The Way of the World

Contemporary Social Picture in The Way of the World

William Congreve’s The Way of the World is a masterpiece of Restoration Comedy
that provides a vivid reflection of the society during the late 17 th and early 18th
centuries. It is extremely popular in the arena of literature for its witty dialogue and
satirical tone. The play delves deep into the manners, morals, and intrigues of the
aristocratic and fashionable circles of Restoration England. It serves as a portrayal
of the obsession with wealth, the affectation for fashion, the moral decadence. The
play displays a society which is replete with the culture of scheming and intrigue
that defined the then time period. As a whole, it offers a detailed commentary on
contemporary social behaviour.
The Restoration society always tried to put significant importance to material
wealth and financial security. They never prioritised genuine emotions in
relationships. In the play, Mr. Fainall marries Mrs. Fainall for her wealth, and his
primary motive is to secure Lady Wishfort’s property through deceit. Similarly,
Mirabell’s courtship of Millamant is partially strategic, as it involves ensuring
Lady Wishfort’s approval to inherit her niece’s fortune. This obsession with wealth
makes a caricature of the mercenary attitudes of the era, where marriages were
often viewed as financial arrangements rather than romantic unions.
The conversation between Mirabell and Mrs. Fainall is the main attraction of this
comedy. Mrs. Fainall is the wife of Mr. Fainall. Before her marriage she was in
love with Mirabell, but even after her marriage she has an illicit relation with him.
When they meet in the play readers come across a magnificent display of wit: For
example,
Mrs. Fainall: While I only hated my husband I could bear to see him, but since I
have dispised him, he is too offensive.
Mirabell: O, you should hate with prudence.
The moral corruption of Restoration society is a central theme in the play.
Characters like Mr. Fainall, Mrs. Fainall, and Mrs. Marwood and many others are
entangled in illicit relationships and affairs of treachery. Mr. Fainall’s extramarital
affair with Mrs. Marwood, along with Mrs. Fainall’s past relationship with
Mirabell, epitomizes the moral degradation of the time. These immoral acts are
treated with indifference or manipulation. No character in the play feels shame for
their illegitimate relationships. Everyone’s affair is like an open secret to all and all
they mind about the matter is to gossip on them. They retained a casual attitude
toward infidelity and betrayal of their partners. This fact gives an idea of the
society’s moral impoverishment at that time and the erosion of traditional values
during this period.
Women in The Way of the World are depicted as being heavily influenced by
societal expectations. They are very much keen on fashion and personal autonomy.
Characters like Millamant and Lady Wishfort epitomize the obsession with
appearance and social image. Millamant’s list of conditions for marriage in the
“proviso scene” strongly shows her desire for independence, even within a
restrictive society. According to her first condition, she wants equal amount of love
and affection on the part of her would-be husband throughout her life. Just before
marriage when men and women are lovers they declare full support and love for
each other but things take a turn when they marry each other. So, Millamant
appears anxious because of this reason and that is why she puts this condition.
Again, Millamant says that she hates those lovers who do not take a proper care of
his beloved. She further wants that her husband must be a loyal and good-natured
man. She says:
“Ay, as wife, spouse, my dear, joy, jewel, love sweet heart, and the rest of that
nauseous can’t, in which men and their wives are so fulsomely familiar-I shall
never bear that, Good Mirabell, don’t let us be familiar or found, nor kiss before
folks, like my lady Fadler and Sir Francis, nor go to Hyde Park together, the first
Sunday in new chariot, to provoke eyes and whispers; and then never be seen
there together again; as if we were proud of one another the first week and
ashamed of one another even after.”
Lady Wishfort, despite her advanced age, is portrayed as vain and desperate to
maintain her youthful allure. It is evident that the influence of fashion and societal
standards is pervasive on women of all ages. In one instance Mirabell comments
about her: “Yes, I think the good lady would marry anything that resembled a
man.”
The play is saturated with plots and counterplots with the prevalence of intrigue in
Restoration society. Mr. Fainall and Mrs. Marwood conspire to exploit Lady
Wishfort, while Mirabell orchestrates a plan to win Millamant and secure her
inheritance. These machinations reflect the cunning and deceit that were integral to
the social fabric of the time. We can regard these characters’ constant plotting as a
satirical commentary on the lack of trust and the prevalence of manipulation in
aristocratic circles. Congreve uses wit and humour to critique the artificiality and
pretentiousness of fashionable society. Characters like Witwoud and Petulant are
caricatures of false wits. They show exaggerated behaviour and indulge in absurd
conversations. Through these characters, Congreve satirizes the shallow nature of
aristocratic life, where wit and appearances often took precedence over sincerity
and substance. The sharp, witty dialogues throughout the play reveal the emptiness
behind the polished exteriors of the Restoration elite lifestyle.
