'Funeral: or Grief A-La-Mode' Summary

The play opens with the preparations for Lord Brumpton's funeral. His widow, Lady Brumpton, is distraught, but her grief is more concerned with appearances than with genuine feeling. She is more concerned with the details of the funeral arrangements than with her husband's death. Her two daughters, Lady Sharlot and Lady Harriot, are also more concerned with their own appearance and status than with their father's death. Lord Hardy, Lord Brumpton's son, is the only one who is genuinely grieving for his father. He is in love with Lady Sharlot, but she is not interested in him because he is not wealthy enough. Mr. Campley, a wealthy man, is also in love with Lady Harriot, but she is not interested in him because he is not fashionable enough. The play follows the events leading up to and following the funeral, as the characters try to balance their grief with their own selfish desires. In the end, Lord Hardy and Lady Sharlot are married, and Mr. Campley and Lady Harriot are left to mourn their lost loves.