The Way of the World

The Way of the World is a play by William Congreve, first performed in 1700 at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The Way of the World is a Restoration comedy, meaning it is a comedy written and performed in the boom of theater following the restoration of the Stuart Dynasty after the Interregnum period in England. As with many Restoration comedies, Congreve focuses his satire on the upper classes, but The Way of the World is notable in that it does not employ the lewd or “bawdy” devices used by most other Restoration playwrights. The Way of the World is notable as a successful Restoration play, often listed among the most important works from the period alongside Aphra Behn’s The Rover, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife, and George Etherege’s The Man of Mode. Part of what makes The Way of the World an important play is that it premiered after Jeremy Collier’s “Short View on the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage,” published in 1698.

The play follows Fainall and Mirabell, two gentlemen attempting to secure the wealth of Lady Wishfort through marriage. In the process, they enlist various characters to help them. The narrative explores The Performative Aspects of Social Interaction, The Manipulation of Appearances for Personal Gain, and The Complexities of Gender Dynamics in Personal and Financial Power, all through the characters’ attempts to deceive, marry, and betray one another.

This guide uses the text included in the second Norton Critical Edition of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy, selected and edited by Scott McMillin and published by W. W. Norton & Company in 1997.

Content Warning: The play contains perspectives and social dynamics that reflect the gender and class biases of the early 18th century.

Plot Summary

Prior to the play, there is a dedication from Congreve to Ralph, the Earl of Montague. In the dedication, Congreve praises the Earl in the hope of securing his patronage, and he credits the Earl and his friends with inspiring the play. Following, there is a prologue in which the actor playing Fainall tells the audience about how hard it is to be a poet. He also assures the audience, sarcastically, that they do not need to worry about the fools in the play reflecting the foolishness of the audience.

The play opens with Mirabell and Fainall discussing their situations. Fainall admits to marrying Mrs. Fainall, formerly Arabella Languish, for her money, while Mirabell hopes to marry Millamant, Mrs. Fainall’s cousin. The source of these fortunes is Lady Wishfort, Mrs. Fainall’s mother and Millamant’s aunt. Mirabell tries to seduce Lady Wishfort to conceal his interest in Millamant. When Lady Wishfort finds out about Mirabell’s deceit, she tells Millamant that she will not receive Lady Wishfort’s money if she marries Mirabell. However, Mirabell has a plan that rests on his servant, Waitwell, marrying one of Lady Wishfort’s servants, Foible. Fainall and Mirabell meet Witwoud and Petulant, two gentlemen of low intelligence and bad manners. However, Witwoud and Petulant reveal that Lady Wishfort hates Mirabell, and Millamant is following Lady Wishfort’s instructions.

Act II shows a friend of Lady Wishfort’s, Mrs. Marwood, and Mrs. Fainall sharing their hatred of men. Mrs. Fainall says she even hates her husband, but Mrs. Marwood blushes when the conversation shifts to Mirabell. Mirabell enters and walks with Mrs. Fainall, while Fainall enters and walks with Marwood. Though Fainall criticizes Marwood for telling Lady Wishfort about Mirabell’s deceit, he forgives her because he has a new plan. Fainall wants to secure both Mrs. Fainall and Millamant’s wealth for himself and Marwood, revealing that he and Marwood are having an affair. Mirabell tells Mrs. Fainall that he, too, has a plan to get Millamant’s money and marry Millamant, while also securing Mrs. Fainall’s money for herself. Mirabell’s plan is to dress Waitwell as Sir Rowland, a fictitious uncle, then trick Lady Wishfort into marrying him. Using blackmail, Mirabell will offer to annul the marriage in exchange for marrying Millamant and getting her money.

In Act III, Mrs. Marwood warns Lady Wishfort that she saw Foible talking to Mirabell, then she hides in a closet. After Foible delivers Lady Wishfort’s portraits to the fake Sir Rowland, Lady Wishfort is excited to meet him. Foible says she insulted Mirabell for insulting Lady Wishfort, and Lady Wishfort wants to ruin Mirabell’s reputation. She wants to marry Sir Rowland, thinking Sir Rowland also hates Mirabell. Foible notes that Lady Wishfort needs a lot of makeup to look like her pictures. After Lady Wishfort leaves, Mrs. Fainall enters and discusses the plan to deceive Lady Wishfort with Foible. When they leave, Marwood emerges and plans to warn Lady Wishfort.

Millamant, Witwoud, and Petulant enter, and Marwood argues with Millamant about Mirabell’s plan. Witwoud’s half-brother, Wilfull, arrives, and Marwood is exhausted by the foolishness of Witwoud, Wilfull, and Petulant. Fainall and Lady Wishfort arrive, and Marwood warns Fainall about Mirabell’s plan. Fainall is upset, but he assures Marwood that he already acted to secure Mrs. Fainall’s money. They prepare to ruin Mirabell’s plan.

At the beginning of Act IV, Lady Wishfort debates how to behave around Sir Rowland then leaves to prepare. Mirabell arrives and argues with Millamant about getting married, which ends in their agreeing to marry. Wilfull also proposes to Millamant, but she rejects him. Mrs. Fainall enters and suggests that Millamant could still marry Wilfull if Mirabell’s plan fails. Witwoud, Petulant, and Wilfull enter, drunk, with Lady Wishfort, who encourages Millamant to marry Wilfull. Sir Rowland enters and proposes to Lady Wishfort, but Foible delivers a letter revealing Mirabell’s plan. Sir Rowland denies the letter and promises to provide proof of his wealth.

In Act V, Fainall accuses Mrs. Fainall of having an affair with Mirabell, then he tries to extort Lady Wishfort for both her and Millamant’s fortunes. Mrs. Fainall accuses Fainall of having an affair with Marwood, but Marwood encourages Lady Wishfort to give in to Fainall’s demands to avoid a scandal. Mirabell enters to apologize to Lady Wishfort, who now knows Sir Rowland is an imposter, and he provides documentation that Fainall has no access to Mrs. Fainall’s money. Realizing he has lost, Fainall flees, and Lady Wishfort gives Mirabell permission to marry Millamant. The play ends with an epilogue suggesting that each character was crafted from pieces of foolishness that each audience member likely possesses.