The Libertine

Rochester delivers a provocative prologue that proclaims his fondness for drink, his sexual appetites, and his contempt for the audience. The moment sets the film's sardonic tone and frames the reckless path his life will take. It foreshadows the clashes between art, power, and desire that follow.

King Charles II retracts Rochester's banishment because he needs the earl's talents in the House of Lords. Rochester returns from exile to a political stage where wit and audacity can still shape events. The renewed access to power pulls him deeper into court intrigues and personal temptations.

Back in London, Rochester reconnects with his Merry Gang Etherege and Sackville in a bawdy house, resuming their raucous camaraderie. The reunion marks the onset of his renewed indulgence and the plotting that follows. Loyalties and schemes rapidly reconfigure his world.

On the street, Rochester meets Alcock, a crafty thief whose sharp tongue wins him a place in the earl's circle. He hires Alcock as his gentleman, trusting a man of deceit to serve his capricious needs. This alliance blurs the line between performance and manipulation that defines much of his life.

The Merry Gang introduces an 18-year-old Billy Downs to Rochester's circle. Rochester warns the young man that life in this company is perilous and corrosive. Downs becomes a symbol of youthful temptation and the dangers of this circle.

The company watches Elizabeth Barry booed off the stage and refuses to participate in a curtain call, leading to her firing. Rochester is drawn to her talent and secures her re-employment with the theatre company. He begins coaching her, guiding her toward greater stage craft.

Barry's acting improves dramatically, culminating in a brilliant performance in the next production. Rochester's mentorship helps unleash her star power, drawing audiences and critics alike. The pair's professional bond intertwines with personal tension as the season unfolds.

The King asks Barry to spy on Rochester as he pursues a tribute to the French Ambassador. Barry becomes a covert observer, blurring the lines between theatre, politics, and personal ambitions. Her position places her at the center of court intrigue surrounding Rochester and the king.

Charles asks Rochester to write a monument to his reign, and Rochester drafts Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery, a biting satire depicting the king in compromising terms. The play becomes a vehicle for political critique wrapped in debauchery. The ambitious project tests Rochester's nerve and loyalty.

At the premiere, the King interrupts the performance and confronts Rochester on stage, deeply offending him. Rochester flees London, leaving the spectacle and its consequences behind. The incident cements his reputation as a fearless yet reckless artist.

Weeks or days after, Billy Downs is mortally wounded in a sword fight outside a Constable's home. Rochester stands back, whispering I told you, acknowledging the fatal consequences of their circle. The moment underscores the deadly stakes surrounding his associates.

Rochester hides in the English countryside, sick with syphilis, and peddles phony gynecological treatments to women. He disguises his disfigurement with makeup and a silver nose tip. The sequence traces his fall from power into physical ruin.

Charles tracks Rochester but decides the worst punishment is to let him be himself. In Parliament, the Exclusion Bill showdown erupts, and Rochester arrives in the Lords disguised, hiding his illness with makeup and a cane. He denounces the bill, and the king's side wins when it is defeated, earning reluctant approval.

During a confrontation, Barry reveals that she never wanted to marry and that they share a daughter named Elizabeth. The revelation reshapes Rochester and Barry's relationship and adds a personal dimension to their intertwined fates.

Rochester returns to his estate, bedridden and cared for by Elizabeth and his mother. A priest is summoned to bring God to him as his mother refused to let him die an atheist. On his deathbed, Rochester asks for Isaiah 53 to be read and for Barry to recount how they first fell in love when she was eighteen. In the epilogue, Elizabeth Barry performs as his wife in The Man of Mode, the play about him, and the candlelight fades as he murmurs the final question, Do you like me now.