Despite being written in the 20th Century, this comedy is set in fifteenth-century England, showing everyday life living in a small market town during this period in history. According to critics, Fry wrote four comedy plays, each of which represented a season. The Lady's Not for Burning represents the season of spring, which makes sense due to the play's pastoral emphasis.
The characters of this small town have a typical fifteenth-century attitude, with particular emphasis on the prevalence of witchcraft accusations. Indeed, Jennet is accused of being a witch and is absurdly condemned for turning old Skipps into a dog. Here, we see how terrible these times were, and how many innocent women were wrongly accused of witchcraft.
This play was interestingly written after World War II, and the character of Thomas seems suggestive of a disillusioned soldier, returning from war with a different view of the world. Thomas wishes to die by hanging as he has become so cynical about the world, and fails to see its beauty. Perhaps Fry intended this to reflect the impact that World War II had on people, especially those who fought.
