Introduction:
“The Way of the World” is one of the finest Restoration comedies in English literature, written by William Congreve. The play The Way of the World is famous for its brilliant wit, lively dialogue and rich element of humour. Congreve presents the fashionable society of his age with a sharp comic spirit and exposes the follies, pretensions, greed and hypocrisy of the upper-class people. The humour in the play arises from witty conversations, clever intrigues, comic situations and humorous characters. Through satire and irony, Congreve entertains the audience while also criticizing the artificial manners and selfish motives of society. Thus, the play combines amusement with social criticism and remains one of the greatest humorous comedies of the Restoration age.
Definition of Humour:
Humour may be defined as the sympathetic, and amused contemplation of the incongruities of life and its literary presentation. The incongruity may be between two ideas, two characters, or between the ideal and the reality. We laugh when there is a discrepancy between the action or profession of a character, or when there is a difference between what things are and what we expect them to be. Some particular character or characters may be the source of humour, or humour may arise from situation, or there may be verbal humour arising when words are wrongly used or misunderstood. Exaggeration is usually resorted to by comic writers to stress this incongruity or should be, between the ideal and the reality. The Way of the World is rich in humour, as the dramatist has freely exploited all these sources of humour.
Lady Wishfort as a Comic Figure:
Lady Wishfort is great comic figure because she is an old woman of fifty-five, and yet she craves for sex and marriage. It is this consents in congruity in her character between what is and what ought to be that makes us roar with laughter as we find her eagerly waiting for Sir Rowland, and trying to repair the ravages of time by the use of cosmetics. Her vanity and her sexual appetite have been exaggerated beyond all normal proportions and this heightens the enjoyment of the readers, and moves them to laughter. Nothing can be more amusing than the panting impatience of the old lady when she hears of the impending visit of Rowland, and the scene in which Waitwell impersonates Sir Rowland, and courts Lady Wishfort, makes the sinews almost bursts with laughter. The situation is highly comic, for the real identity of Rowland is known to the audience but not known to the lady. The situation is intensely interesting and amusing. Here is a servant, making love to Lady Wishfort, and she is an old woman burning with passion to lead him to the altar as soon as possible.
Contrast Between Profession and Reality
The lady is eager for sex and marriage, yet she pretends that if she consents to marry Sir Rowland, it would be merely to save the life of such a brave knight. “Lady-but as I am a person, Sir Rowland, you must not attribute may yield to any sinister appetite, or indigestion of widowhood; nor impute may complacency to any lethargy of continence. I hope you do not think me prove to any iteration of nuptials.”
Wait: Far be it from me.
Lady: If you do, I protest I must recede—or think that I have made a prostitution of decorums, but in the vehemence of passion, and not to save the life of a person of such importance.
The contrast between her exaggerated sexuality, her almost uncontrollable desires, and her profession that if she consents to marry, it would be only to save the life of Sir Rowland, is highly amusing.
Humour Through Petulant’s Vanity:
Equally humorous is the way in which Petulant tries to get the reputation of being a man who is loved and much sought after by beautiful ladies. With this end in view, he hires certain ‘trulls’ to call on him in public places, and accordingly they do come to call on him at the Chocolate House in the opening act of the play. In the past he used to do better than that. Then he ‘used to call on himself’, and the leaders are much amused as Witwoud explains the point for the benefit of Mirabell and Fainall. In this way, the dramatist creates humour by exposing and ridiculing the affectations and vanities of the ‘genteel society’ of this day.
Verbal Humour in the Play:
There is also ample of verbal humour. Verbal humour arises when a character unconsciously uses words wrongly or misunderstands the words used by others. Such verbal humour is called wit when words are skillfully and intelligently used, and five sparkling things which amuse and startle, are said. Verbal humour of both these kinds is there in the play in ample measure. For example, Lady Wishfort unconsciously uses words wrongly when she says, “But as I am a person, Sir Rowland, you must not attribute my yielding to any sinister appetite, or indigestion of widowhood her impute my complacency to any lethargy of continence. I hope do not think me prone to any iteration of nuptials” and Sir Rowland also makes us smile when he replies. “Dear Madam, no you are all comphor frankicence, all chasity and odour.”
