The play is set during the fair which gives it its name, taking place on St. Bartholomew’s Day. On this August 24 in Smithfield, a large number of idiosyncratic characters will be crossing paths. Foreshadowing the confusion to come, a state manager appears to be forced to address the audience with apologies for the delay in the performance. He then conspiratorially offers his own unique spin on what they will witness when the performance finally does begin: the play is no literary masterpiece, which is not really surprising considering who wrote it. The manager is interrupted by the prompter who proceeds to recite the long, complex, and confusing contract that exists between the author and his audience, reminding the crowd that any similarities between characters and real people are strictly coincidental.
What follows is a plethora of small plots – some that intersect, some that do not – that rely on colorful characters and rapid setting changes for their humor and entertainment value. While plots seem to develop and diminish at every turn, there are two primary narrative strands at work: the pursuit by the hypocritical Puritan Zeal-of-the-Land Busy of Dame Purecraft, and the loss by Cokes of his betrothed Grace Wellborn to Winwife. Intricately knitted among these romances is the arrival of Justice Adam Overdo in disguise so that he may wander around unrecognized, ultimately allowing him to construe a fully detailed account of the Fair’s “enormities.” Along the way, Cokes will lose not only the woman he was to marry, but also his worldly possessions. Justice Overdo’s attempt at an undercover investigation lands him shackled in the stocks.
All of these amusing incidents leads to the final act, which features a puppet show based on Christopher Marlowe’s Hero and Leander, along with a debate between a puppet and Zeal-of-the-Land over the morality of theater and play-acting. Finally, Justice Overdo comes to realize that his concern about the enormity of the wrongdoing going on at the fair was wildly misplaced.
