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Peter Shaffer's comedy, Lettice and Lovage, underneath the delightful and even farcical surface, contains serious issues such as what history is, what history can do, and how history can make everyday life more fruitful and resourceful. In the opening act, the two protagonists, Lettice, the tour guide at the Fustian House and Lotte, her boss, provide very contrasting views about what history is and how it can be used. Lettice, the more innovative and creative of the two characters, transforms the authoritative written document about the House, adds many ungrounded and fictional details, and creates a more exciting and appealing version than the original. Even though Lettice wins the tourists' support, her version fits neither in the rules of history as an academic discipline, nor those of a historical play, in spite of many theatrical qualities. Eventually, Lettice is fired by Lotte, who believes in the sacredness of the textual version of history. Lettice, despite having a powerful imagination and appealing delivery skills, turns out to be socially maladjusted.
Still, Lettice does not abandon her fixation of playing with history and even lures Lotte, who has repressed her disappointments with the present underneath the rational appearance, into participating in the "game of execution." In the game, each lady plays the role of either the executioner or the condemned acting out a historically famous execution such as that of Charles I or Mary Stuart. The two ladies, while passionately engrossed in privately performing the last minutes of the King and the Queen, develop a friendship which brightens up their lonely, single lives. However, their private performance does not satisfy the standard for a historical play due to the lack of both the insightful interpretation of the incident and the audience. Thus, their performance ends as a mere play with history that is abruptly interrupted when Lettice's axe's accidentally falls on Lotte's head. With neither a job nor a friend and in danger of being indicted, Lettice seems to hit rock bottom in her life.
With Lettice on the verge of collapse, Lotte, chooses friendship over her career, not only deciding to advocate for Lettice in the court but also formulating the E.N.D. tours to show tourists the fifty new ugliest buildings in London. With this project, Lettice and Lotte finally reconcile with the present and apply their knowledge of the history to discover ways of leading the present world to a better future. Finally, the two ladies find personal happiness as well as an understanding of how to function properly in the society. The last project reflects upon how the characteristics of the herb "lovage" perfect Lettice's homemade liquor by combining utility with delight.