The Way of the World by William Congreve Plot Summary

Introduction

When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Congreve's Play was written and performed near the end of the Restoration. In 1700, the country was still attempting to define succession. When King William III, a Dutch prince, and his wife/cousin, Queen Mary, were brought over to rule the Protestant country from Hanover in 1688, it was known as the "Glorious Revolution". The two effectively seized the monarchy from Mary's father, the then-reigning Catholic King James II, who had fled to France. They promised to lead the country properly by protecting the Protestant tradition, which many residents thought James II failed to accomplish. Congreve incorporates much of this political information into his poetry through its focus on marriage, capital, and laws.

The plot of the Play

Before the Play begins, several significant events in the lives of the major characters have occurred, which Congreve explains during the Play. Languish, Arabella's first husband, died and gave her his treasure. She starts a covert relationship with Edward Mirabell. They break up their relationship, and she marries Fainall, a man Mirabell chose for her out of anxiety that they would have a kid out of wedlock (Congreve never explains why Mirabell does not marry her himself). Mirabell and Mrs. Arabella Fainall continue to be great friends when the romance is over. Mrs. Fainall's mother, Lady Wishfort, and Millamant, who lives with Millamant's aunt, start courting Mirabell. Mirabell praises Wishfort and shows her undivided attention to win over Wishfort with her proposal of marriage to Millamant. Wishfort believes he loves her and falls in love with him. Mrs. Marwood, Wishfort's best friend, confesses what Mirabell was up to, and her sentiments for Mirabell alter from love to hatred. She now refuses to permit Mirabell to marry Millamant, a significant issue because she controls Millamant's �6,000 dowry.

The night before the opening scene of the Play, Mirabell returns to Wishfort's house for the first time since she learned of his plot, and Wishfort rudely removes him from her "Cabal Night" club in front of Millamant, who does not stand up for him, and many other individuals. Mirabell is confident and has already started planning a strategy for convincing Wishfort to agree to the marriage, a strategy Millamant learns about through Foible.

Fainall has been having an affair with Mrs. Marwood throughout this time; she is a friend of his wife and Lady Wishfort. The only person with a suspicion that something is off is Mirabell. Although Foible and Mincing witnessed the interaction, Marwood has committed them to secrecy. Mirabell indicates that he is aware of Fainall and Marwood's romance. But he also tells Fainall that he admires Millamant's qualities and faults. Hearing this, Fainall urges him to propose to her. Later, the two men are joined by Witwoud and Petulant. The two reveal to Mirabell that Wishfort discussed her scheme last night to wed Millamant to his uncle Sir Rowland to prevent Mirabell from inheriting his wealth (we are still unaware that Sir Rowland isn't a real person and that this is all a part of Mirabell's strategy).

Marwood and Fainall work together to resist Mirabell's plot. They inform Wishfort of Foible's disloyalty and Sir Rowland's identity (Waitwell), and Fainall arrests Waitwell. If Wishfort does not give up her wealth, including Millamant and Mrs. Fainall's shares, he threatens to expose Mrs. Fainall's relationship with Mirabell to the public. He threatens Wishfort with revealing Mrs. Fainall's affair with Mirabell to the community, which would bring tremendous humiliation to her family unless she surrenders her riches, including Millamant and Mrs. Fainall's shares. He also asks that Wishfort promise never to marry (unless he permits it).

Mrs. Wishfort believes she has discovered a flaw in Fainall's scheme when she discovers that Millamant and Sir Wilfull have decided to marry. Fainall, on the other hand, is unafraid since he can still seize control of Wishfort and her wife's wealth. Wishfort and her family appear to be destined until Mirabell intervenes. Before helping, he makes Wishfort pledge that she will allow him to marry Millamant, which she gladly agrees to. To reveal the relationship between Fainall and Mrs. Marwood, he then summons Mincing and Foible. Wishfort is shocked that Mirabell is utilizing this as her primary weapon, but Mirabell has another plan in mind. He summons Waitwell, who produces a deed to all of Arabella Languish's possessions. Mirabell and Arabella accused Fainall of attempting to defraud her before marrying him, so Arabella consented to hand over her inheritance to Mirabell as a safeguard. Mirabell retains control of her money as a trustee, and the legally enforceable instrument prevents Fainall's claim on her estate. After defeating Fainall and Marwood, safeguarding Mrs. Fainall's riches and standing, and Wishfort, Sir Wilfull releases Millamant from the engagement, enabling her to wed Mirabell and allowing him to proceed with his travel plans. Mirabell gives Arabella the deed back and instructs her to use it to control a furious and resentful Fainall.

Character Summary

Mirabell

Edward Mirabell, the Play's protagonist, is a stylish, educated, and sharp man-about-town who is well-liked by the ladies. He was Mrs. Fainall's lover before she wed Fainall. By not reciprocating the feelings of all the women attracted to him, he has broken many hearts (often unintentionally). He has fallen for Millamant and is prepared for a steady, devoted relationship. Though he wants to marry, he finds himself on the wrong side of several other characters who devise schemes to spoil his prospects, notably Lady Wishfort and the extramarital pair Fainall and Mrs. Marwood. However, many devoted supporters eagerly aid him in his winning strategy.

