The Busie Body

About the book

"The Busie Body" by Susanna Centlivre is a Restoration comedy first performed in 1709. The play follows two young couples attempting to outwit their guardians and choose their own marriage partners. Miranda must navigate her miserly guardian's control over her inheritance, while Isabinda faces her father's plan to marry her to a Spanish stranger. Meanwhile, the well-meaning but foolish Marplot repeatedly interferes in everyone's romantic schemes with disastrous results. This witty exploration of parental authority and matrimonial freedom became the eighteenth century's most popular female-authored play.