Mrs. Centlivre's results with this material make an effective vehicle for theatrical romp, but no one has ever found much literary value in it. The audience does not, I think, ever get much concerned with the characters. The one character who is more than papier mache is Marplot. Oddly enough, both plot lines could easily have been contrived without him, yet he is the most memorable part of the play. Certain features of BB betray its period.
Nothing approaching bawdy appears, and though sentiment is played down, bit of it slip in.
Nonetheless, BB is clearly a laughing and non-exemplary comedy. Despite the decorum, we find no didacticism here at all. Not one of the characters is viewed in exemplary fashion. Criticism focuses on Marplot. The years 1709-10 were years of great political turmoil between Whigs and the Tories.