Mirabell and Millament Relationship Essay

In The Way of the homo, his last comedy, Congreve seems to come to illuminate the importance for providing an high-minded agree of piece and woman, ideal in the sense that the p demarcation could be lockn for models in the life-style of the period. But this was almost impossible task, where the gunpoint was occupied by men and women, sophisticated, immoral, disregardless of the larger world nearly them, and oblivious body fluidh the self-conceited rhetoric as an branch to justify their immoral activities within a small and looseningricted ara of brotherly operation.Congreve could non avoid this, and for this, he had to surface his way by the society by testifying a plot which, though conf physical exertiond enough for a resolution, aims at the ideal union between the hero and heroineMirabell and Millament. They come forth as the triumphant culmination of the exercise characters of the whole period, of course not types, for they argon real enough to be human. Con greve endue his hero and heroine with all the qualities typical of the society, exclusively towards the end the qualities, if negative, are employed as guards against the venoms of the society.At the beginning of the play, we find Mirabell determine up a situation so that he croupe win the reach of Millament and her estate as well from chick Wishfort who has the rein of power over them. In this Mirabell is perfect Machiavellian conscious of his surroundings. He is not at all a man from chivalric romance. That he is a past master in the lame of love, of course, in the sense of the period, that is, intimate human relationshipis evident from his past affairs with Mrs. Fainall, from Mrs.Marwoods fascination towards him and, bingle many suspect, from wench Wishforts unconscious longing for him. Moreover, Mirabell has master rhetoric to encounter men and women around them. Consistent with the irresistible charm of Mirabell, Congreve build the character of Millament. She is the perfect model of the established fine lady of high life, who arrives at the height of indifference to everything from the height of satisfaction. To her diversion is as familiar as the air she draws elegance worn as a part of her dress wit the frequent language which she hears and speaks.She has nothing to fear from her accept caprices, cosmos the only law to herself. As to the affairs of love, she treats them with at once expertness and difference. For instance, she exclaims to Mirabell Dear me, what is a lover that it can give? One take ons lovers as loyal as one pleases, and they live as long as one pleases, and they go on as soon as one pleases and if one pleases one makes more. This, however, may be a case for Millament who is standing at the threshold of maturity from girlhood, as Norman N. Holland points out.But from her discussion of preconditions in advance entering into wedding with Mirabell, it is give the axe that she is agile and discrete enough to judge her situation. In the provision Scene we find Mirabell and Millament confluence together to arrange an agreement for their marriage. The shooter is a pure comedy with life exchangeable display of wit by two of them, but, above all, provides instructions which have serious dimensions in the context of the society. On her part, Millament makes it clear that a lovers (Mirabells) appeals and entreaties should not stop with the marriage ceremony.Therefore, she would handle to be solicited even after marriage. She next puts that My costly liberty should be p military reserved Ill lye abed in a break of day as long as I please Millament then informs that she would not like to be addressed by such(prenominal) names as wife, spouse, my dear, joy, jewel, love, sweet-heart and the rest of that sickish can, in which men and their wives are so ful both(prenominal)ly familiar. Moreover, they will continue to present a decorous appearance in public, and she will have free communicating wi th others. In other words, after marriage they maintain certain distance and reserve between them.Mirabells conditions are quite different they are frankly sexual in content, directed to his not being cuckolded or to her bedroom manners. Just as Millaments are true femininely as Norman N. Holland points out, Mirabells are developed in a typically manful way. Each of Mirabells provisos begin with its pointedness first, the command principle, that your Acquaintance be general, then specific instructions, no she-friend to screen her affairs, no fop to take her to the theatre secretly, and an illustration of the forbidden behaviour, to persuade you a fop-scrambling to the play in a mask.Nevertheless, Mirabell denounces the use of tight dresses during pregnancy by women, and he forbids the use of hard drinks. The conditions are stated by twain parties in a spirit of entertainment and gaiety, but the fact remained that both are striving to arrive at some kind of mutual underst anding. While the Proviso Scene ensures the marriage of true minds, the self-discipline of dowry with Millament remains the aim of Mirabell for the rest of the play.At the end of the play Mirabell and Millament through their own peculiar counterpoise of wit and generosity of spirit, reduce the bumbling Witwood and gloomy Fainall to the level of false wit. Thus Mirabell and Millament adorn the true wit that is so carefully and symmetrically defined through opposition. On his part, Mirabell informs that, I like her with all her faults nay, like her for her faultsThey now to grown as familiar to me as my own frailties And Millament declares to Mrs.Fainall, Well, if Mirabell should not make a good husband, I am a lost thingfor I find I love him violently. These confidences do not prevent their own chances for frankness in marriage. The triumph of the play is in the emergence of lovers who through a balance of intense affection and cool self-knowledge carry out an equilibrium tha t frees them from the worlds power. As the title of the play The Way of the World suggests, they have assimilated the rational lucidity of distrustful rake so that they can use the world and reject its demands.