著者

吉村 清 Yoshimura Kiyoshi

出版者

琉球大学法文学部

雑誌

琉球大学語学文学論集 (ISSN:03877957)

巻号頁・発行日

no.25, pp.p119-144, 1980-12

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William Congreve's The Way of the World (1700) has been considered as a typical example of a Restoration comedy of manners by many critics because of its complex male-female relationships in the fashionable and sophisticated upper class world of London and its witty, brisk, and sparkling dialogue.In the dramatic structure of the play, Congreve takes pains dividing his characters into males and females, arranging each of these groups to assume an extreme attitude toward love and marriage. The dramatist also places his hero, Mirabell, and his heroine, Millamant, in a contrasting situation between the groups.In the first two Acts, Mirabell is presented as a lover torn between his love of Millamant and the voice of his own reason, being made fun of by his sweetheart and by his 'rather detached-self.'However, in the 'contract scene' in Act IV, he succeeds to balance these opposing forces within himself by coming to an agreement on marriage with Millamant. From this time on, he successfully plays the role of a 'shrewd schemer' in the game of love, saving not only Millamant and her fortune but also others in their risky situations by deafeating Fainall in the 'scheme combat' in Act V.