Blithe Spirit

Through his exploration of Charles’s two marriages, Coward considers whether eternal loyalty is possible and what limitations it may have. Elvira’s return from the dead initially suggests that love may lead to a loyalty that outlasts death. She “marked herself down for a return visit” (46) and everyone insists that Charles “conjured” her up (27). While it appears Charles has been able to move on and marry a second woman, the play initially seems to suggest the first love may be a true love only separated by death. However, his consistent reaction to her return suggests that people may not want eternal devotion. His abandonment of the house and spirits at the end of the play further suggests that eternal loyalty is unwanted and impossible.

Coward considers not only the limits of marital devotion but also sexual fidelity. According to Charles, Elvira “behaved abominably over Guy Henderson” when she had an affair (68). She also “went out on the moors with Captain Bracegirdle” because she was an “eager young bride” who “wanted glamour and music” but was “desperate” for affection and “romance” (69). While Elvira does not question Charles’s sexual fidelity at this point, her affairs underscore how loyalty without love and physical affection does not matter.