Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: Love in '76 An Incident of the Revolution — A Reader’s Guide

Double-edged Dialogue

The excerpt showcases Bunce's use of asides and layered speech to create dramatic irony. Rose's private remarks—'Hem! Major Cleveland, I'll so wheedle you'—contradict her demure public replies. Cleveland, too, has a hidden agenda: 'She shall be his—then—why then to make her mine.' This pattern of simultaneous confession and concealment drives the scene. The language is formal but sprightly, with exclamations like 'Oh, sir!' and 'Alas, Major Cleveland' that signal social performance. Notably, Rose's aside 'Walter, I must save you by whatever means!' introduces a name not spoken aloud, hinting at a private loyalty that complicates her apparent romance with Arbald.

The Ring as a Token of Control

A central object in the excerpt is the ring Rose slips from Cleveland's finger. She asks to wear it 'as a friendly pledge' that he will protect Arbald. Cleveland kisses it on her hand, declaring it 'a formal seal to my pledge' and 'an oath now.' The ring thus becomes a tangible symbol of the power Rose gains through feigned vulnerability. She exults, 'Now, Major Cleveland, I have you!' while he believes the ring binds her to him. This exchange encapsulates the play's tension: objects and promises carry double meanings, and each character tries to turn a social convention—a pledge—into a weapon.

War as a Social Catalyst

The Revolutionary War is not a battlefield but a backdrop that reshapes social dynamics. Rose remarks, 'The war brings one boon, at least,—the society of gentlemen,' and later sighs, 'these wars, these wars!' as an excuse for emotional evasion. Cleveland echoes her: 'They separate us from those who are dearest to them.' The conflict justifies both the presence of officers like Cleveland and the urgency of Rose's schemes to protect Arbald. Yet the play avoids 'patriotic fustian,' as contemporary critics noted; instead, war serves as a catalyst for romantic intrigue and social maneuvering, not for grand speeches about liberty.

Readers should attend to the rhythm of asides and public speech, which reveals the gap between what characters say and what they intend. The ring scene, in particular, rewards close attention to gesture and wordplay. Because only two excerpts survive, the full resolution—whether Rose's scheme succeeds or Cleveland's counterplot prevails—remains unknown. The play's charm lies in its compressed, witty exchanges, where a fan, a ring, and a well-timed sigh carry as much weight as any declaration of love.

There’s something tender in watching Rose bargain for love while a revolution hums outside the parlor door. I kept thinking how those flirtations were also quiet battles for agency, a theme that echoes, decades later, in the more explicit fights of Lords of Creation: Woman Suffrage Drama in Three Acts — Reading Notes. Same stakes, different war—the heart still has to scheme for its freedom.