The Way of the World: Act 2, Scene 3 Summary & Analysis

Once alone with Marwood, Fainall comments that if he lived long enough to be “rid” of his wife, he would be miserable. Marwood is surprised, to which Fainall then clarifies: that if this one hope—actually getting rid of his wife—were ever to be accomplished, he would not have anything left to hope for and so he would feel wretched.

Marwood asks Fainall if he wants to follow Mrs. Fainall and Mirabell. Fainall does not. Yet Marwood encourages the idea because she has “a reason.” Fainall immediately asks her if she’s jealous. Marwood is puzzled, wondering who he thinks she’s jealous of. Fainall responds: Mirabell.

Marwood responds that in fact she is trying to protect Fainall’s “honor.” Fainall realizes her insinuation, that she believes Mirabell and Mrs. Fainall are more than friends. Marwood replies that she believes Mrs. Fainall does not actually hate Mirabell. Fainall claims to be unconvinced. And when Marwood says that Mirabell and Mrs. Fainall are probably deceiving him, he responds that he does sense that he is being deceived: he suspects that Marwood herself is deceiving him. He accuses her of being “false,” or of pretending to love him.

Marwood is shocked. Fainall accuses her of loving Mirabell and “dissembling,” or hiding her love by pretending to hate Mirabell. He also tells Marwood he thinks that Mirabell is in love with her. He cites her blushing cheeks and “sparkling” eyes as signs of guilt.

Marwood angrily denies Fainall’s accusations. But Fainall persists: he says that he recognized and ignored Mirabell’s “gross advances” toward Mrs. Fainall because, with his wife occupied, he could spend his time with Marwood without being suspected of cheating by his wife. He rebukes Marwood for thinking that just because he was ignoring his wife’s indiscretions that he was equally blind to his lover’s wandering eye.

Marwood asks him to tell her what, exactly, he is accusing her of. Fainall responds that she is guilty of “infidelity, with loving another, with love of Mirabell.” Marwood demands he prove his “groundless accusation,” and repeats that she hates Mirabell. Fainall thinks he knows why she hates him: because Mirabell is indifferent to Marwood’s affection. He argues that she had no reason otherwise to interfere with Mirabell’s chances of marrying Millamant, unless she did so out of spite.

Marwood again denies this, saying that her “obligations” as a friend to Wishfort, someone she could not stand seeing Mirabell toy with, led her to reveal to Wishfort his true intentions in flattering her. Fainall doesn’t buy Marwood’s explanation, mocking the idea of her “professed” friendship to Wishfort and denouncing “the pious friendships of the female sex!”

Marwood retorts that female friendship is “more tender, more sincere, and more enduring” than the “vain” and “empty vows” of men to their lovers and to one another. To this, Fainall reminds Marwood that she claims to be his wife’s friend, too. Marwood responds angrily that Fainall has no right to reproach her, particularly about her friendship to his wife. After all, she reminds him, she has sacrificed a lot to be with him. Though false to her friend, she is faithful to him. She continues that he should be happy that she has been “vicious” to his wife given the development of their relationship. She then asks whether he is displacing his own guilt for cheating on his wife onto her.

Fainall, chastened, says that Marwood misinterpreted him. He meant only to remind her of how she used to place even her closest relationships beneath her love to him. Marwood doesn’t buy this explanation, and accuses him of wanting to cause her pain intentionally. Fainall responds that it’s her “guilt” rather than her “resentment” that’s made her angry. He says that if she actually loved him, she would forgive his jealousy. He adds that she’s “stung” that he’s discovered her secret love of Mirabell.

Marwood angrily says she’s going to reveal their affair to his wife and that she’d rather be exposed as an adulteress than allow Fainall’s continued bad behavior. She says the world needs to know about the “injuries” he has done to her fame and fortune, both of which she entrusted to him. Fainall, shocked, responds that he has protected her fame and used her fortune on “pleasures” that they both shared.

Fainall adds that if Marwood hadn’t been untrue, he would have repaid her expenses. He explains that if Marwood hadn’t intervened, and Mirabell and Millamant had married without Wishfort’s consent, Wishfort would’ve been so upset that she would’ve disinherited Millamant. Millamant’s fortune would then have gone to Mrs. Fainall and Fainall would have had access to that money to spend on Marwood. Marwood doesn’t believe Fainall. He implores Marwood to reconcile with him and with the “truth,” but Marwood responds that he and “truth” are “inconsistent,” and says she hates him.

Fainall replies that they must not part like this, and grabs her hands. Marwood tells him to let her go. Fainall apologizes, but Marwood doesn’t care. He refuses to let her go. She again asks him to let her go, then tells him to break her hands, as she’d go to that length in order to get away from him.

Shocked to hear Marwood speak to him like this, Fainall promises her that he would never hurt her, but still does not let go of her. He asks her if there is no other hold than his physical restraint that keeps her standing there with him. He tells her he loves her. Marwood replies that she hates mankind, herself, and the “whole treacherous world.”

Fainall says she’s being dramatic, but asks her forgiveness, and tells her not to cry. He accepts the blame for the situation and says that he couldn’t love her and “be easy in [his] doubts” at the same time. He tells her he believes her and again apologizes. He promises to leave his wife and steal all her money. He also tells Marwood that they’ll run away together and get married to get her to stop crying.

Suddenly, he sees Mirabell and his wife approaching. He urges Marwood to compose herself and hide her face behind a mask she has with her. Then, he guides her down a different path to avoid Mirabell and Mrs. Fainall.