This work investigates the relationship between dramatic artifice and the representation of truth within the theatrical traditions of the Elizabethan and Restoration periods. Harriett Hawkins, an established scholar in early modern literature, utilizes a comparative framework to analyze how playwrights from these distinct eras employed irony, paradox, and character construction to engage with the concept of reality. By examining the structural shifts in drama, she argues that the evolution of stagecraft reflects changing intellectual attitudes toward moral and social certainty.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a nuanced contribution to the study of early modern theatrical conventions. The prose is noted for its academic rigor and its ability to bridge the gap between two distinct periods of English drama.