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 Fair Penitent pursued "neoclassical simplicity" but in the process sacrificed the "underlying moral principles" of the original. Rowe shifted the setting from Dijon to Genoa, and changed the main characters' names: Rowe also accentuated the role of the female protagonist, making the play much more a vehicle for a female star performer, a "better acting piece" for a prominent actress. Where the original "concentrates largely on the legal and political affairs of the cuckolded husband," Rowe focused far more directly on the domestic tragedy of Calista's infidelity. The play was staged at both of the major London theatres of the day, Drury