Love for Love

“Jeremy speaks like an oracle. Don’t you see how worthless

great men, and dull rich rogues, avoid a witty man of small

fortune? Why, he looks like a writ of enquiry into their

titles and estates; and seems commissioned by heaven to

seize the better half.”

Scandal speaks here of the great divide between men who are witty and talented but poor, and men who have fortunes but are lacking in intelligence or moral scruples. Scandal argues that such rich men fear the poor wits because the poor wits often have troubling insights into the lives and fortunes of the rich men, and the rich men fear hearing that criticism. This quotation alludes to the tension throughout the play between those who must try to succeed through their wits (e.g. Valentine, Mrs. Frail), and those who hold money and power over the lives of others (e.g. Sir Sampson, Foresight).

“[…] you have little reason to believe that a

woman of this age, who had an indifference for you in

your prosperity, will fall in love with your ill fortune;

besides, Angelica has a great fortune of her own, and great

fortunes either expect another great fortune, or a fool.”

Scandal’s assessment of Valentine’s chances with Angelica offers further information about Angelica, while revealing something of Scandal’s own attitudes towards love and marriage. This quote emphasizes that Angelica has a “great fortune of her own,” and is therefore not under the control of a parental figure the way Valentine is. Scandal’s insistence upon Angelica’s “indifference” hints at her emotional reserve, while his remark that her wealth means she will wish to have either a rich man or a fool as her husband reveals Scandal’s cynicism. Scandal does not believe in the concept of “love for love” the way Valentine does, and he speaks from a more worldly, materialistic viewpoint.

“[…] I shall never be received but

upon public days, and my visits will never be admitted

beyond a drawing room: I shall never see a bedchamber

again, never be locked in a closet, nor run behind a screen,

or under a table, never be distinguished among the waiting-

women by the name of trusty Mr. Tattle more—You will

not be so cruel!”

Tattle’s panic at the thought of his bragging being exposed to Mrs. Frail is rooted in his fear that it will no longer be so easy for him to conduct affairs with married women. In these Lines, Tattle describes affairs based on subterfuge, of having to be “locked in a closet, or run behind a screen” to avoid the detection of a jealous husband. Tattle’s careless attitude towards infidelity reflects the worldly cynicism of many of the other characters in the play, suggesting that “love” is just a game of seduction for many of them, and that fidelity and honesty are held in low regard in Valentine’s social circle.

“[…] I have had some omens; I got out of bed back-

wards too this morning, without premeditation; pretty

good that too, but then I stumbled down stairs, and met

a weasel; bad omens those: some bad, some good, our

lives are chequered [.]”

Foresight’s speech helps to construct his character, giving the reader insights into his personality. Foresight’s fixation upon omens reveals his superstition and his gullibility, while his preoccupation with minor details—how he got out of bed, seeing a weasel—creates a comic effect. Foresight’s silly beliefs and fears alert the reader to the irony of his name, as Foresight is actually lacking in any ability to discern the future or anticipate what might befall him or the other characters.

“What, I warrant my son thought nothing belonged to a

Father but forgiveness and affection; no authority, no cor-

rection, no arbitrary power; nothing to be done, but for

him to offend, and me to pardon.”

Sir Sampson’s speech here deepens our insights into the central conflict of the play between Sir Sampson and Valentine. This conflict is rooted in their opposing conceptions of the parent-child relationship. In these Lines, Sir Sampson depicts Valentine’s beliefs as based purely on emotion (“forgiveness and affection”) and indulgence (“him to offend, and me to pardon”), which stand in stark contrast to the way Sir Sampson views the role of a father. Valentine, Sir Sampson argues, is in denial towards the “authority [...] correction [...] arbitrary power” a father actually holds. Such words signal to the reader that Sir Sampson’s view of parenthood is one rooted in holding absolute authority over his sons.

“[…] there’s no time but the time present,

there’s no more to be said of what’s past, and all that is to

come will happen. If the sun shine by day and the stars by

night, why, we shall know one another’s faces without the

help of a candle, and that’s all the stars are good for.”

