This ideal introduction to the plays and theater of the late eighteenth century in England, France and Germany brings together key texts revolving around the themes of sex and class. The texts of the plays by Sheridan and Goldsmith are based on first editions, while those of the plays by Beaumarchais and Lessing are based on the earliest published translations. Textual notes explain unfamiliar terms and allusions, and a full introduction locates the plays in their cultural and political context, providing a comparative overview of contemporary theater.