The Lady of Pleasure was singled out by C. S. Lewis, in his Rehabilitations and Other Essays (1939), as representative of Shirley's comedies — to which Lewis gives a firmly negative evaluation. The play has also been studied as "a commentary on the Platonic love cult in the Caroline court under Queen Henrietta Maria."
The Lady of Pleasure was highlighted by C. S. Lewis, in his Rehabilitations and Other Essays (1939), as a quintessential illustration of Shirley's comedies — to which Lewis delivers a strongly adverse assessment. The play has also been examined as "a commentary on the Platonic love cult in the Caroline court under Queen Henrietta Maria."