The Way of the World

William Congreve: Way of the World
(as read in Everyman's 'Restauration Plays' (Ed. Gosse))
I read this because it was on my English literature reading list.

Why does it deserve 4 Stars?

Some scenes are incredibly well written, say the first Act, Fainall and Mirabell in the public house is really funny and psycologically well crafted; the figure of "my" Lady Wishfort is hilarious.

However, I found the play particularly interesting because there is something about it, that makes it utterly 'modern', something that makes Way of the World seem actually closer to Woody Allen and Hollywood romantic comedies than Shakespeare and Johnson and, I would say, even than to Molière's comedies.

So, 1. I found Way of the World honestly entertaining and 2. show more reading it helped me get a little closer to understanding what is 'modern' about 'modern' English literature. Whatever it is, it starts after Johnson and probably even after Dryden but seemingly before Congreve. Thank You for that Way of the World! Well deserved four stars. show less

I actually read an online version of this text provided by my teacher as part of my Introduction to Drama course, so this is not the same version I'm writing about, but is the same work. While it is a great example of Restoration Comedy, I personally didn't care for it much. The version we were provided with didn't include any notes or summaries, which I ended up looking up online to help me follow the events, since the language is rather hard to follow even when read slowly and carefully. Fortunately, with some help from the summaries, I was able to follow it well enough to gain an appreciation for it, even if I personally found it tedious to keep track of. Yet, there's definitely humor there, and it is rather distinct from other works show more we've read in the class, or that I've read outside of it. It is also a Comedy of Manners, which provides a great backdrop to see evolve over time if you read other plays in the genre. So, somewhat entertaining, but not one I'm likely to add to my personal collection, though it is worth a read. show less

My third play read in this collection, so far it has been the most enjoyable to read. I liked Mr. Mirabell and Mrs. Millimant. The characters, too, seemed drawn more lifelike and less caricature. There were a number of intersecting plots, all of which were exposed by the wit of Mirabell in the end.

The Way of the World is generally thought to be one of the best Restoration comedies ever written. Written by British playwright William Congreve, it premiered in the year 1700 in London.

The play is the story of Mirabell and Millamant who wish to get married to each other. But Millamant's aunt, Lady Wishfort detests Mirabell. It is also the story of Fainall who is secretly having an affair with Mrs. Marwood. Mirabell's servant Waitwell is married to Foible, Lady Wishfort's servant. On Mirabell’s instructions, Waitwell pretends to be Sir Rowland and woos Lady Wishfort.

When I started to read this play I thought it would be a comedy about the difficulties of love and marriage, sprinkled with misunderstandings, mistaken identities and so show more forth. But as I read the play I found it to be kind of unusual for a comedy.

The play is full of discussions on various legal and monetary issues. Marriage and love seem more about material gain than anything else. A woman’s right to property, the husband’s rights to the wife’s property, the laws regarding to divorce, etc. occupies a large portion of the play’s narrative.

The tone of the play seemed kind of serious to me. For instance, the scene where Mirabell proposes to Millamant, although comic in nature, is a discussion about pre-nuptial agreements.

Even though The Way of the World is humorous and I did enjoy it, something is definitely amiss. show less

This Restoration comedy didn't tickle my funny bone as much as either Sheridan or Goldsmith. Perhaps if I saw it performed, I would like it more... That said, it did have some funny moments and I liked the satire about Mr. and Mrs. Fainall both being unfaithful.

I read my print copy (included in "Four Great Comedies of the Restoration and 18th century") as I listened to this full cast recording by LibriVox. Mil Nicholson was marvelous as Lady Wishfort but not all of the cast were of comparable quality. Overall, I would say this recording is good but not excellent.

It's rare that I do this, but I have to question why this is on any "Great Books" list. I found it exceedingly dull and don't think it holds up to the standards of the other Great Books i've read (which numbers in the thousands and I'm still not quite 25 yet.) Even Aristophanes is better on the comic drama level. Maybe if there was a dearth of plays on a Great Books list I could understand it, but on any Great Books list one must include Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Milton (Samson Agonistes, closet drama though it may be), Moliere, Racine, Corneille, Ibsen, and Shaw, at the very least. I would put Arthur Miller on there too, and Addison's "Cato". That's already well over a hundred plays. No use putting show more Congreve on the list, he's not in the same class. show less

It was hard not to have at the back of my mind whilst watching this, the National Theatre's performance of The Beaux' Strategem by George Farquar. But how unfair. That vast auditorium at Southbank, the huge budget, a set that was enormous in all directions - how could a play reading with $20 of props and a notional idea of costume in a 200 seat theatre compare?

Being a reading, this production of The Way of the World at the Little Theatre at Adelaide Uni, was far more uncertain than a fullblown production would have been. The cast ranged from what felt like highly professional to young and inexperienced, with the unsurprising result that the roles of the latter did not engage as they presumably should have. Then there is the language, show more which is a challenge to the audience not because it is particularly difficult, but because we are used to Shakespearean language, whereas Restoration plays are rarely performed. We wondered if we enjoyed the second half more than the first because we were in the zone by then, we'd slipped into the idiom.

Rest here:

https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/the-way-of-the-world-by-w... show less