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| The Way of the World |
| 作者Author / William Congreve 威廉．康格里孚 |
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Study Questions on Congreve's The Way of the World
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Provider: Cecilia Liu / 劉雪珍
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1. The Way of the World is not only the title but also one of the major themes of the play. Point out passions and obsessions by which characters of the play are obsessed, especially notice how the eye for advantage is common to all of them.
2. The play's social milieu is a world of worth. In addition to contributing to the sheer comedy of the play, wit is used as weapon of defense and attack, flirtation and deception. Find examples and explain them.
3. The basis of all the rhetorical figures (similes, conceits, epigrams, antitheses) in Act II, Scene 1, is comparison: characters find apt correspondences between unlike things and develop metaphors. Find examples and show how the metaphor works within the context of this scene.
4. Millimant and Mirabell differ from the other characters of the play whose end is sexual or economic advantage. These two are playing the social game for a more serious and nobler purpose. Find passages that support this statement. What is the aim of these two characters.
5. To Millimant and Mirabell wittiness is means to develop a definition of true marriage. Find the passage(s); what is their concept of marriage?
6. Millimant satirizes the marriages of convenience common in Restoration society. Find passages that support this statement and point out what she expects of a marriage partner. By criticizing feminine vices Mirabell indicates what he regards as feminine virtues; what are they?
7. The names of Congreve's characters are symbolic, linking each character with a specific idea or quality. Find passages that show how Witwoud "would be witty," Lady Wishfort is "wishing for" favors from men, Fainall "feigns all," Mrs. Marwood "would mar" etc. |
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