The Flea

Summary The speaker tells his beloved to look at the flea before them and to note how little is that thing that she denies him. For the flea, he says, has sucked first his blood, then her blood, so that now, inside the flea, they are mingled; and that mingling cannot be called sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead. The flea has joined them together in a way that, alas, is more than we would do.

As his beloved moves to kill the flea, the speaker stays her hand, asking her to spare the three lives in the flea: his life, her life, and the fleas own life. In the flea, he says, where their blood is mingled, they are almost marriedno, more than marriedand the flea is their marriage bed and marriage temple mixed into one. Though their parents grudge their romance
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and though she will not make love to him, they are nevertheless united and cloistered in the living walls of the flea. She is apt to kill him, he says, but he asks that she not kill herself by killing the flea that contains her blood; he says that to kill the flea would be sacrilege, three sins in killing three. Cruel and sudden, the speaker calls his lover, who has now killed the flea, purpling her fingernail with the blood of innocence. The speaker asks his lover what the fleas sin was, other than having sucked from each of them a drop of blood. He says that his lover replies that neither of them is less noble for having killed the flea. It is true, he says, and it is this very fact that proves that her fears are false: If she were to sleep with him (yield to me), she would lose no more honor than she lost when she killed the flea. Form This poem alternates metrically between lines in iambic tetrameter and lines in iambic pentameter, a 4-5 stress pattern ending with two pentameter lines at the end of each stanza. Thus, the stress pattern in each of the nine-line stanzas is 454545455. The rhyme scheme in each stanza is similarly regular, in couplets,
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with the final line rhyming with the final couplet: AABBCCDDD. Commentary This funny little poem again exhibits Donnes metaphysical love-poem mode, his aptitude for turning even the least likely images into elaborate symbols of love and romance. This poem uses the image of a flea that has just bitten the speaker and his beloved to sketch an amusing conflict over whether the two will engage in premarital sex. The speaker wants to, the beloved does not, and so the speaker, highly clever but grasping at straws, uses the flea, in whose body his blood mingles with his beloveds, to show how innocuous such mingling can behe reasons that if mingling in the flea is so innocuous, sexual mingling would be equally innocuous, for they are really the same thing. By the second stanza, the speaker is trying to save the fleas life, holding it up as our marriage bed and marriage temple. But when the beloved kills the flea despite the speakers protestations (and probably as a deliberate move to squash his argument, as well), he turns his argument on its head and claims that despite the high-minded and sacred ideals he has just been invoking, killing the flea did not really impugn his beloveds honorand
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despite the high-minded and sacred ideals she has invoked in refusing to sleep with him, doing so would not impugn her honor either. This poem is the cleverest of a long line of sixteenth-century love poems using the flea as an erotic image, a genre derived from an older poem of Ovid. Donnes poise of hinting at the erotic without ever explicitly referring to sex, while at the same time leaving no doubt as to exactly what he means, is as much a source of the poems humor as the silly image of the flea is; the idea that being bitten by a flea would represent sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead gets the point across with a neat conciseness and clarity that Donnes later religious lyrics never attained.
John Donne ( /dn/ DUN; 21 January 1572[citation needed] 31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest who is considered a prominent representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their mimetic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries. John Donne's style is characterized by abrupt openings, various paradoxes, ironies, dislocations. These features in combination with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax, and his tough eloquence were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donnes poetry was the idea of true religion, which was something that he spent a lot of time considering and theorizing about. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic poems and love poems. Donne is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.[2]

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the money he inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes and travel. In 1601 Donne secretly married Anne Moore with whom he had 12 children.[3] In 1615 he became an Anglican priest although he did not want to take Anglican orders. He did so becauseKing James I persistently ordered it. In 1621, he was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He also served as a member of parliament in 1601 and again in 1614.

