The Conscious Lovers

In Act II, Bevil Jr. tries to navigate tense exchanges with Myrtle and Indiana without provoking either. Steele makes the choice not to escalate the drama, but instead to immediately quash on-stage conflicts. The result is scenes that model the efficacy of resolving differences without rancor, but undercut both the comedic and dramatic possibilities of the friends’ and lovers’ clashes and misunderstandings.

Myrtle is upset with Bevil Jr., who is dressed for the wedding with Lucinda, which he assured Myrtle would never happen. Myrtle is portrayed as unreasonable, taking easy offense in everything his friend says and purposefully misinterpreting Bevil Jr.’s meaning to put his words into the worst possible light. When Bevil Jr. asks Myrtle to help him get out of the wedding, Myrtle is upset at the implication that Lucinda is someone to “escape” from: “Sir, neither her merit or her fortune are below your acceptance” (340). However, when Bevil Jr. acknowledges Lucinda’s many attractive qualities, Myrtle is incensed anew, now accusing Bevil Jr. of loving Lucinda after all. 

In response, rather than escalating the fight, Bevil Jr. shows Calm Restraint in Love and Friendship. Choosing his words carefully, he affirms Lucinda’s “good sense, wit, beauty, and virtue,” but adds that he is in love with someone “in whom these qualities appear to me more amiable” (340). Bevil Jr. keeps his composure, accommodating Myrtle’s desires without contest. Even when Myrtle refuses to trust Bevil Jr., Bevil Jr. does not rise to the bait and instead proclaims that he is grateful that Myrtle thinks him a good match for a marriage: “I am as much obliged to you for the cause of your suspicion as I am offended at the effect” (341). The implication of the lingering offense would not have been lost on contemporary audiences, who were aware of the prevalence of dueling as a dominant means of resolving arguments about male honor. Bevil Jr.’s reaction hints at the possibility of a duel with Myrtle, as both men keep insulting one another by accident, but the play refuses to entertain this possibility—dueling would have been the kind of theatrical content that Steele was writing against. 

Indiana’s aunt, Isabella, is convinced that all men are libertines looking to ruin women’s reputations by having sex with them outside of marriage. This is what happened to Isabella herself; while the play does not explicitly state this, the implication is that Isabella never married because being “ruined” in this way made her unmarriageable. Thus worried about possible ulterior motives and aware of The Impact of Social Standing on Prospects, Isabella urges Indiana to confront Bevil Jr. and secure some promise of either love or disinterest. Though Indiana “will not doubt the truth of Bevil” (343), she does bring up the issue of love and motive: If Bevil Jr. is not going to seduce her outside of wedlock, is he helping her out of generosity or out of love? 

Bevil Jr.’s amorous restraint proves to be a problem for his relationship. He wants to avoid promising Indiana marriage so that he will not break a promise in the event that he is forced to marry Lucinda. However, his insistence on disinterest hurts Indiana, who loves Bevil Jr. and wants him to return her feelings. They discuss their own situation via a hypothetical couple whose socio-economic imbalance makes any sexual relationship seem transactional. For the upright Bevil Jr., taking advantage of a woman who is financially dependent reduces an affair to an exchange with a sex worker: “I say, if he is allowed to delight in that prospect, alas, what mighty matter is there in all this?” (348). He insists that a generous man can help a woman without expecting sex. Indiana responds, “No might matter in so disinterested a friendship!” (348): Since she does not believe Bevil Jr. would seduce and abandon her, when Bevil Jr. insists on his disinterest, she thinks he means that he does not love her. The misunderstanding becomes an obstacle to Bevil Jr.’s romantic aspirations, one he cannot hurdle while repressing his passion for Indiana.