The Way of the World a comedy of manners

 

In what ways is The Way of the World a comedy of manners? (b) What is the problem of the plot of The Way of the World.

Ans. (a) The Way of the World is a comedy of manners, and as such has the characteristic features of this type of comedy. The comedy of manners is characterised by realism and The Way of the World is also realistic. Its scenes are laid in London, in places like a Chocolate House, St. James's Park, and the Mansion of a rich lady, places with which London audiences were fully familiar. Its characters represent a cross-section of upper class London society.

 

The characters in Restoration comedy are of a set pattern. We find graceful young rakes, lustful women, deceived husbands and a charming young heroine who finally marries the rake who shows signs of becoming better. In The Way of the World we find characters of this very type. Mirabell has had an affair with a young widow (Mrs Fainall) who became pregnant by him. But Mirabell, instead of marrying her himself, persuaded her to marry Fainall. After her marriage, she hates her husband and still has a soft corner for Mirabell Fainall who lacks principles, marries this young widow because he wants to possess her property, and that of her mother. Behind her back he flirts with Mrs. Marwood.

 

Millamant, the heroine is the only virtuous young widow. She loves Mirabell but is most reluctant to get married. She can only agree to get married if Mirabell agrees to let her keep her individuality and liberty. She does all the bargaining in spite of the fact that she loves him violently. We also see how Mirabell pretends to make love to Lady Wishfort in order to get access to her niece, Millamant. When this plan fails he hatches a deeper plot. The old lady wants to have a husband at all costs. So, Mirabell makes his servant Wait well impersonate in disguise as Sir Rowland to make love to the old lady. His plan is to agree to save her from disaster at the last moment if she agrees to his marriage to her niece. Thus, The Way of the World has all the characteristics of the Restoration comedy of manners.

 

(b) The Way of the World is generally considered to be the finest example of Restoration comedy, because of its striking characterisation and brilliant dialogue. Nevertheless it was not successful when it was first presented in 1700. Although the English audiences, unlike the French, were accustomed to plots and subplots and to a great deal of action in their plays, they were confused by the amount of activity crammed into a single day. The Way of the World has only a single action to which everything is related, but it includes a scheme, and a counterplot to frustrate the scheme, and then moves to foil the counterplot. There are too many episodes, events, reversals, and discoveries, most of them huddled in the last act and they demand too much of the audience.

 

In the Restoration drama exposition was usually straight for ward; two characters might meet and gossip, or a man might talk to a servant. But in The Way of the World exposition is highly ingenious and long withheld. In Act I we are told that Mirabell is in love and that there are obstacles to the courtship, but most of the significant facts are hidden until Act II, so that the first part of the play is ob scure. Then, just as Mirabell's scheme becomes clear, it loses signifi cance, for Fainall's counterplot becomes the machinery that moves the action forward. It is therefore, essential to trace the story in chronological order.