The Way of the World premiered in 1700 at London's theatre in Lincoln's Inn Field, performed by Majesty's Servants, an acting company of the time. Though it is now regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies in existence, it was not well received by audiences at the time, who felt it was too vulgar.
The Way of the World is still performed today as one of the most famous examples of Restoration comedy.
The Question and Answer section for The Way of the World is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
The fact that, as it is written, the prologue is spoken by an actor, not a character, is important to the tone of the show. This metatheatrical move demonstrates how Congreve is pushing for the audience to really think about the show - to analyze...
"The way of the world" is a flippant expression meaning the way people behave. However, in the Restoration times, the expression "the way of the world" connoted adultery, which was a common behavior in society and especially in theatrical...
Conversation focuses throughout the act on women and especially on relationships between women and women, women and men, and men and men. For example, Mirabell makes fun of women's relationships, insinuating that they are insincere but pretend to...
