ReviewFive-act comedy by George Farquhar, produced and published in 1707. Farquhar finished the play on his deathbed and died on the night of its third performance. The story concerns Archer and Aimwell, two penniless antic rakes from London who decide that one of them must wed a wealthy lady. Aimwell therefore courts Dorinda, the daughter of wealthy Lady Bountiful; meanwhile Archer, who is posing as Aimwell's servant, and Lady Bountiful's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Sullen, fall in love. In the course of events, Aimwell and Archer manage to foil robbers, thereby becoming heroes. Eventually Aimwell inherits the family estate, Mrs. Sullen separates from her brutish drunkard of a husband, and the play ends happily. In addition to its lively comedy, The Beaux' Stratagem presents a bold argument for divorce, which is voiced by Mrs. Sullen. Lady Bountiful's name became a byword for a rich, generous, and somewhat credulous philanthropist. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature