Play on Words

full length · drama

The Old Bachelor: A Comedy

by William Congreve

16 roles (0M / 0F / 16 any) · approx 131–182 minutes · 5 acts

Royalty-free Public domain — free to read, perform, and adapt. No licence needed.

Characters

Bell lead 152 speeches
Sharp supporting 119 speeches
Sir Jo supporting 89 speeches
Vain supporting 66 speeches
Heart supporting 64 speeches
Belin supporting 64 speeches
Fond supporting 61 speeches
Læt supporting 61 speeches
Aram supporting 58 speeches
Bluff supporting 52 speeches
Lucy minor 46 speeches
Set minor 31 speeches
Silv minor 28 speeches
Setter minor 24 speeches
Bar minor 6 speeches
Foot minor 5 speeches

Read the play

SCENE: _The Street_.

BELLMOUR _in fanatic habit_, SETTER, HEARTWELL, LUCY.

Bell. Setter! Well encountered.

Set. Joy of your return, sir. Have you made a good voyage? or have you brought your own lading back?

Bell. No, I have brought nothing but ballast back—made a delicious voyage, Setter; and might have rode at anchor in the port till this time, but the enemy surprised us—I would unrig.

Set. I attend you, sir.

Bell. Ha! Is it not that Heartwell at Sylvia’s door? Be gone quickly, I’ll follow you—I would not be known. Pox take ’em, they stand just in my way.

Monologues from this play