Bell in Campo & the Sociable Pb

Bell in Campo and The Sociable Companions is a scathing satire that explores the role of women's agency during a time of great cultural upheaval. Written by Margaret Cavendish, these two plays were penned during the English Civil War and Interregnum, when public theatres were closed and women's lives were marked by hardship and struggle. In Bell in Campo, a group of virtuous women take matters into their own hands, forming an army to follow their husbands to war. Meanwhile, The Sociable Companions delves into the struggles of four women from impoverished Royalist families trying to survive in a rapacious marriage market at the war's end. This Broadview Edition presents these two complementary plays together, accompanied by supplementary materials that shed light on Cavendish's life and the complex social conventions of 17th-century England. By examining these plays and their historical context, readers can gain insight into the lives of women during a pivotal moment in English history, and explore the ways in which they navigated the challenges of war, marriage, and social expectation.