The Way of the World is a mirror to the moral and social dynamics of its time. It
portrays a society driven by greed and self-interest, where individuals gives more
importance to personal gain than ethical considerations. However, despite its
critical tone, the play does not preach moral reform; instead, it presents these flaws
with a sense of humour. The audiences are made to laugh at the absurdities of their
own society. The lack of overt judgment adds to the play’s charm as a work of
Comedy of Manners. The play is a perfect blending of satire a humour. Congreve
both entertains and provides a subtle critique of the values and manners of his time.
The play is therefore a timeless representation of the Comedy of Manners having
all the characteristics that such a comedy should have.
Character of Millamant in The Way of the World
Millamant, the leading lady in Congreve’s The Way of the World, is undoubtedly
one of the most remarkable creations of Restoration comedy. Her character is a
brilliant embodiment of wit and charm. She is a lady of firm resolve to live life on
her own terms. Millamant is described as the “wisest, wittiest, most mature of
Restoration coquettes.” Her sharp intellect and sparkling wit make her the focal
point of admiration and attention in the play. She moves through the Restoration
milieu with a mask of etiquette and affectation.
Millamant has a very assertive personality and it is evident when she declares her
need for liberty and independence. When Mirabell proposes to her, she boldly
states, “Ah, don’t be impertinent—I cannot live without my liberty. I cannot bid
farewell to my darling contemplation; I must not say goodbye to my morning
thoughts, and I will remain in my bed in the morning as long as I please.” This
proclamation reveals her desire to maintain her autonomy even within the bounds
of matrimony. She puts forth several conditions before marriage, so that her
freedom and individuality remain intact: “I would like to be free to pay visits to
and from whom I please…to wear what I please…to choose my conversations
according to my taste.” These statements prove her feminist outlook and her
unwillingness to be dominated by any man, even her beloved Mirabell.
Millamant’s character is a powerful reflection of feminist ideals. She challenges
the patriarchal norms of her society and refuses to be a passive participant in love
or marriage. She firmly believes that “one no more owes one’s beauty to a lover,
than one’s wit to an echo.” Women possess inherent worth and are not defined by
their relationships with men. Her interactions with Witwoud further reveal her
distaste for male vanity. When he indulges in exaggerated similitudes, she retorts
sharply, “O dear Witwoud, truce with your similitudes; I’m sick of them.”
Millamant’s love for liberty is intrinsic to her character. She values her freedom so
deeply that she views marriage with skepticism. She fears that it might curtail her
independence. Yet, she balances her pragmatic outlook with a romantic sensibility.
This duality is evident when she says to Mirabell, “Well, Mirabell, if ever you will
win me, woo me now.” Despite her reservations about marriage, she exhibits a
desire to be loved. She has a passionate mind. Her love for poetry adds another
dimension to her character. She often recites verses, particularly romantic ones. As
a woman, she is famous for her grace among her male admirers. She receives a
bundle of letters from her lovers but she is not willing to go through these letter
because she thinks that these letters have not been written in proper way. She says,
“I hate such letters because they don’t know the art of letter writing.” Her
preference for letters written in verse over prose demonstrates her refined taste.
This poetic sensibility coincides with the sublimity of her emotions. Her love for
literature and her sophisticated conversational style establish her as a woman of
high intellect and culture.
Millamant stands out among the women of her time for her dignified demeanour
and individuality. Unlike other women of the Restoration period, who are often
depicted as involved in intrigues or frivolous activities, Millamant maintains her
integrity and remains aloof from such distractions. She detests the idea of wearing
face masks to hide one’s true self and champions the idea of “essential purity in
women.” She is equally dismissive of societal conventions that she finds outdated
or oppressive. She is always firm and bold. Even in moments of anger, such as
when she breaks her fan after a disagreement with Petulant, she does not
compromise her dignity. However, she also exhibits human weaknesses, such as
her occasional temper and her tendency to become impatient. Yet, these flaws only
make her more relatable and endearing.
In The Way of the World, Millamant is a testament of a powerful and multi-
dimensional character. Her qualities such as her insistence on liberty, her feminist
ideals, and her poetic sensibility make her one of the most appealing heroines in
Restoration comedy. Congreve’s portrayal of Millamant is a masterpiece of
character creation. As Kathleen Lynch aptly puts it, “Her very flippancies are
charged with meaning… she is the finest of fine ladies.” Millamant’s character
truly leaves an indelible mark on readers.
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