She states she is naturally vain, and is lapping up the attention. Ironically, one man compliments her by comparing her to her own self, as the Lady. It is not long before she is surrounded by suitors of all ages and means, vying to pay any price for her attentions. The next night, she enters the gallery box dressed as a prostitute. She watches these ladies with curiosity in order to learn to emulate their behavior herself. She can get away with acting in this manner as there is no authority figure in the town to whom she is accountable. As an almost social experiment to see how she would be received, the protagonist-who is of genteel birth-decides to dress and act as a prostitute at the theatre. The protagonist muses as to how some men could have such high class and manners, yet act in such a depraved manner. Rather than watching the play, she is observing the behavior of the aristocratic males also attending the theatre, watching how they react to the prostitutes in the ‘Pit’ below. A beautiful, distinguished, witty lady, who remains unnamed in the text (but here called Fantomina, for ease), is attending the Playhouse.
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