ACT 3 SCENE 1

A room in Lady Wishfort’s house

This act presents Lady Wishfort for the first time in front of the audience or readers. Her
character analysis would become very easy from the way dramatist presented her:
 Obsessed with make up
 Never ready to accept her age
 Loves to be flattered by
 Thinks herself as the most beautiful and intelligent one
 Rich lady who does not know how to handle money as a powerful tool
At home and sitting at her dressing table, Wishfort asks her servant, Peg, if she’s heard from
Foible yet. When Pegs says no, Wishfort complains that her constant worrying is ruining her
complexion and making her look pale. She demands that Peg fetch her “the red.” Not
understanding that Wishfort wants her makeup, Peg asks her if she wants “ratafia,” a cherry
brandy. Peg informs her that she can’t get the makeup because Foible has the key to its
cabinet.
LADY: If I have not fretted myself till I am pale again, there’s no veracity in me.  Fetch me
the red—the red, do you hear, sweetheart? (6-8)
Finally Wishfort tells Peg to pour her a drink, but they are interrupted by a knock at the door.
Wishfort orders Peg to see who it is but then calls her back to first hide the bottle before she
answers the door. That’s again the example of hypocrisy. It’s Marwood and we know she
came here to tell Lady Wishfort about Foible and Mirabell’s meeting. Hearing Mirabell’s
name Lady Wishfort reacted: “With Mirabell?  You call my blood into my face with
mentioning that traitor.” (52-53)
Further she commented on Mirabell as Marwood praised Foible’s integrity (or sincerity):
“Oh, he carries poison in his tongue that would corrupt integrity itself.  If she (Foible) has
given him an opportunity, she has as good as put her integrity into his hands.” (60-62) Here
she means that Mirabell could wheedle the truth out of even Foible if he felt that there was
something to gain.
While talking to Marwood, Wishfort hears Foible approaching. She urges Marwood to hide
in a closet while she, Wishfort, interrogates Foible about why she was talking to Mirabell.
Hiding in closet is an important technique used mostly by restoration dramatist:
 to deepen the intrigue
 to reveal the conspiracy/plots
 create significant problems for character’s plan.
When Foible enters, Wishfort iterrogates about what kept her away so long and whether she’s
told Mirabell anything. Foible lies, saying that she’s given Wishfort’s picture to Sir Rowland,
who fell immediately in love with her. Foible promises Wishfort that she hasn’t betrayed her
to Mirabell, but does add that Mirabell insulted Wishfort by saying: “what, you are a-
hatching some plot…for some disbanded officer…Well, what pension does your lady
propose?  Let me see, says he, what, she must come down pretty deep now, she’s
superannuated” (96-102). Actually these are all fabricated. We, the audience, know about
what Foible talked to Mirabell. She means Wishfort is superannuated or very old who is
hungry for make attention and ready to pay to satisfy her hunger. And she’s hatching a plot to
marry a rich man to improve her finances.
Wishfort vows to murder Mirabell by poisoning his wine. She says: “I’ll have him poisoned. 
Where does he eat?  I’ll marry a drawer to have him poisoned in his wine” (103-105). 
Foible proposes that Wishfort instead “starve him” by marrying Sir Rowland, which will
disinherit Mirabell. Foible adds that Mirabell still thinks that Wishfort’s plan is to marry
Millamant to Sir Rowland and doesn’t suspect Wishfort’s interest. Wishfort is so angry that
Mirabell thinks he can interfere with her plans that she vows to marry Sir Rowland tomorrow
and be engaged to him by tonight.
FOIB.  Poison him?  Poisoning’s too good for him.  Starve him, madam, starve him; marry
Sir Rowland, and get him disinherited (107-109). That’s how Foible deliberately incites
Wishfort.
After hearing about Rowland’s longing to visit her, Wishfort got excited and blamed Mirabell
for spoiling her makeup (as his topic made her angry and created crack on her face make up).

FOIB.  Your ladyship has frowned a little too rashly, indeed, madam.  There are some cracks
discernible in the white vernish.

