The Roaring Girl Literary Elements

Drama; comedy

English

Seventeenth-century London

A Prologue indicates that the audience is encouraged to see the events of the narrative through the perspective of the title character referred to as Mad Moll. Moll is, however, strongly suggested to be less an individual (though clearly based on one singular individual, Mary Frith) than a “type” found everywhere in society.

Lighthearted, playful, ironic, critical

The protagonist of the play is Moll Cutpurse. The antagonists of the play are the patriarchal characters who misjudge Moll and attempt to destroy her.

The catalyzing conflict in the play is that Sir Alexander disapproves of his son Sebastian's choice of a wife, Mary Fitz-Allard. The consequential conflict of the play is that Sir Alexander, believing his son to be in love with Moll Cutpurse, seeks to publicly humiliate Moll and end their relationship.

The climax of the play occurs when Sebastian enters Sir Alexander's house with his new bride. He is holding Moll's hand, and Sir Alexander is beside himself with anger and grief over Sebastian's choice. It is soon revealed that Sebastian's true wife is Mary Fitz-Allard.

The numerous criticisms lodged at Moll at the beginning of the play – mostly by Sir Alexander, but also Sir Davy Dapper and others – foreshadow her eventual triumphs over these controlling, judgmental, patriarchal antagonists.

When Moll remarks that she will make Sir Alexander into "her instrument," she speaks with understatement, as she really means that she plans to fool him alongside Sebastian and make him regret his misjudgment.

Like most early modern plays, The Roaring Girl makes frequent reference to ancient Greek and Roman literature and culture (which inspired the English Renaissance). It also alludes to various locations in London, emphasizing the genre of city comedy and the audience's own familiarity with the setting.

Important imagery in the play includes androgyny, sexuality, animals, and money.

The central paradox of the play is that Moll is more clever, socially aware, and physically equipped than all of the male characters who deem her "unnatural" or "monstrous."

Sir Alexander and Sir Davy are friends, and they are all parallels of one another. Both noblemen represent domineering fathers who want to control every aspect of their sons' lives. Consequently, thanks to Moll, both men are proven wrong about their children and are humiliated at the hands of a cross-dressing criminal.

When passing on news to Sir Alexander, Trapdoor refers to Moll as a "bouncing duck" and to Sebastian as "the drake that must tread" (3.3). By personifying the characters this way, Trapdoor both insults them and communicates to Sir Alexander that Sebastian plans to make Moll his bride.

An interesting aspect of the play that was quite unusual at the time is the inclusion of an opening Epistle by the playwright addressed to “Comic Play-readers.” What is revolutionary about this is that most plays, despite being available as published volumes, were not written with the intention of being read, but rather relegated entirely to being available as a viewing experience. Middleton and Dekker appear to have had the intention to see their play published for reading along with live performance.