tely, the lovers temper their romance with realism and rise above the typical sentimentality of plays of this time period. Mirabell does not propose to Millamant before discussing the conditions under which they will be able to live together. Millamant insists that she will not be "called names . . . as wife, spouse, my dear, jewel, love" (p.366). She also requests that they shall not be "familiar or fond, nor kiss before folks" (p.367). After Millamant has stated her conditions, Mirabell lays down some of his own. They decide in a business-like manner to retain their independence after marriage. But this entire scene is conducted in a witty, flirtatious tone, and Mirabell rounds it off by telling Millamant that "when you are dwindled into a wife, I may not be beyond measure enlarged into a husband" (p.367), relaying that he hopes he can grow to be a husband that matches the wife she will be to him. The two characters are presented as equals, and see themselves as such. They both enjoy the power they have over the other, particularly Millamant, and live for the flirtatious battle-of-the-wits banter that characterizes their conversation. Mirabell and Millamant seem to be an ideal match for each other. In of itself the relationship between Millamant and Mirabell seems to be idyllic. They love each other, they respect each other, and they treat each other as equals. When placed in the context of the play, their relationship represents more than just a happy couple; it speaks to the progress of the view of marriage from being merely a contract, a way of gaining money or of saving one's honor, to a more modern conception. Now, in present times, marriage is seen as an affirmation of the mutual love and respect between two people. This is what the leading couple in The Way of the World seems to be aiming at, and what Congreve would claim should be a model for Restoration society. Though Mirabell and Millamant's relationship is not c...
