Mrs. Warren's Profession, Act 3 summary

What happens

1. Frank mocks his father’s drinking and helps him receive the Warrens despite Mrs Gardner’s absence.
2. Vivie demands respect for her mother, argues with Frank, and then joins him in affectionate childish play.
3. Crofts proposes marriage; Vivie firmly refuses before learning that his business partnership with her mother remains active.
4. Vivie condemns Crofts, while he defends his profits by pointing to other respectable people’s income from exploitation.
5. Crofts blocks Vivie’s exit; she rings for Frank, who appears armed, and Crofts claims they are half-siblings.
6. Vivie prevents Frank from shooting Crofts, recoils from renewed intimacy, and leaves for Honoria Fraser’s chambers as Frank follows.

In this act

What to notice

Vivie distinguishes her mother’s poverty from Crofts’s pursuit of profit. Her defense rests on necessity, making the discovery of the continuing business especially troubling.

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