What the opera really means has long been debated. It could be a political allegory. Then again, it could be a warning for women, a spirited reminder that men can be cads. There are, after all, juicy choruses for sopranos and altos. And the first recorded performance took place in 1689 at a London boarding school for girls.
Some facts are clearer.
After the premiere, Purcell stepped up his scores for the musical stage. Purcell and Tate, he points out, were quite liberal, quite humane, for 17th-century England. They gave the lovers' quirks to the witches, who get the best zingers. They suggest that a freer attitude about sexuality might be healthier. Our society is very concerned with fashion, with appearances, with who you know and how you look and how you dress as a means to leveraging your social power.