The Comedies of William Congreve: Volume 1 [of 2]

In Short

This volume brings together two classic Restoration comedies that exposed the sharp wits, fragile hypocrisies, and tangled romances of late seventeenth-century London society. In the first, a group of gallant rakes and manipulative schemers navigate secret courtships, fraudulent marriages, and absurdly tricked elders. In the second, a young couple tries to secure their inheritance and union while unmasking a scheming, hypocritical traitor hidden within their own inner circle. These plays endures because of their luminous, muscular dialogue, their lightning-fast verbal repartee, and their unsparingly sophisticated view of human vanity, ambition, and desire.

The Story

The volume opens in the bustling streets and private chambers of London, where young gentlemen of fashion treat pleasure as their primary vocation and business as an unwelcome distraction. Bellmour and his friend Vainlove pursue their romantic intrigues with equal parts cynicism and devotion. Vainlove finds himself bored the moment a woman succumbs to his advances, abandoning the devoted Sylvia while pursuing the elusive Araminta. Bellmour, ever opportunistic, takes advantage of Vainlove’s discarded passions while setting his sights on Araminta’s affected cousin, Belinda.

Complications multiply as secondary schemers pull the city’s fools into their webs. The foolish knight Sir Joseph Wittoll falls prey to Sharper, a clever rogue who tricks him out of money under the guise of rescue and friendship. Meanwhile, the elderly, ridiculously jealous puritan Fondlewife attempts to guard his young wife, Laetitia, from temptation. Taking advantage of Fondlewife’s absence, Bellmour disguises himself in fanatic religious robes to infiltrate the house and indulge in a secret assignation with Laetitia, barely escaping detection when the paranoid husband unexpectedly returns. Through forged letters, false identities, and theatrical tricks orchestrated by clever servants, the lovers manipulate one another until the confusion peaks in a series of hastily arranged, fraudulent marriages that punish the foolish and reward the audacious.

The narrative arc shifts to a richer, more sinister register in the second work, which centers on the refined Mellefont and his witty, clear-eyed fiancée, Cynthia. The pair wish to marry, but their path is blocked by a nest of domestic schemers within Mellefont’s family. His formidable aunt, Lady Touchwood, harbors a furious, thwarted passion for Mellefont and swears to destroy his match out of bitter revenge. She finds a willing ally in Maskwell, a villain who pretends to be Mellefont’s most loyal friend while secretly manipulating everyone around him for his own advancement.

Maskwell plays a dangerous double game. He feeds Lady Touchwood’s vengeful malice while poisoning Lord Touchwood’s mind against Mellefont, framing the innocent young man for treasonous advances against his aunt. As the foolish peripheral aristocrats—the poetry-obsessed Lord and Lady Froth and the henpecked Sir Paul Plyant—bicker and preen, Maskwell quietly maneuvering to secure Cynthia for himself and inherit Lord Touchwood’s entire fortune. Just as Maskwell’s web of double-dealing seems unbreakable, his own secret arrogance betrays him. Lady Touchwood discovers his betrayal, the deceit is exposed to Lord Touchwood, and Maskwell is dragged away in disgrace, leaving Mellefont and Cynthia free to join hands in a genuine, clear-sighted union.

How It Unfolds

The morning stroll Bellmour and Vainlove meet early in the London streets to exchange banter on pleasure, love, and the uselessness of business. Vainlove admits his paradox: he pursues women passionately until they yield, at which point his interest instantly vanishes.

The plot against the old bachelor The discarded Sylvia and her clever maid Lucy plot revenge against Vainlove by forging a letter from Araminta, hoping to disgust his delicate appetite. Meanwhile, the crusty woman-hater Heartwell finds himself helplessly drawn to Sylvia’s door against his own better judgment.

Hypocrisy under the cloak Bellmour puts on a fanatic religious habit to gain entry into the house of the old, jealous Fondlewife. He seduces Fondlewife’s willing wife, Laetitia, barely dodging discovery when the suspicious husband interrupts their tryst.

The double-dealer’s web Mellefont confides his wedding plans to his presumed friend Maskwell, unaware that Maskwell is secretly sleeping with Lady Touchwood. Maskwell promises to help Mellefont while systematically undermining him to steal his inheritance and his bride.

