The Fair Penitent Lane and Covent Garden; the former production starred Mrs. Siddons as Calista. The 1703 first edition was dedicated to the Duchess of Ormond—but did not credit the original authors of "The Fatal Dowry," leading to later critics' accusations of plagiarism against Rowe, as in William Gifford's edition of Massinger's works. The eponym "Lothario," meaning "a man who seduces women," stems from the character in this play. The origin of Lothario as a name indicating a seducer though predates the play. The latter is thought to be written in 1619. The character of Lothario as a seducer, albeit in different circumstances,
The Fatal Dowry play that deal with the fashionable world of Beaumelle and Novall Junior, while Massinger handled the parts involving soldiers, the law court, and the serious moral issues of the drama. The play has been called "unique among the plays of the Massinger canon in being both weak in plot and unusually strong in characterization." The play has been praised by critics; Arthur Symons considered it one of Massinger's "two most distinct and most distinguished tragedies" (the other being "The Duke of Milan"). In 1702, Nicholas Rowe adapted "The Fatal Dowry" into a new version he titled "The Fair Penitent". Aaron