Sir Wilful and Millamant Scene:
Even more laughter-provoking is the situation in which illiterate country boor Sir Wilful is brought face to face with the cultural and refined Millamant. At the moment Millamant is reciting certain verses of the poet sakling.:
“I prithee, spare me, gentle boy, press me no more, for that slight toy.”
Sir Wilful thinks that she is addressing him and replies, “A man? Cousin your servant.” “Again Millamant, referring to the poet, exclaims,” Natural, easy suckling! Sir Wilful has not heard of the poet suckling, and takes the words ‘suckling’ in its literal sense— i.e., “a child that sacks at its mother’s breast”, and angrily remarks: “Aman? Suckling? No suckling neither, cousin, with laughter at this misunderstanding of the import of word ‘suckling’. On the part of Sir Rowland, and the incongruity of such a person coming to court the refined as polished Millamant is at once highlighted.
Comic Dialogue Between Witwoud and Petulant:
Witwoud and Petulant, both false wits or Witwouds, keep up a constant battle of words to the great amusement of the readers. When Sir Wilful arrives, Witwoud asks Petulant to ‘smoke him’, and the following comic dialogue is the result:
Pet: It seems as if you had come a journey, Sir, hem, hem.
Sir Wit: Very, likely Sir that it may seem so.
Pet: No offence, I hope sir.
Wit: Smoke the boots, the boots, Petulant, the boots, ha, ha, ha!
Sir Wit: May be hot Sir thereafter as it is meant sir.
Pet: Sir, I presume upon the information of your boots.
Sir Wit: Why its like you may, Sir, if you are not satisfied with the information of my boots, Sir, if you will step to the stable, you may enquire further of my horse, Sir.
Pet: Your horse, Sir your horse is an ass, Sir?
Sir Wit: Do you speak by way of offence, Sir?
Pretensions of False Wits:
The two Witwoud and Petulant indulge in similitudes or the uses of similes and comparisons, in season and out of season to show of their wit, but in reality, they reveal only their folly and vanity. Here is an instance to bring out of the extremely comic and laughter provoking pretensions to wit of these false wits:
Wit: Thou hast uttered volumes folios, in less than decimoexio, my dear Lacedaemonion. Sirrah, Petulant, thou art an epitomizer of words.
Pet: Witwoud you are an annihilator of sense.
Wit: Thou are a retailer of phrase, and dost deal in remnants of remnats like a maker of pin-cushion, thou art in truth (metaphorically speaking) a speaker of shorthand.
Pet: Thou art (without a figure) just one half of an ass, and Baldwin youder, thy half brother, is the rest a Gemini of asses spilit would make just four of you.
Wit: Thou dost bite, my dear mustard seed; kiss me for that.
Pet: Stand off I’ll no more males— I have kissed your twin, younder, in a humour of reconciliation, till he rises my stomach like a raddish.”
True Wit of Mirabell and Millamant:
Truewits-Millamant and Mirabell on the other hand, are true wits, they use words with great skill and intelligence, and say countless fine, sparking things which startle and delight the reader, the entire bargaining or ‘proviso’ scene in veritable feast of wit. Their brilliant similes and metaphors they use, give us great intellectual pleasure by their novelty and freshness. Even Foible, the maid servant, can use words intelligently, as when she replies to Lady Wishfort, “I warrant you Madam, a little art once made your picture like you, and how a little of the same art must make your like your picture. Your picture must sit for you, Madam.”
Conclusion:
Thus, in The Way of the World, we find every type of humour, from the board, exaggerated and forcical humour of situation to the highest kind of humour, the humour, the humour of character. Herein lies the secret of the greatness of The Way of the World as a comedy.