A review by booksaremyjam
The Knight of the Burning Pestle by John Fletcher, Francis Beaumont

3.0

Okay, after some critical reading and a debate or two I've come to a different conclusion about this play. Although to just simply sit down and read it can be daunting, to act it out is something completely different. Beaumont was a very intelligent man in that he played with the concepts of satire and parody that his audience wasn't ready for (explaining why this play wasn't well received in the beginning). The citizen and his wife, though frustrating at times, add certain elements to the play that are wonderfully original. The character Rafe is, by far, the best character in the play for all that he represents. And Humphrey! My God, Humphrey. The man only speaks in rhyme, which illutrates to the ridiculousness of the romantic genre and how it is "played out." All in all Beaumont was a critic of the very thing he worked in. It's a tough play to sell, but once you really crack down and read it the gems can be found.