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDALSheridan, Richard Brinsley (1751-1816),

British dramatist whose work is considered the finest development of the comedy of manners in 18th-century England. It is a polite world of fashion but Sheridan makes its vices appear foolish by exaggerating them in humorous portraiture. His plot is usually from everyday life. He possesses excellent verbal talent and sense of theater. Sheridans School for Scandal is considered to be his masterpiece. It consists of a series of gossipy and fast-paced scenes that exposes contemporary foibles through the actions of the characters. It is an attack on artificiality of human behavior and sentiments. This play is remarkable for five features: Plot Construction, Characterization, Dialogue, Setting or Stage Craft, and Vision or Philosophy. Scandal: A young girl married to an old man who has money by which he keeps this young girl and others engaged. Lady Sneerwell makes fun of such marriage and thats why she makes the plot. The plot is a conspiracy which deals with how to make a suspicion in the mind of Sir Peter to separate him from his wife Lady Teazle. Lady Sneerwell and her company run the school for scandal. During the uncles absence, they make such plot Wit: Wit means right thing at the right time. Caricaturing is a part of scandal mongering. One starts and other ends. True wit is from nature. And the intention behind such wit is to improve the person. For instance, the conversation between Crabtree and Sir Benjamin about defining a woman shows wit at its best. Crabtree remarks that it is the oddest countenance, and it is a collection of features. Sir Benjamin tells it to be an Irish front. Repartee: It is quick but intelligent response. The conversation between Sir Peter and Lady Teazle is nice example of repartee. Damnation Scene: (Humor and Irony of Situation) Act IV-scene IV 1. Plot Construction The plot is sequential arrangement of events or casual cause and effects. Events are arranged both sequentially and casually which makes the plot perfect. The plot of the play is interesting and well-constructed. Some people make a plot to break the relationship between Sir Peter and Lady Teazle. The plot is made by Lady Sneerwell and others which is executed by Joseph Surface by

luring Lady Teazle. Lady Teazle leaves the old husband and makes love with Joseph. The plot is executed well but gets discovered at last. 2. Characterization Both Charles Surface and Sir Oliver provide contrast. They are rather caricatures. They are the puppets in the hands of the dramatist. They perform what their characteristics presented by their names. The characters of the play have their own significance by their names. Sheridans characterization draws upon the theory of Ben Johnson. He changes Ben Johnsons theory. He makes one particular characteristic or weakness appear and plays on it. For instance, Joseph is totally exposed; there is no depth and roundness which provides humor. The humor is created by such characters because of their limitations suggested by their names. Characterization is caricature. Humor comes from the characters, their peculiar characters. Act-iv curtain episode is situational comedy. Major characters Crabtree: Crab can climb on the tree and can sting. He has qualities as his name suggests and he exploits and kills joy and all happiness by his witty remarks. J. Surface: He operates on surface level by leading superficial life. He is a scandal monger. He is a sentimental hypothetic, a most eligible bachelor. As Peter says, a model for the young men of the age. Charles Surface: He is an extravagant fellow. He contrasts with his brother Joseph. There is loyalty and sincerity in his character. He cares for his uncle. Lady Teazle: She is a simple character. She is from village and young who marries an old man for money and for living in London. 3. Dialogue Witty dialogues are crafted one after another quick and fast. And witty repartees provide humor. 4. Stage Craft Stage craft is very rare. It requires good direction and skilled playwright to manipulate it. In this play The School for Scandal, it is very well managed. No character is seen who has no role to play. The characters disappear as soon as the characters work gets over. The scene behind the screen and the damnation scene are well arranged in acts. 5. Vision There is no philosophy, simple fun in the play. The playwright delivers the message that we act foolishly as we are human beings then why punishment?

Type of Work and First Performance

.......Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners, a play satirizing the behavior and customs of upper classes through witty dialogue and an intricate plot with comic situations that expose characters' shortcomings. Characters generally consist of stock typessuch as the bore, the flirt, the gossip, the wastrel, the rich uncle, etc.rather than individuals with unique qualities. Comedies of manners in Sheridan's time typically avoided the romantic sentimentality that characterized many other stage dramas of the eighteenth century. In The School for Scandal, the author mainly satirizes malicious gossip and hypocrisy in the fashionable society of London in the 1770s. The play was first performed in London on May 8, 1777, in Drury Lane Theatre.

Setting
.......The action takes place in London in the 1770s.

