrs. Sullen does not want to have a country life, she was... middle of paper......8824b3d20fbb5affccaca6d>Jeffares, A. Norman. "Farquhar's Final Comedies". Images of Invention: Essays on Irish Writing. Gerrards Cross, England: Colin Smythe, 1996. 76-89. Rpt. in dramatic criticism. Ed. Lawrence J.Trudeau. vol. 38. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Network. March 28, 2014. gi99172&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=801edd48f836f2f37d079604a0468731> Malek, James S. “The Beaux Stratagem: Overview.” Reference guide to English literature. Ed. DL Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Network. 28 March 2014.2.1&u=elgi99172&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=6a79aea45ed9ee2fdb8660123bb923a6>Thornton, Jonne C. Introduction. The Beaux ruse. By George Farquhar. Van Nuys: D'arts Publishing, 2010. Page 3.