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What must Mirabell and Millamant achieve before they can marry in The Way of the World?
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William Congreve
William Congreve, oil painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1709; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In William Congreve's comedy of manners, The Way of the World, the protagonists Mirabell and Millamant must secure the formal consent of Millamant’s aunt, Lady Wishfort, before they can marry.1
The plot centers on the couple's complex efforts to obtain this permission, navigating various schemes, misunderstandings, and social complications before they are finally successful.1