Fainall

Finally, the Play's adversary is a sly, insecure, and disloyal person with a bad reputation in town?basically, he possesses all of the negative attributes that Mirabell does not. Mrs. Arabella Fainall, Lady Wishfort's daughter, is his second wife. He hates his wealthy wife and is cheating on her with Mrs. Marwood, her friend. He and Marwood have devised a plan to rob Lady Wishfort of her entire fortune, Arabella of her property, and Millamant of her dowry. As the Play progresses, it becomes evident that Fainall's fiery temperament is incompatible with efficient strategizing. Fainall, prone to severe jealousy, feels (right) that Marwood loves Mirabell and cannot conceal his feelings for her. He once lashes out at his girlfriend, who almost exposes their affair to acquaintances. But he controls his fury and devotes more energy to destroying Mirabell. Many people believe that Fainall's marriage to his wife is a fabrication and that he is having an affair with Marwood despite hiding his contempt for her. One such doubter is Mirabell. By the conclusion of the Play, when it is clear that Mirabell has won, Fainall lashes out at his wife and threatens to harm her physically.

Marwood

Marwood, Fainall's lover and Lady Wishfort's best friend, is devious and deceitful. She is probably in love with Mirabell, who does not share her feelings for her, and she has the power to persuade Fainall that she is her sole true love, leaving him feeling terrible for having doubted her. Marwood is a skilled liar, especially regarding her female acquaintances, Mrs. Fainall and Lady Wishfort. Despite her doubtful moral compass, Marwood offers genuine advice to individuals who would instead follow fashion trends than their emotions. She advises Witwoud to recognize his stepbrother Wilfull rather than treating him as a stranger and instructs Millamant, in particular, to stop acting like he's interested in other guys.

Lady Wishfort

Arabella Fainall's mother, Lady Wishfort, is a wealthy, elderly widow who is also Millamant, Witwoud, and Sir Wilfull's aunt. She is an arrogant, ignorant woman who acts younger than she is. Lady Wishfort is prepared for a second marriage and immediately falls in love with Sir Rowland. She covers her wrinkles with many cosmetics, drawing attention to her age. Though she pretends to hate Mirabell and seeks revenge on him for appearing to flirt with her for most of the Play, her hatred is motivated by her unrequited love. She is the head of a group of ladies known as "Cabal Night," who gather at her home to talk about how much they detest men in general and Mirabell in particular. She is easily duped and believes her best friend, Marwood, is betraying her. Her lady-in-waiting, Foible, really works for Mirabell. As matriarch, she is responsible for arranging her niece's wedding and securing her dowry until she weds. Of course, Fainall challenges this role, claiming he is not the man she wants her daughter to marry.

Millamant

Millamant, who is spoiled, attractive, and wealthy, feels she can have any guy she wants. In London, she is incredibly trendy and well-liked. Though she might appear nasty and unsympathetic to Mirabell, she adores him but is very reserved with her feelings. She is self-sufficient and enjoys poetry. Even if she isn't emotionally attracted to them before getting engaged, she enjoys making Mirabell jealous by hanging around with Witwoud and Petulant and keeping him on his toes. She primarily supports her aunt Wishfort in all matters. She first does not protest her aunt's plan to wed her to Sir Rowland and then her cousin Sir Wilfull to thwart Mirabell's plans. When she finally agrees to marry Mirabell, she imposes a slew of requirements to maintain her independence inside the marriage, which Mirabell quickly accepts after imposing his own.

Sir Wilfull Witwoud

Sir Wilfull is Lady Wishfort's forty-year-old rural nephew. He is crude and uneducated yet charming and good-natured. Sir Wilfull wishes to better himself by visiting France. He came to England to learn French, but the decadence of London life quickly seduced him. In Wishfort's home, he overindulges and disrespects his cousin Millamant, whom his aunt wants him to wed. He dislikes his half-brother Witwoud, who is embarrassed by him, and Witwoud's best friend, Petulant. They frequently insult him, and he patiently endures their slights. He is fiercely devoted to Mirabell and helps him win Lady Wishfort by giving the impression that he approves of Millamant's union. Also, he fights with his cousin Arabella Fainall because he fiercely protects her. At the end of the Play, he becomes friends with Witwoud and Petulant, and they consent to travel with him to France.

Whitwell

Whitwell is Mirabell's devoted servant, whom she permits to marry Foible. He's married but wants to have a little fun with his wife during the show. He uses it as one of his motivators to carry out Mirabell's strategy. But more crafty than his wife, he tries to fool Wishfort into believing that he is a gentleman titled Sir Rowland.

Summary

The actor who portrays Fainall gives the prologue in which Congreve complains about the audience's high expectations and the poet's inability to please everyone. Congreve also guarantees that his show will be funny but will not attempt to change the audience.

Analysis

Congreve minimizes the strain on himself as a playwright by beginning his Play with a complaint. Yet this is all a ploy since he is confident in his talents and must precisely follow his promise. His Play attempts to rehabilitate the audience by using comedy to highlight society's vices. Congreve plays with the fact that actors are only pretending to be the characters they portray by having the actor who plays Fainall deliver the prologue rather than Fainall the character (or any other character for that matter) and thus emphasizes, in this Play about plotting, scheming, and role-playing, that Congreve himself and the Play he has created are the ultimate schemes, the plot behind the plot.