Dryden's audiences in 1671, both aristocratic and middle-class, would have been quick to respond to the themes of disputed royal succession, Francophilia and loyalty among subjects in his most successful tragicomedy. In the tragic plot, written in verse, young Leonidas has to struggle to assert his place as the rightful heir to the throne of Sicily and to the hand of the usurper's daughter. In the comic plot, written in prose, two fashionable couples (much more at home in London drawing-rooms than at the Sicilian court) play at switching partners in the 'modern' style. The introduction of this edition argues that Dryden's own ambivalence about King Charles and his entourage, on whom he came to rely more on more for patronage, manifests itself in both plots; most of all perhaps in the excessively Francophile Melantha, whose affectation cannot quite hide her endearing joie-de-vivre.

"Marriage à-la-mode" by John Dryden is a witty and satirical comedy that lampoons the conventions of courtship and marriage in 17th-century England. Set in the fashionable world of London society, the play follows the romantic entanglements of various characters as they navigate the complexities of love, wealth, and social status. Dryden's sharp dialogue and clever plotting skewer the pretensions and hypocrisies of the upper class, while also offering insights into human nature and the dynamics of power. With its lively humor and biting social commentary, "Marriage à-la-mode" remains a timeless classic that continues to entertain and provoke thought about the nature of love and marriage.