 Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
Table of Contents Characters Major Characters Mirabell The protagonist, who is madly in love with Millamant. He appears to represent the typical beau of Restoration drama, but as the action progresses, Mirabell reveals his individual qualities. He controls the action of the play throughout and finally gains Millamant, along with her fortune and the approval of Lady Wishfort. Millamant The lively and beautiful heroine who is in love with Mirabell. She is Lady Wishfort’s ward and the first cousin of Mrs. Fainall. She seems to be the typical Restoration coquette, pursued by scores of admirers. She is distinguished from other Restoration heroines by her sparkling wit and an essentially serious attitude towards life, love, and marriage. If she marries against the wishes of her aunt, Lady Wishfort, she will lose half her fortune. Fainall Fainall is married to Lady Wishfort’s daughter. During the course of the play, he admits that he married his wife only for her money. He has an extramarital affair with Mrs. Marwood, and together they perform the role of villains in the play. Mrs. Fainall (formerly, Arabella Languish) She is Lady Wishfort’s daughter. She has been Mirabell’s mistress in the past. As a wealthy young widow, she married Fainall only to provide a cover for her affair with Mirabell. She benevolently aids Mirabell in his secret scheme to win Millamant even though she still loves him.
Mrs. Marwood She is Fainall’s mistress. Along with Fainall, she performs the role of the antagonist. Mrs. Marwood reveals to Lady Wishfort that Mirabell’s love for her is only a cover for his real love for Millamant. Mrs. Marwood again thwarts Mirabell’s plot by revealing the true identity of "Sir Rowland" through an anonymous letter. Her secret affair with Fainall is revealed by Foible and Mincing in the concluding act of the play. Lady Wishfort She is a fifty-five year-old widow who desperately wants another husband. She is Mrs. Fainall’s mother and Millamant’s aunt. She detests Mirabell because he pretended to love her, while all the time he wanted to win Millamant. She seems to be afraid of her advancing age and pathetically tries to retain the lost beauty of her youth. She controls Millamant’s fortune and potential for happiness. Table of Contents | |
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