Fools in the drawing room The vain Lord and Lady Froth join the absurdly henpecked Sir Paul Plyant to praise bad poetry and silly social graces. Behind the scenes, misdelivered love letters cause Sir Paul to believe his notoriously chaste wife has turned unfaithful.

Unmasking the traitor Maskwell’s plot to secure Cynthia and the Touchwood estate reaches its peak, but his cold manipulation of Lady Touchwood backfires. Lord Touchwood overhears the true depth of the villainy, orders Maskwell seized, and restores Mellefont to his rightful place.

The People

• Bellmour: A smooth-talking rake who views pleasure as his sole occupation. He glides effortlessly through intrigue, using disguises and quick wit to win Belinda while aiding his friends.
• Vainlove: A fickle lover who craves the chase but recoils from victory. His psychological quirk drives the romantic confusion surrounding Araminta and Sylvia.
• Mellefont: A generous, trusting young gentleman whose only flaw is his inability to suspect malice in those he loves. He seeks a happy marriage with Cynthia despite a fortress of domestic opposition.
• Cynthia: A sharp-witted, realistic young woman who loves Mellefont but sees through the pretensions of the married world around her, refusing to accept a union built on foolishness.
• Maskwell: A master of duplicity who hides absolute villainy behind a pious, modest facade. He manipulates friends, benefactors, and lovers alike to capture an estate and a bride.
• Lady Touchwood: A violent, passionate woman consumed by her thwarted desire for her nephew Mellefont. Her rage drives the plot's dark vengeance until she discovers she is merely Maskwell's tool.
• Sir Paul Plyant: An absurdly henpecked husband who submits entirely to his domineering wife, torn between ludicrous pride and constant panic over his family honor.

In Its Own Voice

"Leave business to idlers and wisdom to fools; they have need of 'em: wit be my faculty and pleasure my occupation, and let Father Time shake his glass."

— Bellmour lays out his carefree life philosophy to Vainlove during a morning chance encounter in the street.

"Wisdom's nothing but a pretending to know and believe more than we really do. You read of but one wise man, and all that he knew was, that he knew nothing."

— Bellmour defends his commitment to pleasure by cheekily redefining human wisdom.

"Tis not so hard to counterfeit joy in the depth of affliction, as to dissemble mirth in company of fools."

— Cynthia reflects privately on the agonizing effort of maintaining politeness among vanity-stricken aristocrats.

What It's Really About

Beneath the sparkling banter and chaotic secret doors, these works present a shrewd critique of late seventeenth-century social performance. The plot continually contrasts true affection with calculated hypocrisy. Marriage is rarely portrayed as a romantic ideal; instead, it appears as a financial transaction, a trap for the foolish, or a battleground of control. Characters actively perform identities—the pious puritan, the reluctant maiden, the loyal friend, the refined critic—to hide greed, lust, and betrayal. The underlying question is whether genuine integrity and affection can survive in a world where performance is necessary for self-preservation, and where those who trust too easily are marked as easy prey.

Why Read It Today

This collection is a masterclass in theatrical rhythm and verbal elegance. Modern readers who enjoy blistering satire, sharp-tongued banter, and complex romantic chess games will find immense pleasure here. Congreve writes with a rare, effortless cadence where every line feels polished to a high sheen. The dialogue does not merely move the plot forward; it sparkles with intelligence, irony, and enduring human observation.

Reading these texts requires an adjustment to period style. The plots are intentionally intricate—full of forged notes, overheard conversations, and sudden reversals—and the characters speak in an elevated, highly stylized Restoration dialect rich in obscure late-seventeenth-century idioms. Modern sensibilities may also be jolted by the casual cynicism toward marriage and the coarse, unsentimental treatment of elderly or foolish characters. Yet once you attune your ear to the rhythm of the prose, the density of the language melts into pure theatrical energy. What stays with you is the absolute modernity of the voices: the unsparing observation of self-delusion, the hilarious vanity of social climbers, and the timeless thrill of watching a brilliant scoundrel hoisted by his own petard.