The Widow (play)

The Widow is a Jacobean stage play first published in 1652, but written decades earlier.

On the limited evidence available, the play is usually dated to c. 1615–17, partially on the basis of a "yellow bands" reference to the execution of Mrs. Anne Turner (15 November 1615) for her part in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury.

The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 12 April 1652, and published later that year in quarto by the bookseller Humphrey Moseley. The title page assigns The Widow to Ben Jonson, John Fletcher, and Thomas Middleton, though the consensus of modern scholarship judges the play to be the work of Middleton alone.

The play is known to have been in the repertory of the King's Men. The tripartite attribution is repeated in Alexander Gough's address "To the Reader" prefacing the quarto text; Gough acted with the King's Men in the 1626–36 era. Nineteenth and early twentieth century critics, like E. H. C. Oliphant, made attempts to defend the original authorial attribution; but modern techniques of textual analysis find no evidence of the hands of either Jonson or Fletcher in the play, and a consistent pattern of evidence favouring Middleton. (Interestingly, The Widow is included in the 1656 play lists of Rogers and Ley [see The Careless Shepherdess] and Edward Archer [see The Old Law] as the work of Middleton alone.)

Scene 1: Brandino's home

Francisco (a young gentleman) goes to the home of Brandino (an elderly judge) to obtain a warrant from Brandino's clerk, Martino. Martino is happy to see Francisco because Francisco is a good customer – he comes to the judge's home to obtain warrants quite regularly. In an aside, Francisco reveals that the real reason he comes to the house so often is because he is in love with Brandino's wife, Philippa. Philippa appears on a balcony above with her waiting-woman, Violetta. The women admire Francisco's curly hair good looks. Violetta drops a letter for Francisco from the balcony and waits to see if he will pick it up. Martino finishes writing the warrant and Francisco exits. Philippa asks Martino to pick up a letter that has been left on the floor. Martino reads the letter out loud. It is a love letter for Philippa from Francisco. Philippa pretends to be scandalised (presumably for Martino's sake). Brandino enters. Philippa shows him the letter. Brandino is angered, but he is not sure how he should deal with the situation. Philippa tells him that he should confront Francisco with the letter to shame him.

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