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

[_To them_] SHARPER.

Sharp. Hist! Bellmour. If you’ll bring the ladies, make haste to Sylvia’s lodgings, before Heartwell has fretted himself out of breath.

Bell. You have an opportunity now, madam, to revenge yourself upon Heartwell, for affronting your squirrel. [_To_ BELINDA.]

Belin. Oh, the filthy rude beast.

Aram. ’Tis a lasting quarrel; I think he has never been at our house since.

Bell. But give yourselves the trouble to walk to that corner-house, and I’ll tell you by the way what may divert and surprise you.

Monologues from this play