Characters
Protagonist: Charles Surface Antagonists: Joseph Surface, Lady Sneerwell Charles Surface: Young bachelor notorious for his extravagance and dissipation. However, his dissolute behavior may only be a passing phase. At heart, he is a good and generous person. He and Maria are in love. Joseph Surface: Young bachelor who pretends to be an honorable gentlemen but is really a doubledealing scoundrel. He is the older brother of Charles Surface. Joseph is in love with the fortune Maria is to receive. He plots with Lady Sneerwell to break up Charles and Maria. Meanwhile, he attempts to seduce the wife of Sir Peter Teazle. Maria: Desirable and wealthy young ward of Sir Peter Teazle. She is a woman of principle who refuses to gossip. Sir Peter Teazle: Upright gentleman of about age fifty who has recently married a young woman. Fooled by Joseph Surface's pretensions, he promotes a marriage between Joseph and Maria. Lady Teazle: Young wife of Sir Peter. She and her husband have their little spats. When he visits Joseph Surface one day, he discovers his wife hiding behind a screen and at first thinks she has been having an affair with Joseph, whom he now brands as a villain. Lady Sneerwell: Young widow of a knight. She is attracted to Charles Surface and plots with Joseph Surface to break up Charles and Maria. Snake: Cat's paw of Lady Sneerwell. He spreads false rumors designed to help Lady Sneerwell achieve her goals. Sir Oliver Surface: Wealthy uncle of Charles and Joseph Surface. After returning to England from the East Indies, he disguises himself to find out the truth about his nephews. Mrs. Candour: Prolific gossip who says how wrong it is to spread rumors, then indulges in her favorite pastimespreading rumors. Sir Benjamin Backbite: Annoying young man who pursues Maria and engages in slanderous conversation. Old Crabtree: Backbite's uncle and a tale-bearer. Rowley: Helpful servant and friend of Sir Peter Teazle and a former servant of the father of the Surface brothers. He is an upright fellow who sees through Joseph's hypocrisy. Aware of Snake's nefarious behavior, he pays him to reveal that the stories he has been spreading for Lady Sneerwell and Joseph are lies. Careless: Rowdy friend of Charles Surface. Sir Harry Bumper: Friend of Charles Surface. Trip: Servant of Charles Surface. William: Servant of Joseph Surface. Moses: Moneylender who assists Sir Oliver in his scheme to find out the truth about Charles and Joseph

Surface. Mr. Stanley: Dublin merchant who was ruined by business reversals. He is related to Charles and Joseph Surface, to whom he wrote for financial assistance. Sir Oliver assumes Stanley's identity when he is investigating his nephews. Gentlemen, Maid, Servants

Tribute to Mrs. Crewe

.......Preceding the prologue is a tribute to Mrs. John Crewe, a beautiful woman who was a friend of Sheridan. The tribute, written by Sheridan, is entitled A Portrait Addressed to Mrs. Crewe, With the Comedy of the School for Scandal. The tribute says that she is of such exemplary character and grace possessing all of bright or fair that can to woman fallthat even the gossips who are the subject of the play can do nothing but praise her.

Prologue
.......Following the tribute to Mrs. Crewe is a prologue written by David Garrick (1717-1779), a prominent actor and co-manager of Drury Lane Theatre, where the play opened on May 8, 1777. The prologue discusses the difficulty of preventing people from spreading scandal via tongue or written word. The prologue says, Cut scandal's head off, still the tongue is wagging.

Plot Summary
By Michael J. Cummings... 2009 .

.......Seated at a dressing table in her London home is Lady Sneerwell, a widow who enjoys spreading gossip. With her is Snake, a man who does her dirty work. He is updating her on the status of a rumor he is sowing about Lady Brittle and Captain Boastall. Within twenty-four hours, Snake says, the rumor will reach Mrs. Clackit, a formidable scandalmonger who has caused numerous breakups, disinheritances, elopements, and divorces. Once her tongue begins to wag, Lady Brittle and Boastall will be the talk of the town. .......However, Mrs. Clackit lacks that delicacy of tintand mellowness of sneerwhich distinguish your Ladyship's scandal, Snakes says. Lady Sneerwell accepts the compliment with false modesty and then observes that she truly enjoys ruining reputations. It is a kind of therapy for the slander she says she endured early in her life. .......Turning to another matter, Snake asks why she wishes to break up the amorous relationship between Charles Surface and Maria, the ward of the wealthy Sir Peter Teazle. Charles has a tainted reputation as a gambler and rake. On the other hand, his brother Joseph has a sterling reputation. Rather than wasting her time driving a wedge between Charles and Maria, Snake says, she ought to be trying to snare Joseph. .......Lady Sneerwell then informs Snake that she has no interest in Josephnor he in her. She fancies Charles, and Joseph wants Maria. But it is not love that motivates him; rather, it is the large inheritance she will one day receive. Consequently, says Lady Sneerwell, Joseph has been obliged to mask his pretensions, and profit by my assistance. Sir Peter is under the impression that Joseph is an honorable man who loves Maria. .......To break up Charles and Maria, Lady Sneerwell and Joseph (with Snake's help) are spreading rumors that Charles is having an affair with Lady Teazle, the young wife of Sir Peter. Joseph himself then enters and tells Lady Sneerwell that their rumors are beginning to have an effect on Maria and that Charles's dissipation and extravagance exceed anything I have heard of. .......Moments later, Maria enters. She complains that the annoying Sir Benjamin Backbite and his uncle, Crabtree, have just called at the home of her guardian, Sir Peter. To avoid them, she sneaked out to seek refuge with Lady Sneerwell. .......A servant then announces the arrival of Mrs. Candour. She tells Maria that she was sorry to hear stories about trouble between her and Charles and between Sir Peter and Lady Teazle. In reality, Mrs. Candour is only too happy to have something to gossip about. .......Crabtree then comes in with his nephew, Backbite, and brags up the young man as a great wit and

