The Way of the World

Congreve’s brilliant Restoration comedy turns on the courtship of Mirabell and Millamant, two witty lovers who want to marry on their own terms in a society built on gossip, money, and appearances. Mirabell must coax a blessing from the vain and vengeful Lady Wishfort, who controls her niece’s dowry and loathes him, while a tangle of secret schemes and old affairs threatens to undo everyone. The play is best remembered for its proviso scene, in which the couple negotiate the exact conditions of their marriage with a candor still bracing today. First staged in 1700, it marked the high polish and the last flowering of Restoration wit before the theatre turned toward sentiment. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.