What You Will

by John Marston

A lively Restoration comedy of mistaken identities, disguises, and witty flirtation unfolds around love, money, and social masks.

In What You Will, a bustling stage world brings together lovers, rivals, and clever servants in a tale of artful plotting and sparkling dialogue. The action weaves between schemes, social maneuvering, and theatrical humor, delivering quick banter, playful disguises, and a chorus of misdirections that keep the crowd guessing.

Meet a cast of witty dissectors of courtly manners and love’s foiblesEnjoy rapid-fire wordplay, comic misunderstandings, and theatrical witExperience a plot driven by disguise, loyalty, and brisk negotiationSee how pride, desire, and fortune shape each character’s choices Ideal for readers who enjoy classic comedies of manners, sharp dialogue, and the playful spirit of the stage.

64 pages, Hardcover

Published September 22, 2018

About the author

John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. His career as a writer lasted a decade, and his work is remembered for its energetic and often obscure style, its contributions to the development of a distinctively Jacobean style in poetry, and its idiosyncratic vocabulary.

Reviews

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly bonkers but full of fun. The plot is, to be kind, tenuous, involving a widow attempting to remarry, a bunch of inept suitors and some pages who tangle the story up, but there are some hilarious scenes and funny characterisation.

Read as part of the REP online readathon of the repertoire of the late Elizabethan/early Jacobean Children's Companies.

[Jiang Yuqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult read. There’s no plot there’re only VIBES. In the first read half of the time I have no idea why people in conversations change their topic so suddenly and the vocabulary is difficult than usual so I have to pause and look up in OED to ensure I understand them right. Like…it’s so post-modern???? Is fun from time to time tho. Sorry Marston. I may change the rating to 4-star when I re-read.

Edit: I re-read it. I appreciate Marston’s courage in addressing “difficult issues” such as sexual abuses between males. Therefore 4 stars.

[mattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

baffling to read but actually a lot of interesting stuff going on especially re clothes and gender… was a bit of a struggle but I appreciated it by the end so 3 stars but I suspect it could potentially bump up to 4 stars on a reread