poet who wrote a commendable epigram the previous week on Lady Frizzle's feather catching fire. Crabtree then reports that Sir Oliver Surface, the uncle of Charles and Joseph Surface, is returning to England from the East Indies after sixteen years. How sad it will be for him, Crabtree says, to learn what a good-for-nothing Charles is. Sir Oliver is wealthy, and his nephews stand to benefit from his fortuneif they measure up. .......Meanwhile, at Sir Peter's home, Sir Peter is upset with his young wife, who is about half his age. In a short soliloquy, he describes himself as an old bachelor who was made a happy man when the young woman married him. Now, however, her part in all the extravagant fopperies of the fashion and the town greatly vex him. His servant Rowley then enters. He once was a steward to the father of Charles and Joseph Surface. After Mr. Surface died, Rowley entered Sir Peter's service. Sir Peter moans to Rowley about his wife's teasing temper, then complains that she refuses the attentions of Joseph but welcomes those of her profligate brother, Charles. Rowley defends Charles as a worthy gentleman who will eventually reform. .......After Sir Oliver arrives in London, he visits his old friend, Sir Peter, in the latter's home and congratulates him on his marriage. When they discuss Sir Oliver's nephews, Sir Peter notes that everyone speaks well of Joseph but that no one speaks well of Charles. .......He is a lost young man, Sir Peter says. .......If everyone praises Joseph, Sir Oliver observes, then he has bowed as low to knaves and fools as he has to honest folk. As for Charles, Sir Oliver says that it is only natural for a young man to run out of course a little. However, to learn the truth about his nephews, he says he will go under cover and speak to Charles and Joseph separately. How they respond to his questions will tell him what he wants to know. .......First, he will disguise himself as a moneylender and assume the name Mr. Premium. Later, he will assume the identify of real person, Mr. Stanley, a Dublin relative of Charles and Joseph whom they have never seen. Stanley has written each of them a letter requesting financial assistance. So far, Joseph has provided nil. Charles, however, "has done all that his extravagance has left him power to do," Rowley says. .......Sir Oliver first visits Charles (at the house of Charles's late father) as Mr. Premium. With him is a Jewish moneylender, Moses, whom Sir Oliver has hired. Moses had previously lent money to Charles. A servant, Trip, greets them. Charles, meanwhile, is in another room drinking and singing with friends as a prelude to a night of gambling. While Sir Oliver waits for Charles to receive him and Moses, Trip tries to borrow twenty pounds from Moses. Sir Oliver remarks to Moses, If the man be a shadow of the master, this is the temple of dissipation indeed! .......When Trip takes them to see Charles, the latter is with a man named Careless. Both have been drinking heavily. Charles immediately asks Mr. Premium for money, saying he is blockhead enough to pay fifty percent interest. Though he has no collateral to put up, he says he has a rich uncle in the East Indies from whom he will receive a generous sum upon the uncle's death. Mr. Premium then says he has heard that the uncle is in excellent health. Consequently, he does not wish to wait indefinitely for repayment of the loan. However, he is willing to purchase household goods such as silverware. But Charles has sold everything of value except family portraits. When Mr. Premium expresses an interest in buying them, Charles asks Careless to act as an auctioneer and Moses as an appraiser. .......One by one, Charles sells the portraitsthose of a great-uncle, a great-aunt, his mother's grandfather, and others. But Charles always passes over a portrait of Sir Oliver. When Mr. Premium tries to buy it, saying that I have somehow taken a fancy to that picture, Charles refuses to part with it. .......The old fellow has been very good to me, and, egad, I'll keep this picture while I've a room to put it in. .......Mr. Premium then offers as much for the portrait as he paid for all the other pictures combined. Still, Charles refuses to part with it. Convinced that Charles has a good heart, Sir Oliver and Moses leave. A short while later, Rowley appears, and Charles gives him a hundred pounds for Mr. Stanley. After Rowley shows the money to Sir Oliver, the latter pledges to pay Charles's debts and then says he will visit Joseph. .......Meanwhile, a servant informs Joseph that Lady Teazle has arrived at the door of his apartment. Before marrying Sir Peter, she was a country girl. Her fascination with sophisticated London life and its mischiefs has caused her to consider a dalliance with Joseph, who welcomes her attentions. But she has not made up her mind on the matter. Joseph tells his servant, William, to pull a screen in front of a window to prevent a lady in the opposite dwelling from looking in. After Lady Teazle enters, she complains that her husband has become cranky with her lately and that he frowns on Charles's fondness for Maria.

