THE WAY OF THE WORLD AS A COMEDY OF MANNERS
![]() |
Hareshwar |
William Congreve is the best
and finest writer of the comedy of manners. We may say that he has invented a
new art of comedy. His ' The Way of the World' is considered as a work of art
and as a pure comedy of manners. It is the apotheosis of the comedy of manners.
It is a remarkable demonstration of Congreve's technical skill as a playwright.
Here we find an ironic commentary on the ways of society of the time.
The comedy of manners is a
genuine reflection of the temper of the upper classes of the nation. It deals
the external details of life, the fashion of the time, its manners, its speech
and its interest. The dramatists confine themselves to the drawing rooms, the
coffee houses, the clubs, the gambling centers, the streets and gardens of London . The characters
represent the people of fashion. The plots of comedy of manners are mainly love
intrigues. They are remarkable for neat, precise, witty, balanced and lucid
prose style.
' The Way of the World' has
all the important characteristics of the comedy of manners. The aim of this
comedy is to show the manners of the upper ranks of contemporary society. It
satirically presents the aristocratic London
society. The purpose is to hit at the follies and foibles of people. Here
Congreve has regarded London
as his world. The presentation of the high society of London is his soul concern. All the scenes in
this play are laid in Lady Wishfort's house, a chocolate house and St. James'
Park. All the characters are imbued with the spirit of London life. They are chiefly people of
fashion. They are fond of games of love intrigues. This is the true style of
the comedy of manners.
Sex is treated with utter
frankness and candidness in the comedy of manners. Its subject is the intimate
relation between men and women. The lovers love the game of love ' the chase'.
They want to continue the game of love up to the very end. The dramatists make
fun of marriage. Love id all right but marriage is a dreaded calamity. In 'The
Way of the World' we find all these things. Millamant loves Mirabell but is
most reluctant to get married. She can marry him if he agrees to give her full
liberty even after the marriage. Here marriage has been treated as bargain.
The characters in the comedy
of manners are of a set pattern. They are largely types. Sometimes their names
show their characteristics. In such comedies we find fops and gallants in the
company of gay ladies and butterflies of fashions. We find giddy girls, lustful
women, deceived, jealous and impotent husbands. Fops and ladies spend their
time to conspire against their rivals in love. Here the charming heroine
marries the rake that shows signs of becoming better. In 'The Way of the World'
we get characters of this type. They belong to the upper strata of the society.
Mirabell has had an affair with a young widow. But he persuades her to marry
Fainall. After her marriage she has soft corner for Mirabell. Fainall marries
her only to get her property. Behind her he flirts with Mrs. Marwood. Millamant
loves Mirabell but she has soft corner for Petulant and Witwoud. In spite of
her old age, Lady Wishfort wants to marry some young man. She uses cosmetics to
hide her faded beauty and her wrinkles. Thus ' The Way of the World' is a true
comedy of manners.
Love intrigues occupy an
important place in the plot of comedy of manners. It is the major theme of the
play. 'The Way of the World' follows this convention. The entire play deals
with the intrigues of Mirabell to gain the hand of Millamant. To achieve his
aim, he pretends to make love to Lady Wishfort, an aged lady. When he fails, he
hatches a deeper plot. At any cost Lady Wishfort wants to have a husband. Thus
he gets her servant married to Lady Wishfort's maidservant. Thus here we find
love intrigue. On this basis we can say that this is a beautiful comedy of
manners.
Thus ' The Way of the world'
is a fine comedy of manners. It has all the important characteristics of it.
Here Congreve has introduced intrigues and illicit love. But his dialogue has
wit. On the whole this play is a faithful reflection of the upper class life of
the day. The characters are well drawn. Its prose is lucid and pointed.
Congreve is undoubtedly the greatest of the Restoration comedy writers. In '
The Way of the World' the comedy of manners has reached at its perfection.
Decent article, thankful for more information
ReplyDeleterestoration company
What a presentation
ReplyDeleteI really loved your post so much that I cant resist writing comment...Please check mine as well
ReplyDeleteEscorts in Guwahati
Escorrts in Guwahati
Escorts in Guwahati
Escorts in Guwahati
I really loved your post so much that I cant resist writing comment...Please check mine as well
ReplyDeleteCall girls in Bhubaneswar
Call girl in Bhubaneswar