Aphra Behns spectacular farce, Emperor of the Moon (1687), so engaged audiences that it was restaged well into the eighteenth century. Her play was largely adapted from Anne Mauduit de Fatouvilles Arlequin, Empereur dans la lune (1684), a commedia dellarte production by the Com die-Italienne troupe, a performance which also proved immensely popular with Parisian audiences. Within its witty and amusing three acts, Behns play explores a number of contemporary concerns -- from commedia dellarte, to gender and politics, to science and astronomy, including a plurality of worlds, for example -- all culminating in the third acts operatic spectacle. This volume offers a transcription of Behns 1687 play with extensive annotations, a critical discussion of Behns text, and the first English translation of Fatouvilles eight French and Italian scenes.
