John Dryden wrote one of the greatest restoration plays of all time called fashion wedding. There were two sets of couples who ended up exchanging spouses at the end of the play. Everything revolves around the character of Melantha. She may not have come from royalty, but along with her novelty appeal came an air of class. This is how two men swoon over Melantha leads the reader to believe that she is deliberately acting like a dude to attract these men. Examining the text, it becomes clear that goofing around comes naturally to Melantha, and to mask it, she assumes a subservient role.
The compliments he doles out are quite sincere. He springs directly from Melantha and his uninhibited nature is what drew Palamede and Rhodophil to it. There is an expression that Melantha makes over and over again throughout the text. The expression was that she would die if something happened. This happens incessantly. Melantha says, “And he’s the nicest person in the world to me, let me die if he’s not.” She then says “Let me die if he gets into a pair of sheets with the French hater.” Melantha’s one-liners are important because she doesn’t have much of a speaking role. She demonstrates to both her suitor and the audience the passion she has for her.
The reader is aware of Melantha’s fashion flare, but these quotes reaffirm the passion she too can have for men. Some scholars would argue that this is a deliberate act on Melantha’s part. The fact that she is not a “sensible woman” negates this claim. Since she doesn’t use such foresight, her reactions are genuine. These answers only announce the charm that Melantha has with men. It was this charm that prompted the lovers to swoon.