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Overview
Synopsis
Set in “a summer cottage in Camelot, Maine� in 1916, King Arthur’s Socks concerns Guenevere and Lancelot, a couple in love with each other, but, because both are married to others, must fight the impulse to “act upon their amorous inclinations.� However, Guenevere subsequently learns that Lancelot has also caused two other women, her friend Vivien and her servant Mary, to fall in love with him. They each come to Guenevere to reveal their secret, not knowing that she is in love with Lancelot herself. Confronted by the truth, Guenevere and Lancelot begin a debate around men and women’s attitudes towards sex and infidelity. Although the couple almost give in to their passion one last time, Lancelot leaves and Guenevere returns to her chair to “and quietly resumes the darning of her husband’s socks.�
Floyd Dell’s one-act play offers a fun examination of marital fidelity versus amorous spontaneity, touching upon the debates surrounding marriage, tradition, and free love in Greenwich Village during the 1920s.
Show Information
- Book
- Floyd Dell
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1916
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- A summer cottage, Maine, USA, 1916
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Small Cast, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher