The Way of the World: Act 4, Scene 5 Summary & Analysis

Mirabell quietly enters the room and begins to recite the next lines of the poem by Edmund Waller that Millamant is trying to learn from The Story of Phoebus and Daphne, Applied: “Like Daphne she, as lovely and as coy.” He flirts with Millamant, asking her if she locks herself away to make his search more interesting or to signify that she’s done running away from him. Millamant responds that she’ll always run away, even on the day she gets married.

They begin to speak about their ideas of love. Millamant says that she won’t marry unless her husband assures her that she can keep her independence and will provide her pleasure. Mirabell asks her if she wants both now, or would she be content to wait for the latter until after they marry.

Millamant tells him not to be impertinent and insists that she cannot give up the habits she has developed as an independent woman, like waking up late and daydreaming. Mirabell remarks that if she keeps those habits up, then he will wake up as early as he wants once they’re married.

Millamant agrees to this and tells him that she also won’t be called by pet names once married. She begins to outline her ideal marriage to Mirabell. They won’t kiss in public or act familiar towards one another. They won’t go to the park on the first Sunday of every month as is the fashion with married couples, only to not be seen together again thereafter. She tells him that she wants them to be “strange” toward one another, as if they were married for a long while and “well bred,” so that others wouldn’t think them married at all.

Mirabell asks her if she has any more “conditions” to add and compliments her demands as pretty reasonable, thus far. She adds other conditions: she will be allowed to pay and receive visits to and from anyone she wants, can write and receive letters without Mirabell’s jealousy, won’t have to spend time with his friends, can come to dinner when she wants or dine by herself without giving him a reason. She must also be in control of the tea table, designing the menu, etc. He must also always knock before entering her room, she adds. If he lets her have her way in these matters, then she might “by degrees dwindle into a wife.”

Mirabell’s accepts her conditions and says that when she dwindles into being a wife then he must be “enlarged into a husband.” Then, he adds his own conditions to their marriage: she must not have close female friends who would try to lead her astray and ruin her marriage, she must not dislike her own face as long as he likes it, she must not wear masks, she must also not wear corsets while pregnant, and must only have simple English fare at her tea table. He says that if she agrees to these articles, then he will be an accommodating husband. They agree to abide by the rules they have devised and Mirabell kisses Millamant’s hand to seal the contract. Mrs. Fainall approaches to bear witness to their agreement.