Women Beware Women

Women Beware Women
Title page of the first published edition (1657)
Written by	Thomas Middleton
Date premiered	Unknown
Place premiered	Unknown
Original language	English
Subject	Lust
Genre	Tragedy
Setting	Florence

Women Beware Women is a Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton, and first published in 1657.

The date of authorship of the play is deeply uncertain. Scholars have estimated its origin anywhere from 1612 to 1627; 1623–24 has been plausibly suggested. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 9 September 1653 by the bookseller Humphrey Moseley, along with two other Middleton plays, More Dissemblers Besides Women and No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's. In 1657 Moseley published Women Beware Women together with More Dissemblers in an octavo volume titled Two New Plays. Both the Register entry and the first edition's title page assign Women Beware Women to Middleton — an attribution which has never been seriously questioned and which is accepted by the scholarly consensus. No performances of the play in its own era are known. The octavo text of the play is prefaced by a commendatory poem by Nathaniel Richards, author of The Tragedy of Messalina (published 1640).

Thomas Dekker's play Match Me in London (written c. 1612, but printed in 1631) has a plot that is strongly similar to Women Beware, though with a happy ending rather than a tragic conclusion.

Women Beware Women tells the story of Bianca, a woman who escapes from her rich home to elope with the poor Leantio. Fearful and insecure, Leantio requires that his mother lock Bianca up while he is away. While locked up, the Duke of Florence spots Bianca in a window and attempts to woo her with the help of Livia, a widow. When Leantio returns he discovers that Bianca has been corrupted and no longer loves him because he lacks wealth and fortune. Hippolito, Livia's brother, is tormented because he is in love with his niece Isabella. Isabella returns the love to her uncle, but to keep their relationship a secret Livia encourages Isabella to marry the Ward, a young heir. Busy putting together illegitimate relationships, Livia discovers that she is also able to love again and as a result, she seeks the love of Leantio. However, as affairs and relationships are exposed, one of the bloodiest Jacobean tragedies is created.