3 h 46 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 46 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Creditors crowd the door, a father bargains over inheritance, and love demands proof that money cannot buy.
Valentine is broke, in love, and running out of room to manoeuvre. His father, Sir Sampson Legend, uses his debts to press a harsh bargain over the family inheritance. Angelica, the clever, independent heiress Valentine loves, wants proof that his feelings are real. His freedom and his hopes now depend on more than charm.
In William Congreve's prose comedy Love for Love, schemes spread far beyond Valentine's troubles. His friend Scandal thrives on gossip, while Foresight trusts the stars and misses what happens at home. Ben, a plain-speaking sailor, returns to find others making plans for him. From Valentine's lodgings to this household of schemers, sharp exchanges turn money, marriage, and reputation into comic battlegrounds.
What you’ll discover
- Love put to the test Angelica asks for something harder to offer than charm: proof that Valentine's love is real.
- A father's harsh bargain Sir Sampson turns his son's debts into leverage, putting family ties under pressure.
- Fools with their own plans Meet an astrologer blind to his household and a vain beau who cannot keep secrets.
- Dialogue with a sting Quick replies and surprising comparisons let a closing joke overturn everything a speaker claims.
- The price of a name Watch characters bargain for fortunes, husbands, and reputations in a world of competing wants.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy quick, mocking dialogue, comic schemes, and characters who say one thing while meaning another. It suits anyone who likes tangled courtships where money, family, and love all argue at once.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A ruined wit hides among his books
- Scandal and Tattle trade in other people's names
- A father sets harsh terms for his son
- Foresight's house runs on stars, lies, and lessons
- Ben arrives from the sea speaking plain truth
- Valentine plays mad to save his inheritance
- Money, honesty, and parents drive the play
- Voices, songs, and sharp images carry the story
Who’s who
- Valentine LegendA witty, spendthrift young gentleman who loves Angelica and tries to save his inheritance by acting mad.
- AngelicaA rich, quick-tongued niece of Foresight who keeps Valentine guessing about her heart.
- ScandalValentine's sharp-tongued friend, who insults everyone and plots to help him.
- TattleA vain gossip who brags of conquests while claiming to keep every secret.
- Sir Sampson LegendValentine's blustering father, who wants to punish his spendthrift son and favor his sailor son.
- BenSir Sampson's younger son, a plain-spoken sailor home from sea and unwilling to marry on order.
- ForesightAngelica's superstitious uncle, who reads omens and stars and cannot control his own household.
- Miss PrueForesight's country daughter, eager to learn the ways of the town and determined to get a husband.
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- Hardcover
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Amor por amor: una comedia
by William Congreve · 1695
A ruined young gentleman fakes madness to outwit his father and win a woman who will not say yes.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEspañol
Excellent
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In short
Picture a young gentleman so deep in debt that he shuts himself in his room with books that praise poverty. His servant mocks him.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A ruined wit hides among his books
The play opens in Valentine's chamber, where he sits among books of philosophy. He tells his servant Jeremy to feast on a page of Epictetus. Jeremy does not laugh. He asks whether Plato will stand bail for his master.
Valentine admits he has no money, so he will rail against everyone who has. Jeremy recalls how he got here: the coaches, the liveried servants, the balls, and the love of Angelica, a lady who cared nothing for him even when he was rich. Now Valentine will court her openly, hoping his poverty will humble her pride. He will also write a play to get even with the wits who dropped him when the money ran dry.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1695
- Language
- Español
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Congreve, William. Love for Love: A Comedy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/love-for-love-a-comedy.
Congreve, W. (2026). Love for love: A comedy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/love-for-love-a-comedy (Original work published 1695)
Congreve, William. Love for Love: A Comedy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/love-for-love-a-comedy.
@book{congreve2026love,
author = {Congreve, William},
title = {Love for Love: A Comedy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/love-for-love-a-comedy},
note = {First published 1695}
}
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What is Love for Love about?
It is a comedy about Valentine, a young gentleman deep in debt, who is offered money by his father if he gives up his inheritance. He pretends to be mad to escape the bargain and win Angelica.
Who are Tattle and Scandal in Love for Love?
Scandal is Valentine's friend, a bitter wit who insults everyone. Tattle is a vain gossip who claims to protect reputations while hinting at his many conquests. Together they supply much of the play's mockery of the town.
When was Love for Love written and is it a true story?
William Congreve wrote it for the London stage, where it opened in 1695. It is an invented comedy set in London, with characters who stand for types such as the gossip, the stargazer, and the sailor.
The author
William Congreve
1670–1729 · English Restoration playwright
William Congreve (1670–1729) was an English playwright and poet. He was born in Yorkshire, grew up in Ireland, and later lived in London. He wrote plays in the 1690s, including Love for Love (1695). The Way of the World appeared in 1700. He died in London.
More by William Congreve
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