Names in The Beaux Stratagem
Aimwell, Archer, Boniface, Lady Bountiful, Mrs. Sullen...
One of the aspects of Restoration comedy which seems closer to pre-Civil War authors like Jonson than modern romantic comedy is naming. Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem is no exception, and the emphasis on realism and the “suspension of disbelief” which still hangs over a lot of modern writing revolts at the appearance of characters like Mrs. Sullen and Lady Bountiful. Though such names suggest heavy-handed allegory, or an intention (against all the strictures of books on creative writing) to “tell, rather than show”, many of the character names in The Beaux’ Stratagem are far less straightforward than they appear at first.
Aimwell and Archer
The names of both the broke fortune-hunters from London suggest arrows and archery, which immediately provoke two apparently contradictory interpretations. Firstly, they imply an ability to hit a “mark” or target, to take aim and to achieve their object. On the other hand, the most famous archer in literature must be Cupid, which suggests their involvement with the pursuit of love, indeed Aimwell tells Archer he’s “such an amorous puppy”.
There is also an ambiguity in what the “well” in Aimwell’s name means – does it suggest that he’s a crack shot, or that he aims at being virtuous? In fact, the play’s action which involve both men in carrying out a plot which is helped and then hindered by romantic feelings. The characters’ names show themselves in hindsight to be involved with the working out of the plays themes, rather than a signpost predicting how they will act.
Boniface and Cherry
As Michael Cordner notes in his 1976 edition of The Beaux’ Stratagem, Boniface’s name is extremely ambiguous. Its Latin derivation is from “bonum facere”, to do good, but it also has echoes of the English words “bonny face”, suggesting that only his outside is good and attractive. Furthermore, because of its associations with lawyers and Catholics, during the Restoration Latin was often regarded as a language of deception, so a Latin-sounding name might well out the audience on their guard. Cherry, the landlord’s daughter, has a name recalling Cavalier romantic poetry, with its comparisons between red lips and red cherries. The name marks her as country-bred and possibly sexually available.
There are names in The Beaux’ Stratagem, such as Mrs. Sullen and Lady Bountiful, which seem two-dimensional and unrealistic. Those given to the more important characters, however, tend to open up possibilities, rather than close them down. For Restoration comedians like Farquhar, names were part of the tools to suggest theme and develop character, not the simple labels of allegory.
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