.......I wish he would let Maria marry him, she says. .......Aware that Lady Teazle suspects him of desiring Maria, Joseph says he also wishes Sir Peter would allow the marriage, adding, for then my dear Lady Teazle would also be convinced, how wrong her suspicions were of my having any design on the silly girl. .......Joseph makes a play for Lady Teazle, but she rebuffs his advances. Apparently, the gloss of illicit romance has suddenly worn off. Only further ill usage by Sir Peter would make her consider cheating on him, she says. .......William then informs Joseph that Sir Peter is in the building and on his way up the stairs. Lady Teazle hides behind the screen. .......When Sir Peter enters, he tells Joseph that he suspects his wife of having an affair with Charles. (The rumor concocted by Lady Sneerwell and Joseph and spread by Snake has apparently reached Sir Peter's ears.) Joseph pretends to defend the honor of Charles and Lady Teazle, but he is no doubt pleased that his nefarious scheme is working. After expressing regret for the strained relationship between himself and his wife, Sir Peter shows Joseph proof of his affection for his wife: two legal documents, one that grants his wife a generous allotment while he lives and another that bequeaths her most of his possessions upon his death. Then, to Joseph's horror, Sir Peter asks Joseph about his progress with Maria. When Joseph tries to avoid the subject, Sir Peter says, "And though you are so averse to my acquainting Lady Teazle with your passion for Maria, I'm sure she's not your enemy in the affair." .......William announces that Charles is on his way up. Sir Peter then says he will hide while Joseph questions Charles about whether he is having an affair with Lady Teazle. When Sir Peter makes a move for the screen, he sees a petticoat. .......There seems to be one listener there already, he says. .......Joseph, admitting that he is only human, says it is a little French milliner he has been seeing. She hid behind the screen, he says, to conceal her identity and safeguard her reputation. .......You rogue! Sir Peter says. Then he hides in a closet. .......After Charles arrives and Joseph questions him, he denies upon his honor of having any relationship with Lady Teazle. It is Maria whom he fancies, he asserts. Then he says, I always understood you were her favourite. .......In a hushed voice, Joseph tells Charles that Sir Peter has overheard their conversation. Joseph points to the closet. Without hesitation, Charles calls out to Sir Peter. The latter comes forth and says to Charles, I believe I have suspected you wrongfully. To protect his brother, Charles tells Sir Peter that what he said about Joseph and Lady Teazle was a joke. William comes in and whispers to Joseph that he has another visitor. When Joseph goes downstairs to greet the person, Sir Peter informs Charles that another person is in the room, a French milliner behind the screen. Oh, egad, we'll have a peep, Charles says. .......Joseph enters just when Charles pulls down the screen. Sir Peter is shocked when he sees his wife. Joseph fabricates a story to explain her presence. But Lady Teazle says there is not one syllable of truth in it. She came to Joseph's apartment, she says, to listen to his pretended passion for her but found him truly despicable. She also says she now has new respect for her husband, then leaves. After declaring Joseph a villain, Sir Peter also leaves. .......Joseph is now alone, but a short while later William announces the arrival of Mr. Stanley (Sir Oliver pretending to be Stanley). When Stanley requests financial assistance, Joseph says he is unable to provide it. .......If your uncle, Sir Oliver, were here, I should have a friend, Stanley says. I imagined his bounty would enable you to become the agent of his charity. .......Joseph then says his uncle is hardly charitable. In fact, Joseph claims, what he has done for me has been a mere nothing. .......In truth, Sir Oliver had previously given him 12,000 pounds. Sir Oliver leaves. A short while later, Rowley calls upon Joseph with a letter informing him that Sir Oliver has returned to London. .......Meanwhile, Mrs. Candour calls at Sir Peter's home to see Lady Teazle, but the maid tells her Mrs. Teazle is not seeing anyone. Sir Benjamin then arrives, followed by Lady Sneerwell and Crabtree. All of them have heard about the confrontation between Joseph and Sir Peter and are now prying for more news. According to Sir Benjamin, Joseph wounded Sir Peter in a fight with swords; according to Crabtree, Charles wounded Sir Peter in a pistol duel. Sir Oliver comes in, and they address him as a doctor and ask about Sir Peter's condition. When they learn that he is not a doctor, they give their differing reports about the duel. Sir Peter then arrives home, unhurt, and banishes all the gossips. Rowley arrives just as they

