The Way of the World by William Congreve | Characters, Summary, Analysis

William Congreve was an English dramatist and poet of the Restoration period. He was known for his satirical dialogue and he had a great influence on the comedy of manners style that was prominent during that period. However, he rose to the stage at a time when the style of comedy of manners was declining and the public was turning away from the sort of high-brow sexual comedy of manners. It was the same period when Jeremy Collier scathingly attacked the Restoration comedies and dramas in general in his pamphlet A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage. Thomas Rymer was already resisting the comedy of mannerism with his call for poetic justice. William Congreve gave a lengthy reply to Jeremy Collier in his pamphlet "Amendments of Mr. Collier's False and Imperfect Citations” but he did leave the stage. William Congreve studied at Kilkenny College along with Jonathan Swift who was his classmate. At the age of 17, he moved to London to study law and during that time, Congreve wrote his first play "Incognita: or, Love and Duty reconcil'd" which was published in 1692 under the pseudonym Cleophil. That won him praise from literary critics including John Dryden who became his mentor. In 1693, Congreve’s first play The Old Bachelor was performed, and John Dryden promoted it as a brilliant first piece. It was a comedy of manners. His other plays include The Double Dealer (1694) and Love for Love (1695) which were both comedies and The Mourning Bride which was a tragedy and was first performed in 1697. Congreve’s last play was performed in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1700 and it was titled The Way of the World. The play didn’t succeed at that time. It was one of the last comedies of manners of the Restoration period. However, the play proved to be an important one later on. George Farquhar raised the issue of women trapped in abusive wedlock in his play The Beau Stratagem in which he devised a way to offer monetary support for the divorcing wife Kate Sullen. John Vanbrugh also raised the issue of women trapped in abusive marriages in his plays Relapse, Or Virtue in Danger, and The Provoked Wife. William Congreve also mentioned the troubles of a mismatched marriage and the issue of the property rights of a woman. One of the major themes of The Way of the World is inheritance and a woman’s right to her parent’s property. As the title suggests, The Way of The World is a satirical comedic commentary on the then society and norms of England. The play ends in reconciliation as Mirabel and Millament conciliate despite Millament giving up her love to save her fortune. Sir Wilfull Witwoud also forgives Millament while Lady Wishfort forgives Mirabel, Waitwell, Foible, and Arabella for fooling her around. The theme of the play includes fashion, courtship, seduction, property rights, and women’s rights to their inheritance in marriage. William Congreve was known for witty and intelligent dialogues in his plays. One of the famous dialogue from The Way of The World is “"One's cruelty is one's power; and then one parts with one's cruelty, one parts with one's power; and when one has parted with that, I fancy one's old and ugly." While this quote is said by Millament, it shows the fear of Lady Wishfort, who is losing her power, her cruelty, and her strength, and becoming old and helpless, which makes her desperate to be confirmed as beautiful and powerful. Just like George Farquhar’s Kate Sullen from The Beau Stratagem, William Congreve’s Arabella also saves her fortune despite getting divorced or separated from their husband. So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the History of English Literature as we strive to offer a complete course for the preparation of UGC NET English literature, NTA NET English literature, PGTRB English,, SET English literature, TGT PGT English, GATE English Literature, and other exams, please stay connected with the Discourse, Thanks, and Regards!