Three Hours after Marriage

by John Gay

"Three Hours after Marriage" by John Gay, John Arbuthnot, and Alexander Pope is a satirical farce written in 1717. The play follows Doctor Fossil, a pompous aging scientist who marries a much younger woman, Mrs. Townley. She is immediately pursued by two rival suitors who devise elaborate schemes to hide their intentions from her suspicious husband. The plot grows more chaotic with the addition of a female poet and a literary critic, creating a comedy that targets real London figures of the era.