LADY.  Let me see the glass.  Cracks, say’st thou?  Why, I am arrantly flayed: I look like an
old peeled wall.  Thou must repair me, Foible, before Sir Rowland comes, or I shall never
keep up to my picture. (146-152)

Next Wishfort started wondering how Rowland might propose her; whether Rowland would
expect her advances first or she should show coyness/ shyness. LADY: For if he should not
be importunate I shall never break decorums.  I shall die with confusion if I am forced to
advance—oh no, I can never advance; I shall swoon if he should expect advances.  No, I hope
Sir Rowland is better bred than to put a lady to the necessity of breaking her forms.  I won’t
be too coy neither—I won’t give him despair.  But a little disdain is not amiss; a little scorn
is alluring (160-167). Hypocrisy, double-dealing, fake hatred or fake indifference to
allure/incite men---these are their decorum or manner! Do they never break decorum,
really? That’s what comedy of manner is all about. Characters are aware of decorum or
mannerism which they don’t even possess. Restoration society practises the opposite standard
of decorum that we got in act 1 rhymed lines (Last verse at the end of act 1).

After the departure of Wishfort, Mrs. Fainall came and she talked to Foible about the whole
plan of Mirabell: “I am privy to the whole design, and know that Waitwell, to whom thou
wert this morning married, is to personate Mirabell’s uncle, and, as such winning my lady, to
involve her in those difficulties from which Mirabell only must release her, by his making his
conditions to have my cousin and her fortune left to her own disposal” (190-195). They were
very careful in hiding this secret to everyone, special Marwood. Ironically, Marwood heard
everything as she was still hiding in closet. Then we found Marwood alone on the stage
talking to herself musing on the ongoing revelation of plots.
MAR: Why this wench is the passe-partout, a very master-key to everybody’s strong box…
if I were a painter, I would draw him like an idiot, a driveller with a bib and bells.  Man
spattern of generosity; (230,240,248)
Then Millamant entered in an angry mood due to Petulant’s foolish behaviour and talks.
MILLA: Well, ’tis a lamentable thing, I swear, that one has not the liberty of choosing one’s
acquaintance as one does one’s clothes. If only one could change acquaintances like one
changes clothes, Millamant says, life would be better. Marwood responds that then fools
could occasionally be worn as accessories. She then adds that she thinks that Millamant
surrounds herself with fools to hide her affair with Mirabell, and that Millamant should go
“barefaced” by revealing to the town what they already suspect: that she has cultivated
relationships with Petulant and Witwoud to disguise her true feelings. MAR: “For a fool’s
visit is always a disguise, and never admitted by a woman of wit, but to blind her affair with a
lover of sense.  If you would but appear barefaced now, and own Mirabell, you might as
easily put off Petulant and Witwoud as your hood and scarf.  And indeed ’tis time, for the
town has found it, the secret is grown too big for the pretence” (313-318). 
Millamant became very furious after her argument with Marwood and told the hired singer to
sing songs of love. In the meantime, Petulant and Witwoud came. Petulant claims that learning
hurts him and is his enemy. Millamant comments that she hates illiterate men and thinks them
incapable of properly wooing a lady. She claims that she would never marry a man who could neither
read nor write. Petulant answered: “Why should a man be any further from being married, though he
can’t read, than he is from being hanged?  The ordinary’s paid for setting the psalm, and the parish
priest for reading the ceremony.  And for the rest which is to follow in both cases, a man may do it
without book.  So all’s one for that” (431-436). He jokes that being ignorant should not prevent a man
from getting married because there are people in the ceremony who can do all the reading for him,
such as the priest. Plus, he continues, a man doesn’t need a book for the night that follows the
wedding. Petulant is quite comfortable talking about delicate matters, like sex, in front of ladies. This
would have been considered very impolite in Restoration society. Then footman delivers Wilfull to
the company of friends and tells him that Wishfort is dressing. When Wilfull asks the footman
whether his aunt has eaten dinner, the footman admits that he has only worked in the house for a week
and can’t actually recognize Wishfort until she is dressed. Wilfull asks the footman to tell Wishfort
that he has arrived and also asks the names of the men standing with Marwood. Again, the footman
says he cannot help because he doesn’t know who they are, so many men come to the house. FOOT. 
Why, truly, sir, I cannot safely swear to her face in a morning, before she is dressed.  ’Tis like I may
give a shrewd guess at her by this time. (463-464)
Witwoud snubs his relation because he is embarrassed by Sir Wilfull’s unfashionable dress and
demeanor. This is another example of a character thinking that cruelty to another can make one seem
powerful or protect one’s reputation. SIR WIL.  ’Sheart, sir, but there is, and much offence.  A pox, is
this your inns o’ court breeding, not to know your friends and your relations, your elders, and your
betters? (529-532)

