The theatre was revived after the restoration of Charles II to the English throne in 1660. After theatres were re opened in 1660, a new kind of comedy, the comedy of manners, immediately came into being for the aristocratic class of society and flourished until 1700. The focus of these comic plays was on manners rather than morals. The restoration comedy of manners does not reflect the real life of t

A great emphasis is placed on age and beauty throughout the play, and in particular in connection with Mrs. Marwood and Lady Wishfort, who do not try and age gracefully. "The ugly and the old, whom the looking glass mortifies." It is believed throughout the play that without beauty and youth you have nothing, portraying a very superficial and self-conscious society. If you are old you will not attract a husband, likewise, if you are ugly you will not attract male attention. Appearance is everything, and no female individual in society would greet someone without their appearance groomed to perfection, "I shall never recompose my features to receive Sir Rowland ... I am absolutely decayed." Not only is Lady Wishfort's emphasis on looks voiced here, but it also shows that women wore mounds of white make up on the face, as "decayed," implies that when she gets angry the white makeup cracks. The theme of beauty is stretched further when Lady Wishfort sends Sir Rowland a younger picture of herself, "I shall never keep up my picture." The only way Lady Wishfort can acquire a husband is by sending a younger picture of herself, showing society's shallowness. To insult a woman in this society only a comment need be made about age, which can be seen to highlight women's low self esteem, particularly in Mrs. Marwood, shown through her catty dispute with Millamant. "Yet the creature loves me... and I am a year or two younger." Lady Wishfort represents the stock Restoration character of an amorous older lady, who will do anything to get a husband, and her efforts to hide her age are both comical and tragic.

The phrase, "the way of the world," has already been employed in the play so far, where, in Act Two, Fainall assures Mrs Marwood that he will marry her after getting rid of his wife and explains his behaviour as necessary to "bustle through the ways of wedlock and this world." Fainall associates the way of the world with a state of marriage in which the partners are not loyal to each other. The conventional, romantic view of marriage is at odds with the Restoration view of it. Fainall is openly cynical about his marriage and love life when he reflects, "I have a wife and so forth." In contrast Mirabell and Millamant truly love each other. However this action of love is continually driven by the desire to acquire the six thousand pounds. This financial drive imparts a weakness to many of the relationships. While Mirabell truly loves Millamant, he is not blind

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sir Rowland, Lady Wishfort, II English, Sir Wilfull, Foible Waitwell, Mirabell Millamant, Act Fainall, Mrabell Fainall, Witwoud Mirabell, Lady Wishfort's, lady wishfort, sir wilfull, love marriage, sir rowland, throughout play, damaged reputation, restoration comedy, six thousand pounds, six thousand, lady wishfort's, love money, placed age beauty,
Approximate Word count = 1663
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)