The Way of the World by William Congreve: Summary

The Way of the World by English playwright William Congreve premiered in

London in 1700. Considered one of the best Restoration comedies, it is still
performed occasionally today but was controversial in its time due to its bawdy
themes and sexual explicitness, which had fallen out of favor in its time. Focused
on the adventures of a pair of lovers, Mirabell and Millamant, the story follows
their plan to marry and the many steps they must take to obtain the approval of
Millamant’s bitter aunt, Lady Wishfort. At the same time, supporting characters,
including friends, servants, and others, are engaging in their own schemes and
affairs. Like many Restoration comedies, the play serves as a satire on the culture
of its time. Its themes include criticism of high society and the niceties of
courtship, as well as the nature of love and the role of money in marriage. In many
ways, The Way of the World is about the clash of the old with the new. Despite its
sexually explicit themes, it is considered a more nuanced play than many others in
the genre.

A five-act play, act one begins as as Mirabell and his friend, Fainall, have just
finished playing cards. A footman arrives and tells Mirabell that his servant,
Waitwell, and Lady Wishfort’s maid, Foible, have just been married. Mirabell tells
Fainall how much he loves Millamant, and Fainall encourages him to marry her.
However, Mirabell learns that if Lady Wishfort marries, he’ll lose a large chunk of
Millamant’s inheritance. The only way to get this money is if he manages to
convince Lady Wishfort to consent to their union.

Act two begins in St. James’ Park, as Fainall’s wife, known only as Mrs. Fainall,
and her friend Mrs. Marwood are talking about their hatred of men. Fainall arrives
and accuses Mrs. Marwood (with whom he is secretly having an affair) of being in
love with Mirabell (which is true). Meanwhile, Mrs. Fainall, who is Mirabell’s
secret lover, tells Mirabell that she hates her husband. She plots with him to trick
Lady Wishfort into giving her blessing to the wedding. Millamant soon arrives,
angry about an altercation between Mirabell and her aunt the previous night, and
tells Mirabell she disapproves of his plan. As she leaves, Waitwell and Foible
arrive, and Mirabell conspires with them about his plan to trick Lady Wishfort.

The scene shifts in acts three, four, and five to the home of Lady Wishfort.
Wishfort is a lonely woman, and Foible encourages her to marry Sir Rowland, who
is supposedly Mirabell’s uncle, so Mirabell will lose his inheritance. However, Sir
Rowland is actually Waitwell in disguise. The plan is to trick Lady Wishfort into a
marriage that is illegal due to bigotry laws. She will become a social disgrace for
marrying a servant. Mirabell will then offer to help her out of the marriage in
exchange for her consent to his marriage. Mrs. Fainall and Foible discuss this plan;
Mrs. Marwood overhears them and decides to tell the plan to Fainall, who plots to
steal his wife’s money and run away with Mrs. Marwood.

Mirabell and Millamant, both strong-willed and determined, discuss the terms of
their marriage and what they expect, showing the depth of their love for each other.
Mirabell proposes to Millamant, and with Mrs. Fainall’s encouragement, she
accepts. Mirabell leaves just as Lady Wishfort arrives. Lady Wishfort tells
Millamant she wants her to marry her nephew, Sir Willful Witwoud, who is
visiting from the country. Lady Wishfort receives a letter telling her of the Sir
Rowland plot. Sir Rowland steals the letter and accuses Mirabell of trying to
sabotage the wedding; Lady Wishfort agrees to sign a marriage contract with Sir
Rowland that night.

In act five, Lady Wishfort has discovered the plot, and Fainall has had Waitwell
arrested. Mrs. Fainall tells Foible that all now know of her affair with Mirabell.
Lady Wishfort appears with Mrs. Marwood, who is in her good graces for
exposing the plot. Fainall appears and uses the knowledge of Mrs. Fainall’s affair
and the contract to blackmail Lady Wishfort into transferring her money to him.
Lady Wishfort offers Mirabell her consent to the wedding if he can save her
fortune and honor. Mirabell calls on Waitwell, who produces a contract in which
Mrs. Fainall transfers her property to Mirabell. This cancels out the blackmail
attempts, and Mirabell tears up the contract as soon as it’s done. Having
neutralized Fainall’s blackmail attempt, Mirabell receives the blessing of Lady
Wishfort and is free to marry Millamant with the full inheritance.
1Mirabell and Mrs. Fainall plot against Lady Wishfort.

