As the author of two of the most popular humane comedies in the eighteenth century, Farquhar is the perfect lens through which to investigate the change in comedy. The beginning of Farquhar's career emerges during the first full-competition season after the split of the United Company, and his first play, Love and a Bottle, represents a hold-over of previous conventions. Love and a Bottle is emblematic of the old – stock characters and predictable plots – but he was not to be thwarted by the play's poor reception. In fact, Farquhar's experience only served to inspire him to try something different, and that something different was The Constant Couple. The phenomenal success of The Constant Couple heralded an era of humane comedies, and together with Congreve, Cibber, and Vanbrugh, Farquhar illustrated that experimentation could bring the playwrights the financial success they sought.

Love and a Bottle and the Lessons Learned

Love and a Bottle was the first attempt by the young Farquhar to break into the world of playwriting. The play probably premiered in December 1698, but the exact date is unknown. The number of nights the play ran is also unclear, although there is evidence that Farquhar received at least one benefit. Probably no one who attended the run of Love and a Bottle would have guessed that Farquhar was quickly to become one of the best (and most successful) comic playwrights of his generation. Love and a Bottle is a very formulaic and backward-looking play, but clearly Farquhar learned something from its reception.

What other plays had been performed in the 1698–9 season? Although performance records during this time are sketchy, there is evidence that Rich's company at Drury Lane had an early hit with Motteaux's semi-operatic adaptation of The Island Princess (November 1698). The success of this performance gave Drury Lane a victory over Lincoln's Inn Fields's Rinaldo and Armida (November 1698).