| The Recruiting Officer | |
|---|---|
_(after)_-_Robert_Wilks_(1665%5E%E2%80%931732),_as_Captain_Plume_in_%27The_Recruiting_Officer%27_by_George_Farquhar_-_1151350_-_National_Trust.jpg) Robert Wilks as Captain Plume | |
| Written by | George Farquhar |
| Date premiered | 8 April 1706 |
| Place premiered | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Restoration Comedy |
| Setting | Shrewsbury, England |
The Recruiting Officer is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where Farquhar himself was posted in this capacity) to recruit soldiers.[1] The characters of the play are generally stock, in keeping with the genre of Restoration comedy.
- ^ from Farquhar's "Epistle Dedicatory" to the people of Shrewsbury, in which he notes: "’Twas my good fortune to be order'd some time ago into the Place which is made the Scene…Some little turns of Humour that I met with…gave rise to this Comedy."