Rising Action

2Mrs. Marwood overhears Mirabell's plan.

3Mirabell and Millamant get engaged.
4Mrs. Marwood's letter about Sir Rowland arrives.

Climax

5Lady Wishfort learns that she has been deceived.

Falling Action

6Millamant agrees to marry Wilfull to save her inheritance.

Resolution

7Mirabell wins Millamant's hand in marriage.

Characters :
Mr. Fainall (Fainall/Fain.)
Mr. Fainall is a married man, but his closest relationship is to his mistress, Ms. Marwood.
He plots to get money out of his wife's mother, Lady Wishfort, after finding out from his
mistress that his wife, Mrs. Fainall, married him while in a relationship with Mirabell.
Mr. Edward Mirabell (Mirabell/Mir.)
A young man, once a womanizer, is now honestly in love with Mrs. Millamant, a young,
attractive, intelligent woman. He is perhaps the closest to a protagonist in the play, and
drives the plot with his scheme to get Ms. Millamant's aunt, Lady Wishfort, to approve a
marriage between them.
Anthony Witwoud (Withwoud/Wit.)
Anthony Witwoud is a suitor of Ms. Millamant and half-brother to Sir Wilfull Witwoud. He
serves as a supporting, comedic character.
Petulant (Pet.)
Petulant is another suitor of Ms. Millamant, and is often seen with Witwoud. He is another
supporting, comedic character, especially for his ineptitude with speech and wit.
Sir Wilfull Witwoud (Sir Wil.)
Sir Wilfull is half-brother to Anthony Witwoud and nephew to Lady Wishfort. He comes to
town to prepare to go abroad, but is swept up in the plot because Lady Wishfort wishes him
to marry Ms. Millamant. He is a bumbling man, inept with the social fashions of the town
and with attempts to pursue Ms. Millamant romantically.
Waitwell (Wait.)
Mirabell's servant. In accordance with Mirabell's directions, he marries Foible, Lady
Wishfort's servant, but then pretends to be a well-bred man named Sir Rowland to trick
Lady Wishfort into a fake engagement.
Lady Wishfort (Lady Wish.)
Lady Wishfort is a bitingly mean, witty, wealthy, old lady. She is the aunt of Miss Millamant
and controls half, 6,000 pounds, of Millamant's inheritance. She is uncomfortable with her
age and looks, and this allows Mirabell's plot with the fake Sir Rowland to succeed as far as
it does.
Mrs. Millament (Miss Millament/Mrs. Mil)
Ms. Millament is the young lady whom Mr. Mirabell and many others love. She has a large
inheritance of 12,000 pounds, but is attempting to secure half of it which is held by her
aunt, Lady Wishfort. However, Lady Wishfort wants Ms. Millament to marry Sir Wilfull
Witwoud.
Mrs. Marwood (Miss Marwood/Mrs. Mar.)
Mrs. Marwood is the mistress of Mr. Fainall, a married man. She is a nosy woman, bitter
because her love for Mirabell is not returned, and this leads her to reveal his scheme to
Fainall and later Lady Wishfort herself after overhearing it while in a closet.
Mrs. Arabella Fainall (Mrs. Fain.)
Mrs. Fainall had a relationship with Mirabell before marrying Fainall, and is still friends
with him and an aid in his scheme. She is daughter to Lady Wishfort, so their reputations in
the climax are closely tied.
Foible (Foib.)
Foible is servant to Lady Wishfort and is integral to Mirabell's plot, marrying Waitwell and
then introducing the idea of Sir Rowland to Lady Wishfort.