Here Comes the Scriblerian Flood: Apocalypse, Betrayal, and Mock-Redemption in "Three Hours after Marriage"

The essay examines the interplay of apocalyptic imagery, societal critique, and the potential for redemption in the farcical play *Three Hours after Marriage* by John Gay, Alexander Pope, and John Arbuthnot. It situates the play within the Scriblerian tradition, which often employed the Biblical Flood as a metaphor for cultural and moral decline in 18th-century England. Through adapting contemporary geological theories, such as those of Thomas Burnet and John Woodward, for the stage, the play reflects a world on the brink of collapse, drawing on the apocalyptic imagery present in some of those scientific works. In the play, however, scientific pretensions and antiquarianism are satirised through the figure of an ineffectual collector and medical doctor, Dr. Fossile. The essay explores the ways in which the play parodies scientific and literary ambition, notably through Dr Fossile and his niece, the mad poet Phoebe Clinket, whose sterile creativity symbolizes the failure of art and scholarship to regenerate a crumbling world. Using the theme of mutual deception and betrayal among the characters, whose self-serving actions lead to the unraveling of societal and personal relationships, the essay explores the play’s ambiguous ending, where Dr Fossile's adoption of a child—despite not being its biological father—may suggest a potential mock-redemption. This act, while hinting at the survival of life amidst chaos, remains unresolved, reflecting the play's overarching critique of a world mired in moral and intellectual sterility. The essay ultimately positions *Three Hours after Marriage* as a satirical exploration of false learning, unfulfilled desires, and the uncertain possibility of renewal in a decadent society.