The Changeling is a Jacobean tragicomedy written in collaboration between established playwrights Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. It was first performed in 1622 and published in 1653. The play is adapted from John Reynolds’s 1621 story collection titled The Triumphs of Gods Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sinne of Willful and Premeditated Murther.

The play has two plots: a tragic main plot and a comedic subplot. Scholars believe Middleton wrote the majority of the main plot (Act II; Act III, Scenes 1, 2, and 4; Act IV, Scenes 1 and 2; and Act V, Scenes 1 and 2), while Rowley wrote the comedic subplot as well as the first act and final scene (Act I; Act III, Scene 3; Act IV, Scene 3; and Act V, Scene 3). The Changeling is considered one of the best tragedies of its time outside of Shakespeare and enjoys popularity still today.

This summary refers to edition published in The Routledge Anthology of Renaissance Drama (2002).

Plot Summary

Tragedy is stirring in Alicante, Spain. Beatrice, sometimes called Joanna, is newly betrothed to Spanish nobleman Alonzo de Piracquo. A lady of wealth and privilege, Beatrice must marry according to the orders of her father, Vermandero. However, when Beatrice meets Alsemero—a nobleman from Valencia passing through on his travels—only five days later, she decides no other man will do. Beatrice and Alsemero fall in love at a church, and Alsemero wants to marry Beatrice. Their union seems blessed by the heavens. Beatrice secures an invite for Alsemero to visit her father’s castle, knowing she only needs a few days to scheme a way for them to be together. All the while, her father’s repulsive servant De Flores seems to lurk wherever Beatrice goes. De Flores burns with an obsessive passion for Beatrice, while Beatrice recoils from De Flores with a passionate hatred. De Flores does not care that Beatrice hates him; his love is unstoppable, and he must be around her at every opportunity.

When Alonzo arrives at the castle with his brother Tomazo, Beatrice hatches a plan to secure all her heart desires. While she is not a man and therefore does not have agency to marry whom she pleases, she can still invent a plan to change her fortune. She flatters and persuades De Flores to murder Alonzo on her behalf, intending to pay De Flores after and arrange for him to flee the castle—and leave her forever. De Flores, however, needs no persuading. He’s eager to enact Beatrice’s wishes and means to collect Beatrice’s virginity as his reward. De Flores leads Alonzo into the castle’s vault, where he stabs Alonzo and severs one of Alonzo’s ringed fingers as a token for Beatrice. When he returns, Beatrice tries to pay De Flores and send him on his way. De Flores rejects the money with a vengeance. Beatrice is his only desire, and he threatens to expose their crime and ruin her marriage plans if she does not comply. Beatrice is horrified the ugly servant who so repulses her is demanding her virginity, and her honor with it. De Flores reminds her she is now his equal, having lost her innocence with Alonzo’s murder. Left with no other choice, Beatrice accepts the bargain.

Meanwhile, a jealous old doctor named Alibius hides his beautiful young wife Isabella inside his mental asylum. He instructs his servant Lollio to ensure no men tempt Isabella away. However, two men from Vermandero’s castle sneak into the asylum to woo Isabella, disguised as asylum patients. There’s Antonio, masquerading as a fool, and Franciscus, who is masquerading as a madman. At separate points in the play, the men reveal their identities and declare their love to Isabella. Lollio also decides to vie for Isabella’s affections. Isabella rejects them all. All the while, the asylum is rehearsing for an upcoming performance at Beatrice’s wedding. The fools and madmen will dance and entertain the wedding guests with their madness. Lunatic performers are a popular commodity, and Alibius intends to capitalize on the venture. These scenes bring comedic relief during tense moments in the main plot while mirroring the mad crimes of passion unfolding throughout the play.

Back at the castle, Beatrice’s plan works. She marries Alsemero with her father’s blessing. The wedding night, however, presents another problem. Beatrice worries Alsemero will discover she’s no longer a virgin. She comes across Alsemero’s closet, where she finds hidden concoctions meant to reveal women’s natural secrets, such as whether a lady is pregnant or still a virgin. Knowing Alsemero might discover her lost maidenhood, Beatrice plans a bed trick, arranging for her virgin waiting-woman Diaphanta to swap places in bed with Beatrice without Alsemero knowing. Beatrice gives Diaphanta Alsemero’s virginity test, and Diaphanta exhibits the intended symptoms: yawning, sneezing, and laughing. Later, Alsemero makes Beatrice take his virginity test. Having seen Diaphanta experience the symptoms earlier, Beatrice fakes the symptoms and passes the test.

While Beatrice works to keep her secrets from ruining her marriage, Tomazo seeks revenge for Alonzo’s death. Vermandero also seeks Alonzo’s murderer to restore honor to the castle. Vermandero discovers Antonio and Franciscus suspiciously left the castle around the time of the murder. He declares the two men murder suspects and issues a warrant for their arrest.

That evening, Diaphanta sleeps with Alsemero for hours longer than planned. Beatrice feels betrayed and knows she can no longer trust Diaphanta. De Flores sets a fire in Diaphanta’s bedroom and murders her for Beatrice. As Beatrice becomes further entrenched in a labyrinth of murder and secrets, she decides she loves De Flores.

Beatrice’s secrets all come out when Alsemero and Jasperino overhear Beatrice and De Flores talking in the garden. Alsemero accuses Beatrice of adultery. Beatrice instead confesses to Alonzo’s murder and otherwise claims innocence. Beatrice reminds Alsemero the murder was for his sake, but he’s not swayed. His wife has defiled their marriage bed with the sin of murder. Their relationship is lost.

De Flores arrives, and Alsemero locks De Flores and Beatrice in his closet while waiting to bring them to justice. Once the rest of the characters arrive, including Alibius, Isabella, Antonio, and Franciscus, Alsemero reveals that Beatrice and De Flores murdered Alonzo. In the closet, De Flores fatally stabs Beatrice and himself. The two confess their crimes, then die. De Flores is thankful to have taken Beatrice for himself and does not regret his crime. Beatrice asks for forgiveness and welcomes death as an ending to her shame. Justice has been restored, and everyone is changed. Alsemero offers to be a new brother to Tomazo and a son to Vermandero, to relieve their grief and replace their loved ones lost to tragedy.