Miniature of John Mytton by Samuel John Stump
The rake is supposed to be an object of desire, a hero of modern Regency romance. There is nothing desirable nor heroic about John Mytton. Something is missing in his story.
The character of the rake first appeared in seventeenth century. He was a libertine, a prodigal bent on rebellion and frequently addicted to excessive appetites. During Charles II’s reign, Restoration comedies modeled this new kind of hero after certain aristocrats who indulged in such antics. They could be anything from Sir Charles Sedley, a man who simulated sex in public while drunkenly naked, to the more notorious (!) George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham who killed the Earl of Shrewsbury in a duel over the latter’s wife.
After a while, however, the tiresome rake began to weary the play-going public.
Enter the feisty heroine, employed to restore the libertine to his senses and thus allow the rake to remain a popular device in literature. She, too, was modeled after redeeming females. Even though Sedley couldn’t marry her, being unable to obtain a divorce from his insane wife, Ann Ayscough remained with him until the end of his life. Villiers’ wife took him back after the affair with the widowed Countess of Shrewsbury:
“The Duchess of Buckingham has merit and virtue; she is brown and lean, but had she been the most beautiful and charming of her sex, the being his wife would have been sufficient alone to have inspired him with a dislike. Notwithstanding she knew he was always intriguing, yet she never spoke of it, and had complaisance enough to entertain his mistresses, and even to lodge them in her house; all which she suffered because she loved him.” — Memoirs of the English Court by Madame Dunois (1699)
She loved him.
Without such love, poor John Mytton was doomed. Recall in an earlier post the warning that Mytton was not fit for marriage. Did that make him insensible to love?
After his second wife left him, John tried in vain to get her to return to him. He even went so far as to seek her out at Chillington Hall, her family’s home to which she had fled. Constables were summoned to handcuff him, for in his great strength he had knocked down eight strong manservants in the foyer, desperate to see the one he loved.
His friend Nimrod laments the self-destruction that not only robbed Mytton of his happiness, but the love of his life as well:
“He loved this woman to distraction; he would have given the apple of his eye for her at any time; he would have risked twenty lives to have gotten her back again, and obtained her forgiveness; he raved about her in his madness, and sent her his dying benediction!”
Chillington Hall, now a wedding venue. Photograph licensed by John M. per Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0
Angelyn's Blog 
Well judging from the picture of him…………he was nothing to write home about.
Then considering his rakish ways…….I don’t blame the second wife for escaping.
Nothing romantic about John Mytton.
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Certainly not like the rakes of Regency romance. Although, there’s been a few written recently that make me think the distinction is not as significant as formerly thought. Thanks for stopping by!
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I agree with Joy, nothing to write home about & a genuine duche. It is rather impressive that he bested 8 guards! And of course, in concurrence with my teenage sense of humor…his friend’s name is Nimod! Hee hee. Another top post!
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Thanks for commenting. Nimrod would have made a good Regency romance author–for his Herculean attempts to redeem his rakish friend if for nothing else.
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I do not know why so many authors claim their hero is the greatest rake in 3 kingdoms. It shows a massive disrespect for women– treating them as interchangeable and disposable. I guess it comes from the old saying of a reformed rake is the best husband and the heroine is the one to reform him.
Why didn’t Mytton realize he loved his wife so desperately before he made her leave? He proves that even a rake in love can’t always change his ways.
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The heroes written today are not rakes in the true sense of the (Regency era) word. And even during the Regency, rake was a concept taken from the seventeenth century when audiences were eager to shake of Cromwellian taste. Tastes change and so do the characters with them. A reformed rake is an enduring character, however, that continues to claim the reader’s delight. Making the reformation difficult, achievable and yet believable can be a Herculean task not only for the heroine but for the author as well. Mytton: a rake in the truest sense. Because of that, his story is not marketable. A paradox, if you will. Thanks for stopping by.
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The idea of a rake (or bad boy, nowadays) is much more tempting in fiction than in real life. In fiction he always straightens up under the beguiling influence of the woman he loves and turns into a hero. In real life — well, Mytton was an excellent example of real life, wasn’t he?
And he didn’t even make himself happy with his pleasures!
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I like your focus on the fiction of the rake. And your take on what happens in real life.
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I think the idea of a rake is very true to real life today…I think women who are younger, and not very experienced with men or love, are always attracted to the guys who are not good for them – the ones on the edge. The ones who are a bit naughty. As we grow older and a bit more experienced, we realize that these guys are not good for us. But, we still have a special place in our hearts for the rakes, especially if we marry them early. I’m not surprised that the Duchess of Buckingham still loved him. Interesting post!
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Lacey, your comment reads like a great prologue to an enduring romance. Thanks for stopping by.
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The Regency rake has been done and done. I’d rather read about a man of that time period with a sense of honor. Heroes shouldn’t always require reforming.
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Exactly why the Restoration comedies had to change the character of the rake. It can be wearisome to read/watch something that’s been done and done.
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Excellent post. I enjoyed reading the comments. In the end, I think romance readers love the reformed rake because we like the idea that love can conquer all.
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You said it very well, Ally.
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