The Contrast

In Short

Written by a citizen of the United States and staged in 1787, this five-act comedy is the first play by an American author to be successfully mounted by a professional company. Set in post-Revolutionary New York City, the plot follows the romantic complications of Maria Van Rough, a sentimental young woman engaged against her inclination to Billy Dimple, a deceitful rake who has returned from an English tour full of hypocritical polish. The drama endures as a lively cultural landmark that introduces the original comic Yankee character and celebrates native integrity over foreign affectation.

The Story

The drama opens in New York City, where social life revolves around fashion and matches arranged by wealth. Maria Van Rough sits disconsolate, torn between filial duty to her practical father and her deep aversion to her betrothed, Billy Dimple. Originally an unpretentious young man, Dimple spent time in England to rub off his local rust, returning as a calculating libertine who models his behavior on Chesterfieldian maxims. Having secretly squandered his fortune gambling, Dimple privately plots to abandon Maria to pursue her wealthy friend Letitia, while simultaneously courting Maria’s lively acquaintance, Charlotte Manly.

Enter Charlotte’s brother, Colonel Henry Manly, an unvarnished Revolutionary War veteran who arrives in the city on public business wearing his worn regimental coat. Manly represents unadorned patriotic virtue, holding firm to honest principles and speaking openly of respect for parents and country. When Manly meets Maria, a mutual admiration sparks instantly, grounded in shared seriousness and moral character. Meanwhile, Manly's rustic servant, Jonathan, explores New York. Unused to city ways, Jonathan visits the local playhouse thinking it a hocus-pocus show, wanders into notorious neighborhoods mistaking them for meeting-houses, and attempts to court the servant Jenny by applying European romantic formulas supplied by Dimple’s valet, Jessamy. Jonathan’s clumsy attempts at suave gallantry end in immediate, comic failure.

As the plot unfolds, Mr. Van Rough learns from a broker that Dimple has lost seventeen thousand pounds in bills through gambling. Realizing that Dimple no longer minds the "main chance," Van Rough decides to end the match, overhearing Maria and Colonel Manly express their mutual affection. Dimple's duplicity reaches its climax when he attempts to corner Charlotte in her apartment, making unwanted physical advances after having already assured both Letitia and Charlotte of his private devotions. Charlotte screams, bringing Colonel Manly into the room with his sword drawn.

Van Rough breaks up the duel, and Letitia steps forward to expose Dimple entirely, revealing how he courted her for her fortune while making cruel insults about Charlotte's mind and Letitia's own appearance. Exposed as a fraudulent rake who lacks both honor and money, Dimple retreats in disgrace. Van Rough willingly bestows his daughter’s hand upon Colonel Manly. The play concludes with Manly praising the durable virtues of probity, honor, and unpolished American sincerity.

How It Unfolds

The marriage trap Maria mourns her upcoming marriage to Billy Dimple, realizing through her reading that his superficial love-letters lack all sentiment, while her father insists she follow inclination less than the main financial chance.

The veteran arrives Colonel Henry Manly arrives in New York in his old regimental coat, baffling his fashionable sister Charlotte with his grave moral gravity and his refusal to sell his military notes for frivolous city luxuries.

The rustic in the city Manly's servant Jonathan wanders the town, accidentally sitting in a theater gallery believing he is watching magic tricks, and mistaking local harlots for deacon's daughters in a place he calls Holy Ground.

Lessons in courtly manners Dimple’s suave valet Jessamy tries to teach Jonathan how to laugh and court according to a written gamut, but Jonathan’s attempt to kiss the servant Jenny using foreign romantic terms results in a sharp box on the ear.

The rake's secret debts Dimple reads letters from London confirming he has run up thousands of pounds in gambling debts, prompting him to privately woo Letitia for her money while making love to Charlotte on the side.

The exposure and duel Dimple attempts to force his attentions on Charlotte, drawing the sword of Colonel Manly; Letitia steps in to expose Dimple’s triple-dealing, driving the cad away and leaving Maria free to marry the honorable Manly.

The People

• Maria Van Rough wants to honor her father without sacrificing her heart to a depraved man. She starts the play resigned to a melancholy fate, but finds courage in her shared moral values with Colonel Manly, ultimately securing her father's blessing to marry for love and virtue.
• Colonel Henry Manly wants to conduct his public business honorably without bowing to frivolous city fashions. He stands firm in his patriotic integrity, resists social pressure to alter his worn regimental coat, and earns both Maria's affection and her father's respect.
• Billy Dimple wants to maintain an air of European elegance while secretly recouping his immense gambling losses through a wealthy marriage. His unmanly vanity and double-dealing lead directly to his public exposure and humiliation.
• Jonathan wants to navigate New York without losing his homespun Yankee identity. Though temporarily misled by Jessamy into trying foreign gallantry, his simple honesty and rustic good sense keep him rooted in his home traditions.
• Van Rough wants his daughter to secure a solid financial future by minding the "main chance." He begins by demanding strict filial obedience, but shifts his stance the moment he discovers Dimple's financial ruin.

In Its Own Voice

"Our Author pictures not from foreign climes / The fashions or the follies of the times; / But has confin'd the subject of his work / To the gay scenes--the circles of New-York."

— From the opening Prologue, setting the national frame and local environment of the comedy.

"The sun sets in night, and the stars shun the day; / But glory remains when their lights fade away!"

— Maria singing the stanza of the Alknomook song alone at her table before her father enters.

"And I have learned that probity, virtue, honour, though they should not have received the polish of Europe, will secure to an honest American the good graces of his fair countrywomen..."

— Colonel Manly delivering the final lines of the play to summarize its core moral lesson.

What It's Really About

The play explores the cultural identity of the newly formed United States, contrasting native, unvarnished integrity against borrowed European artificiality. Through the romantic rivalries of its main characters, the narrative asks whether a republic can develop its own social customs without succumbing to the affectations, gambling debts, and deceitful gallantry of older courtly societies.

It also examines the conflict between parental authority and individual choice in marriage. Van Rough represents a mercenary worldview centered purely on financial security—the "main chance"—while Dimple represents hollow external polish without internal virtue. By placing Colonel Manly at the center of the resolution, the play argues that genuine honor and patriotic simplicity are the true foundations of domestic happiness and public respect.

Why Read It Today

Readers drawn to early American history, theatrical origins, and historic social satire will find this piece a fascinating time capsule. The text moves at a brisk, theatrical pace, relying on stage humor, misunderstandings, and sharp character contrasts that remain accessible. Its highlight is the dialogue of Jonathan, who introduces the prototype of the stage Yankee—unapologetically rustic, singing "Yankee Doodle," and viewing city sophistication through an innocent, literal lens.

The play does require reader patience for period conventions. The dialogue frequently leans into long sentimental speeches about duty and virtue, particularly from Colonel Manly and Maria. Modern readers will also notice eighteenth-century social attitudes regarding arranged matches, gender roles, and regional stereotypes. Yet beneath these historic conventions lies a witty, readable comedy that captures an emerging nation attempting to define its own manners on its own stage.