The Younger Brother, or, The Amorous Jilt

The Younger Brother, or, The Amorous Jilt is a comedy written by Aphra Behn. The play was first performed and published posthumously in 1696, but was probably written in the late 1680s.

The first published version of this play (February 1696) included the first biography of Behn, and this was probably written by Charles Gildon.

Plot 
The old but wealthy Lady Youthly is due to marry George, an impoverished younger brother.

George's father, Sir Rowland, is due to marry Lady Youthly's granddaughter, Tereisa.

Mirtilla is the 'amorous jilt' of the title. She previously dropped George in order to marry the wealthy Sir Morgan Blunder. She has an affair with George's friend Prince Frederick, and also pursues a young page (in reality the page is George's sister Olivia disguised as a boy). In the end, Prince Frederick gives Mirtilla an alibi and returns her to Sir Morgan, who agrees to let the Prince visit her in the future.

The play concludes with a wedding between George and Tereisa, and a celebratory dance.

Reception 
The Younger Brother is in some respects a conventional romantic comedy. However, Peggy Thompson calls the play Behn's "bleak final vision" about the lot of women, saying that "the final lines remind us that the weddings in this play also mark the triumph of a patriarchal, objectifying system: George gloats that his 'younger Brother's share is one that's Rich, Witty, Young and Fair'".

References

Category:Plays by Aphra Behn
Category:1696 plays
Category:Restoration comedy
Category:English plays
Category:Cross-dressing in literature