Mr. Limberham; or, the Kind Keeper

Mr. Limberham; or, the Kind Keeper was first published in 1680 and is not a very well known work. John Dryden was a very well known author, however, this work is lesser known. England during this time was going through many changes. There were political changes, religious changes, and there was a lot of unrest in the everyday lives of the people. However, this play shows none of this unrest. This play has people who are on the wealthy side of life and are not dealing with the real life problems of other people.

The term "keeper" comes into light very often during this play. In the play a "keeper" is someone who is looking after another. In this sense, it would be a husband, a lover, a mother, or the priest. Oftentimes for the mother and priest, they are keepers of the girls who work for them, the prostitutes. For the wealthy aristocrats, they keepers are the husbands and the lover, Mr. Woodall.

Summary

Mr. Limberham; or, the Kind Keeper is about a group of wealthy aristocrats and how their lives are intertwined. Mr. Woodall is in town and he is looking at the other wives as women he would like to seduce. Mr. Woodall starts by having relations with Mrs. Brainsick and they face the challenge of having to keep it a secret from Mr. Brainsick. Mr. Brainsick keeps popping up and so Mr. Woodall must hide in many closets in order to stay away from an angry husband. The play progresses and you see Woodall going after more and more women within the show. However, there is another character within the show making the characters lives more interesting.

Father Aldo is a character whom everyone always returns to. He is the character people confess their sins to and this ensure that he will know everything that is going on throughout the play. From context clues throughout the play, a reader can infer father Aldo is in charge of an organization where the women are paid for their sexual pleasures. He continues to hear about the women and how much men are willing to pay for the daughters. At this point, Aldo is called away because Mr. Brainsick needs his advice.

Back at the house of Brainsick, Mrs. Brainsick is meeting with Mr. Woodall in secret. Then, there is a knock at the door and Tricksy enters while Mrs. Brainsick hides under the bed. It is revealed Mr. Woodall is also having an affair with Tricksy and this is the first Mrs. Brainsick has heard of it. There are many secrets floating around the household and they all include affairs with Mr. Woodall. Before Tricksy and Mr. Woodall can get very far, there is a knock at the door and Mr. Brainsick has arrived. Mrs. Brainsick tells Mr. Woodall and Tricksy to hide in her closet. Mr. and Mrs. Brainsick have a short conversation and they both exit.

Later that day, the reader sees Mr. Limberham waiting to talk to Tricksy. All the main characters are in the room and they are talking about whose household they are in. Mr. Limberham then asks Tricksy to marry him. He believes she is a star women and she is very attractive. They leave as a happy couple and Mr. Woodall is telling the reader to find a women who can be both a "wife and mistress".^[1] He decides when you find that woman, you will be happy forever.

Character List

Mr. Woodall- a wealthy aristocrats trying to seduce many of the other characters wives.

Mr. Limberham- an aristocrat trying to marry Ms. Tricksy

Ms. Tricksy- one of the ladies in the household under father Aldo

Father Aldo- the priest everyone confesses their sins to

Mrs. Judith- the servant of Mrs. Brainsick

Mrs. Brainsick- married to Mr. Brainsick and is not in love with him. She is having an affair with Mr. Woodall

Varies other minor characters who appear in one scene and are working women:

Mrs. Overdon- mother of a prostitute

Miss Prue- daughter of Mrs. Overdon, a prostitute

Mrs. Pad- a prostitute

Theatre Theories

Throughout this play, there are many theories at work. There are certain dynamics seen throughout that we, the reader in the 21st century, do not see anymore. There is a lack of feminism because the women do not make any decision other than having an affair with Mr. Woodall. Another theory found within the play was materialist theory. Throughout the show, the reader can see how wealthy the characters actually are.

Feminist Theory^[2]- When reading this play, many things jump out at the reader. One of the things that jump out is the fact the young women have no say in their lives. The wealthy women, like Mrs. Brainsick or Tricksy, do not get to say much about who they marry or what they do in their lives. The one aspect that they do have some control over is who they want to have an affair with. The women get to control a small part of their lives which is improvement of the past. However, the women are still not seen as equal to the men since they do not have jobs to pay for things. The servants and the prostitutes have some money but even then it is given to their families to help pay for their living. The prostitutes mothers are usually in charge of them, they are the keepers. This shows a power that women were not used to having. Women during this time were not usually in any sort of power besides being in charge of the household.

Materialist Theory^[3]- This play has a lot to do with materialism because these aristocrats live in a society where the more money, and items, you have the better. The characters are all wealthy and they are all able to afford servants and jewels. At one point in the play, a treasure chest appears, it is one of the characters. A thief enters their house and steal the contents inside. They only way someone can have a chest full of jewels is if they are wealthy and able to afford such luxuries. The money the main characters have is old money, meaning it comes from their family line. The money has been in their family for generations and it has only helped them live a luxurious life style. Being a prostitute in the 1850s was not an easy job though. The women who were prostitutes were selling their bodies for money, money so they could live their lives. They wanted to be wealthy and they had found a way to make more money. By having aspirations so high, the women were forced to do whatever it took. In this case, it was selling their bodies for money. Most of the women had someone who was in charge of them and in this play it was their mothers. This showed an interesting dynamic with the family wanting more possessions because it was a mother/ daughter team. The team was able to make money to better everyone in their family.

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