Story summary
Краткое содержание: Так поступают в свете
- Чтение: 8 мин.
- 8 parts
- Аудио скоро
Mirabell stages a fake uncle and a secret wedding to win Millamant past her furious aunt.
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Так поступают в свете — кратко о книге
Краткое содержание: 8 min на чтение
- Время чтения
- Около 1 h 55 min1 h 30 min fast, 2 h 20 min slow
- Длительность
- Слов: 27 700
- Уровень в библиотеке
- Средний longer sentences, everyday words
- Первая публикация
- 1700by Уильям Конгрив
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Сколько времени нужно на чтение классики · Обновлено
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Так поступают в свете in short
The Way of the World tells how Mirabell tries to win Millamant and her fortune from her angry aunt, Lady Wishfort. His plan uses a secret marriage, a servant dressed as an uncle and the old lady's longing for a husband. Around him swirl Fainall and Mrs.
What Так поступают в свете is about
What would you do if a rich old woman wanted to ruin you, and her money stood between you and the woman you love? Mirabell, the hero of this play, answers with a trick. He marries off his servant in secret, dresses the man up as an imaginary uncle, and sends him to court the old lady herself.
The Way of the World is a comedy in five acts by William Congreve, first staged in London around the year 1700. It plays out in a single afternoon among the fashionable people of the town. Congreve wants his fools to be funny because they pretend to be clever. You meet the schemers, the rivals and the fools, and you hear what the play says about marriage, money and the games people play with words.
Для кого. Readers who enjoy sparkling dialogue, scheming lovers and sharp portraits of fashionable society will find plenty here. It suits anyone who likes a plot built from secrets and bargains.
The story in 8 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
Mirabell sets a trap with a secret marriage
The play opens in a London chocolate house, where Mirabell and Fainall rise from a card table. Fainall has won, and he teases his friend for playing with his mind somewhere else. Mirabell is in love with Mrs. Millamant, and the night before she stung him in front of her aunt's guests.
That aunt is Lady Wishfort, who holds the key to Millamant's money. Half of the young woman's fortune depends on her aunt's approval of whoever she marries. Mirabell once pretended to court the old lady so he could stay close to her niece. When Mrs. Marwood exposed the trick, Lady Wishfort became his sworn enemy.
But Mirabell has a new plan, and it is already moving. His servant Waitwell has just married Foible, Lady Wishfort's maid, and Mirabell holds the marriage certificate. Waitwell is to put on fine clothes and play Sir Rowland, a rich uncle of Mirabell's, who will court the old lady.
The logic is neat. If Lady Wishfort agrees to marry the false uncle, Mirabell can prove the suitor already has a wife. He will then offer to free her from the engagement in return for her blessing on his own match and the release of Millamant's money. Her hunger for a husband is the bait, and the certificate is the trap.
Mirabell's whole scheme rests on a hidden marriage and an old lady's wish to be loved.
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Two fools show what false wit looks like
While Mirabell waits, Witwoud arrives and groans over a letter from his half-brother, Sir Wilfull.
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Love and hatred wear the same mask
The scene moves to St. James's Park, where Mrs. Fainall and Mrs. Marwood walk and talk.
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Millamant dazzles while Lady Wishfort paints
Millamant sails in with her maid Mincing and Witwoud, and she is the liveliest talker in the play.
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A country knight arrives and rivals plot
Sir Wilfull Witwoud comes up from Shropshire in riding boots, loud and blunt.
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Millamant states her terms and Sir Rowland arrives
Act four opens with Lady Wishfort rehearsing her pose on a couch.
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Real wit, borrowed wit and the price of a good name
Congreve asks who truly has wit.
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One afternoon, quick talk and a sharp frame
Congreve keeps the action tight.
Read all 8 key ideas now
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Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Mirabell A clever gentleman in love with Millamant, he schemes to win her and her fortune from her angry aunt.
- Mrs. Millamant A witty, independent lady who loves Mirabell but insists on being courted and on keeping her own freedom.
- Lady Wishfort Millamant's aunt and guardian, she holds the purse strings, hates Mirabell, and longs for a husband.
- Fainall A cold husband who married for money and carries on with Mrs. Marwood while watching for profit.
- Mrs. Marwood Fainall's lover and Lady Wishfort's friend, she secretly desires Mirabell and works to wreck his plan.
- Mrs. Fainall Lady Wishfort's daughter and Fainall's unhappy wife, once close to Mirabell and now his ally.
- Foible Lady Wishfort's maid, secretly married to Waitwell, she helps Mirabell and feeds her mistress's hopes.
- Sir Wilfull Witwoud A blunt, hard-drinking country knight who plans to travel abroad and is pushed toward marriage with Millamant.
How it ends (spoiler)
Fainall, using his wife's money and a threat of scandal, demands that Lady Wishfort sign over her fortune. Mirabell defeats him by producing a deed the widow Arabella Languish signed before her marriage, placing her estate in his trust. Marwood and Fainall are exposed, and Lady Wishfort forgives Waitwell and Foible and consents to the match. Sir Wilfull confirms his plans to travel, and Mirabell and Millamant are free to marry.
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Вопросы о книге Так поступают в свете
What is The Way of the World about?
It follows Mirabell, who tries to marry Millamant and win her fortune from her hostile aunt, Lady Wishfort. His plan uses a secret marriage and a servant posing as an uncle, while rivals plot against him.
Who is Mirabell and who is Millamant in The Way of the World?
Mirabell is a witty, scheming gentleman who loves Millamant and sets out to win her. Millamant is a fine and clever lady who delights in teasing him but insists on terms before agreeing to marry.
What does the title The Way of the World mean?
It points to the habits of fashionable society, where marriages are bargains, reputation is a currency, and people hide their motives behind polite talk. Characters even say it is just the way of the world.
When was The Way of the World written and is it a true story?
William Congreve wrote it for the London stage, and it was first performed around 1700. It is a fictional comedy, not a true story, though it paints a sharp picture of the manners of its time.
Is The Way of the World easy to follow?
The story moves through one afternoon with clear scenes, and the characters have names that hint at their nature, such as Witwoud and Petulant. The quick dialogue is lively and rewards a listener who follows each scheme.
Как сослаться на это издание
Congreve, William. The Way of the World. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-way-of-the-world.
Congreve, W. (2026). The way of the world. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-way-of-the-world (Original work published 1700)
Congreve, William. The Way of the World. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-way-of-the-world.
@book{congreve2026way,
author = {Congreve, William},
title = {The Way of the World},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-way-of-the-world},
note = {First published 1700}
}
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