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are leaving. .......Sir Oliver tells Sir Peter that he knows all about the goings-on at Joseph's and that he is going back to Joseph's apartment to expose hypocrisy. Sir Peter and Rowley say they will follow him shortly. .......Sir Peter and Rowley turn their attention to Lady Teazle, whom they see crying through the open door of another room. Sir Peter notes that he found a letter she wrote that was intended for Charles. But Rowley says the letter was a forgery. He will produce Snake, he says, to confirm what he says. .......Meanwhile, Lady Sneerwell meets with Joseph in his apartment and tells him it now appears that Sir Peter will reconcile with Charles and no longer oppose his union with Maria. She blames Joseph for this turn of events. He admits his blunder but says all is not lost. All they need to do is get Snake to swear that Charles "is at this time contracted by vows and honour to your ladyship." .......When Sir Oliver knocks, Lady Sneerwell goes into another room. After Sir Oliver enters, Joseph thinks he is Stanley and orders him out. Joseph's servant, William, attempts to push him out the door. But at that moment, Charles enters and thinks Sir Oliver is Premium. Still unaware that Stanley/Premium is Sir Oliver, they both try to get rid of him before their uncle (Sir Oliver) appears. But when the Teazles, Maria, and Rowley arrive, they all address the visitor as Sir Oliver. .......Joseph gets his comeuppance and loses the promise of a generous bequest from Sir Oliver. Charles apologizes to Sir Oliver for his behavior at the portrait auction. Sir Oliver, previously convinced of Charles's basic goodness, shakes his nephew's hand. Lady Teazle then says, Sir Oliver, here is one whom Charles is still more anxious to be reconciled to. .......It is Maria, of course. But Maria believes the rumors that Charles has been involved with Lady Sneerwell. Lady Sneerwell and Snake then enter the room. Snake tells Lady Sneerwell, "[Y]ou paid me extremely liberally for the lie in question; but I unfortunately have been offered double to speak the truth." .......Lady Teazle then tells Lady Sneerwell, [L]et me thank you for the trouble you and that gentleman have taken, in writing letters from me to Charles, and answering them yourself; and let me also request you to make my respects to the scandalous college [school for scandal, figuratively], of which you are president, and inform them, that Lady Teazle, licentiate, begs leave to return the diploma they gave her, as she leaves off practice, and kills characters no longer. .......Lady Sneerwell and and the disinherited Joseph leave, and all is well now with Charles and Maria.
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Climax
.......The climax occurs near the end of Act 5 after Rowley brings in Snake. He and Lady Teazle then testify against Lady Sneerwell (and, by implication, against Joseph). Here is the dialogue: Rowley. Walk in, Mr. Snake. Enter SNAKE I thought his testimony might be wanted: however, it happens unluckily, that he comes to confront Lady Sneerwell, not to support her. Lady Sneerwell. A villain ! Treacherous to me at last ! Speak, fellow; have you too conspired against me ? Snake. I beg your ladyship ten thousand pardons: you paid me extremely liberally for the lie in question; but I unfortunately have been offered double to speak the truth. Sir Peter. Plot and counter-plot, egad ! Lady Sneerwell. The torments of shame and disappointment on you all. Lady Teazle. Hold, Lady Sneerwell, before you go, let me thank you for the trouble you and that gentleman have taken, in writing letters from me to Charles, and answering them yourself; and let me also request you to make my respects to the scandalous college, of which you are president, and inform them, that Lady Teazle, licentiate, begs leave to return the diploma they gave her, as she leaves off practice, and kills characters no longer.

Epilogue
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