WIT: But I tell you ’tis not modish to know relations in town.  You think you’re in the
country, where great lubberly brothers slabber and kiss one another when they meet, like a
call of sergeants.  ’Tis not the fashion here; ’tis not, indeed, dear brother. (534-539) This
indicates the conflict between country and city life, rural vs urban restoration lifestyle.
Country people were always mocked by the fashionable city people. Witwoud and Petulant
abused Willfull for his dirty boots. But who told them that their hypocrite decorum is the
standard one and simple innocent country mannerism is improper one. Even Mrs. Marwood
suggested an academy for Willfull so that he could learn city rules of conduct. MRS. MAR. 
Here’s an academy in town for that use…No doubt you will return very much improved.
(593-594)
Now Wishfort is in the scene with Mrs. Fainall. Mincing enters, and tells Wishfort that dinner
is “impatient.” Willfu overhears her and asks if dinner can wait until he pulls off his boots
and puts on a pair of slippers. Why, then, belike it won’t stay till I pull off my boots. 
Sweetheart, can you help me to a pair of slippers? (622-623) Wishfort chides him for trying
to take off his boots in front of company and tells him to do it in the hall and that they will
wait for him. She apologizes to everyone for his behavior and encourages her guests to join
her at the table.

Ms. Marwood and Fainall split off to converse apart from the group, and they are left onstage
when Mincing summons everyone to eat. Ms. Marwood has evidently uncovered the plot she
has recently discovered to Fainall, including the implication that Mrs. Fainall had also once
been involved with Mirabell. Working off of Fainall's vengeful anger, Ms. Marwood outlines
a plan for Fainall in which he threatens Lady Wishfort that he will leave his wife Mrs.
Fainall. Because Mrs. Fainall is Lady Wishfort's daughter and Lady Wishfort could not bear
that kind of social impropriety on both of their names, Mr. Fainall will then have the leverage
to ask for Millamant's 6,000 pound inheritance. MRS. MAR.  Discover to my lady your
wife’s conduct; threaten to part with her.  My lady loves her, and will come to any
composition to save her reputation.  Take the opportunity of breaking it just upon the
discovery of this imposture.  My lady will be enraged beyond bounds, and sacrifice niece,
and fortune and all at that conjuncture. (666-669) 

Fainall plans to get Sir Wilfull drunk so that he will not get in the way, and Ms. Marwood
will write a letter exposing the plot to be delivered to Lady Wishfort right when she is
meeting with the imposter Sir Rowland. MRS. MAR.  I will contrive a letter which shall be
delivered to my lady at the time when that rascal who is to act Sir Rowland is with her.  It
shall come as from an unknown hand (707-710) The scene ends with Fainall pledging, if
nothing else, that he will at least be able to ruin his wife and take her money, and Ms.
Marwood remarks that he should now believe that she hates Mirabell.

MRS. MAR.  I hope you are convinced that I hate Mirabell now?  You’ll be no more jealous?

FAIN.  Jealous?  No, by this kiss.  Let husbands be jealous, but let the lover still believe:
(720-723)

The act ends with these two rhymed lines:

All husbands must or pain or shame endure;

The wise too jealous are, fools too secure.

Husbands must tolerate pain or shame in marriage as restoration society does not give any guaranty
in married life. Inconstancy, betrayal, adultery are the common scenario here. In fact fools are
secured and leading hassle free life as they cannot understand or feel it (like Petulant and Witwoud).
Wise/witty or intellectual person can understand everything and suffer the most.