'The Way of the World' is a comedy of manners written by William Congreve

1. Gnaneswara T N
Assistant Professor of English
Government First Grade College
Jalahalli
Deodurga Tq.
Raichur Dist.
Karnataka
India

2. The Way of the World
A play
by
William Congreve

4. William Congreve
born in England in 1670
studied at the Trinity College in
Dublin
wrote four comedies: The Old
Bachelor, The Double Dealer,
Love for Love and The Way of
the World.
The Way of the World (1700) is
his masterpiece.
died in London in 1729 and
was buried in Westminster
Abbey.

5. The Way of the World
• Restoraton Comedy /Comedy of
manners
• The Restoration period begins in
1660 the year in which King
Charles II was restored to the
English throne.
• Comedy of manners
• comic or satiric representation of
aristocratic sexual license
• unsentimental, cynical and amoral
• scandal or the threat of scandal
• Oscar Wilde and William
Congreve are the most celebrated
authors of Comedy of Manners

6. Characters
• Mirabell, a young man, in love with Millamant
• Millamant, a very charming young lady, niece to
Lady Wishfort and in love with Mirabell
• Fainall, a young man, who married his wife for
her money
• Mrs. Fainall, wife of Fainall and daughter of Lady
Wishfort
• Mrs. Marwood, friend to Fainall and likes
Mirabell

7. Characters
• Lady Wishfort (55), guardian of Millamant
• Sir Wilfull Witwoud, Lady Wishfort’s choice as a
suitor for Millamant
• Young Witwoud, Sir Witwoud’s younger brother
• Waitwell, Mirabell’s servant
• Foible, Lady Wishfort’s maid
• Petulant, Witwoud’s friend
• Mincing, Millamant’s maid
• Peg, a maid in Lady Wishfort’s house

8. An Overview
• The play is based around two lovers Mirabell and
Millamant.
• To receive Millamant’s full dowry, Mirabell must
receive the blessing of Millamant’s aunt, Lady
Wishfort.
• Unfortunately, Lady Wishfort wants her nephew, Sir
Wilfull, to wed Millamant.
• Meanwhile Lady Wishfort wants to marry Sir Rowland.
• Waitwell, on Mirabell’s command, tries to trick Lady
Wishfort into a false engagement.
• Finally, Lady Wishfort consents to the marriage of
Mirabell and Millamant.

9. Before the Play begins
• Arabella’s first husband Languish has died and
left over his fortune.
• She begins a secret affair with Edward
Mirabell.
• They end the affair and she gets married to a
man Mirabell has selected (Fainall).
• Mirabell begins courting Mrs. Fainall’s cousin,
Millamant who lives with her aunt Lady
Wishfort.

10. Before the Play begins
• To gain Wishfort’s favour, Mirabell flatters
Wishfort. Wishfort becomes convinced that he
loves her. After Wishfort’s friend Mrs.
Marwood reveals what Mirabell was upto, her
feelings change from love to hate. She denies
permission for Mirabell to marry Millamant.
• If she will not consent to the Marriage
Mirabell cannot get Millamant’s £6000 dowry.

11. Act 1
• Act 1 is set in a chocolate house where Mirabell
and Fainall have just finished playing cards.
• A footman tells Mirabell that Waitwell and Foible
were married that morning.
• Witwoud and Petulant appear and inform Mirabell
that he will only get £6000 of Millamant’s
inheritance if he can make Lady Wishfort consent
to his and Millamant’s marriage.

12. Act 2
• Act 2 is set in St. James’ park.
• Mrs. Fainall and Mrs. Marwood are discussing their hatred
of men.
• Fainall appears and accuses Mrs. Marwood of loving
Mirabell.
• Meanwhile, Mrs. Fainall and Mirabell begin to plot about
tricking Lady Wishfort to give her consent to the marriage.
• Millamant appears in the park. She is angry about the
previous night’s Mirabell’s encounter with Lady Wishfort.
• After she leaves, newly wed servants appear and Mirabell
reminds them of their roles in the plan.

13. Act 3
• Act 3 is set in Lady Wishfort’s home.
• Lady Wishfort is encouraged to marry Sir Rowland
(Waitwell in disguise)
• Waitwell is a servant while Lady Wishfort is an
aristocrat.
• Mirabell offers to help her out of the embarrassing
situation if she consents to his marriage.
• Later Mrs. Fainall discusses this plan with Foible. But
this is overheard by Mrs. Marwood. She later tells this
to Fainall who decides that he will take his wife’s
money and go away with Mrs. Marwood.

14. Act 4
• Mirabell and Millamant discuss in detail the
conditions under which they would accept each
other.
• Mirabell finally proposes to Millamant and
Millamant accepts.
• Mirabell leaves as Lady Wishfort arrives. She
tells that she wants Millamant to marry her
nephew Sir Wilfull Witwoud.
• Later Lady Wishfort gets a letter about the Sir
Rowland plot.

15. Act 5
• Fainall uses the information of Mrs. Fainall’s previous
affair with Mirabell and Millamant’s contract to marry
him to blackmail Lady Wishfort, telling that she should
never marry and that she is to transfer all the money
over to him.
• Lady Wishfort tells Mirabell that she will consent his
marriage if he can save her fortune and honour.
• Waitwell brings a contract from the time before the
marriage of the Fainalls in which Mrs. Fainall gives all
her property to Mirabell.
• Fainall is left with no claim to make and Lady Wishfort
consents to the marriage of Mirabell with Millamant.

16. Themes
• Marriage
• True love v/s fake love
• Accumulation of property through marriage
• Appetite for sex and money
• Deceit
• Social class
• Pretence and hypocrisy
• Vanity