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The Way of the World

by
William Congreve

0:00

The Way of the World Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Makeup (Symbol)
Makeup is important to the play as the physical representation of beauty and youth. Lady Wishfort is the main
character who interacts with makeup, and she notes its importance in the time leading up to the appearance of
her supposed suitor, Sir Rowland, who has seen her in another physical representation of youth and beauty, a
small painted picture of her. She feels the need to live up to this painted standard by painting herself.

Ms. Marwood's Letter (Symbol)

Ms. Marwood's letter is unseen until late in Act IV, but lingers as a symbolic element of the coming climax since
the time she promises to write it after overhearing the scheme early in the play. When it does arrive in Lady
Wishfort's hands, it physicalizes the gossip and back-stabbing that floats throughout and drives the plot of the
play.

Alcohol (Symbol)
Alcohol is sometimes seen onstage, as in Lady Wishfort's dressing room, and sometimes implied to have been
imbibed offstage. However, the effect of too much alcohol seems to be to lower people's level of propriety which
is so important to social status in Restoration England. Thus, alcohol as a symbol represents the desire or ability
to escape some of this rigid propriety, but can also be wielded in the schemes of others for this very reason.
Waitwell's "Sir Rowland" Outfit (Symbol)
Though there are not specific notations on the requirements of Waitwell's disguise as Sir Rowland, it can be
assumed that his costume is the exact embodiment of an upper class fashion. Since Mirabell outfits him, it can
be assumed that it will follow Mirabell's style to some extent, but as he is supposed to be Mirabell's uncle it will
also have to be appropriate for an older age group. This physicalization of the costume element of fashion, as all
fashion is just real-world costuming, calls attention to the silly and theatrical nature of society and physical
societal signs of status.

Lady Wishfort's House (Symbol)

The fact that so much of the action is taken in one physical location demonstrates the closed of and near-
incestual nature of upper class Restoration society. Because the action is so contained, gossip spreads quickly
and fights can occur suddenly. Secret romance, too, is harder to hide in confined quarters, leading to situations
like Ms. Marwood's spying from the closet, something that couldn't have happened unless the plot was largely
confined to a single house.

How To Cite https://www.gradesaver.com/the-way-of-the-world/study-

guide/symbols-allegory-motifs in MLA Format
Cohen, Madeline. Suduiko, Aaron ed. "The Way of the World Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". GradeSaver, 3 October
2015 Web. 10 October 2021.

The Way of the World Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Way of the World is a great
resource to ask questions, find answers,
and discuss the novel.

Explain these lines Discuss the theme of love in the way of Revolution
the world
I think the speaker is not being kind to Are you referring to the title The Way of the
poets saying they are drawn into drama Love, in the context of the novel, had many World?
but cannot handle when drama happens to rules that were broken. Marriage and Asked by
RAWA I #1155942
them. adultery are of course connected with Answered by
Aslan
4 months ago
Asked by
Saroj G #1162572 "love" and privide the main themes in The 6/2/2021 8:01 AM
Answered by
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3 months ago Way of the World, and it seems that
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Essays for The Way of the World

The Way of the World essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students
and provide critical analysis of the play The Way of the World by William Congreve.

Contrasting the Roles of Women in Restoration and Early 18th Century Dramas
Reading the Proviso Scene of Congreve's The Way of the World in the 21st Century
Satirizing the Upper Class Throughout History: Chaucer, Congreve, and Baitz
Wikipedia Entries for The Way of the World
Introduction
Characters
Plot
Epigraph of the 1700 edition
Historical context