Sir Sampson’s mocking of Foresight’s superstitions and belief in astrology presents an alternative viewpoint. While Foresight’s worldview is built upon the assumption that humans lack agency and that their lives are predetermined, Sir Sampson's perspective is more pragmatic: There is no point obsessing over what will happen in the future, and the stars hold no special wisdom or insight for humans. Where Foresight sees prophetic powers and influence in the stars, Sir Sampson sees only light that can help people see one another clearly “without the / help of a candle.” These Lines are also significant because they set up the dramatic irony that faces Sir Sampson later in the play when he, too, falls prey to foolish beliefs about Angelica’s love for him, and when he himself will fail to truly “know” or see the motivations of the people around him.

“[...] Ouns, who are you? Whence came you? What brought

you into the world? How came you here, sir? Here, to stand

here, upon those two legs, and look erect with that auda-

cious face, hah? Answer me that? Did you come a volunteer

into the world? Or did I beat up for you with the lawful

authority of a parent, and press you to the service?”

Sir Sampson’s berating of Valentine in these Lines further deepens his characterization as a parent obsessed with authority and a belief in his control over his sons. These lines underscore the fundamental divide between Sir Sampson and Valentine and help to advance the central conflict of the play: By refusing to release Valentine from his agreement, Sir Sampson perpetuates the dilemma that will drive Valentine in his quest for Angelica’s love. Sir Sampson’s emphasis on the “lawful / authority of a parent” and his rhetorical question, “Did you come a volunteer / into the world?” points to the thematic concern between dependency and agency that Valentine and other characters face throughout the play, creating the tension at the heart of the play’s action.

“They’re all so, sister, these men. They love to have the spoil-

ing of a young thing; they are as fond of it, as of being first

in the fashion, or of seeing a new play the first day.”

Mrs. Foresight’s remark to Mrs. Frail speaks both to her worldly cynicism and her insight into the behavior of some of the men in the play, such as Tattle and Scandal. Like Tattle and Scandal, Mrs. Foresight cannot believe in “love for love," and instead describes seduction as a game based more on a desire for novelty and conquest than something based on genuine emotion. Her use of materialistic similes, comparing a seduction to being “first / in the fashion” or “seeing a new play” on its opening night, further underscores her lack of emotional connection to the idea of love for its own sake. Likewise, her description of seduction as the “spoiling” of a “young thing” also reveals her materialistic outlook through her style of speech.

“All well-bred persons lie.”

Tattle’s declaration to Miss Prue signals to the reader the wide gulf between Tattle’s cynicism and worldliness and Miss Prue’s innocence and inexperience. Miss Prue is first presented to the reader as a simple-hearted, naïve young girl; under Tattle’s influence, she is about to become swiftly (and eagerly) corrupted, gesturing towards the loose moral attitudes found within Valentine’s social circle. Tattle’s emphasis on the idea that “well-bred persons lie” draws a connection between high social rank and deception, which in turn echoes Scandal’s earlier remarks about rich fools despising the poor wits that expose them, and it anticipates Valentine’s rantings as “Truth” while feigning madness later in the play.

“O Lord, I swear this is pure. I like it better than our old-

fashioned country way of speaking one's mind; and

must not you lie too?”

Miss Prue speaks these lines to Tattle during Tattle’s attempted seduction of her, signalling her willingness to abandon her innocence and honesty in favor of imitating Tattle’s more worldly ways. In rejecting the “old- / fashioned country way of speaking one’s mind,” Miss Prue reveals that her character is undergoing a change from the naive country girl she first appeared as in the play, to someone more closely resembling characters such as Tattle and Mrs. Frail in her morality. This speech foreshadows the more arrogant and cynical behavior she will soon demonstrate toward Ben in the next act. These lines are also significant because they reveal that Miss Prue—unlike Ben—is eager to give up her original moral values in her search for novelty and social acceptance. The clash between Ben and Miss Prue in Act III, and Miss Prue’s rejection of Ben’s proposal, will serve as the culmination of the moral transformation that begins here.

“Look you forsooth, I am, as it were,

Bound for the land of matrimony; ‘tis a voyage, d’ye see,

That was none of my seeking. I was commanded by father,

And if you may like of it, mayhap I may steer into your harbour.”

Ben’s speech to Miss Prue reveals important aspects of both his character and his attitude towards the proposed match between them. Typical of Ben, his speech is littered with nautical imagery: “land of matrimony,” “tis a voyage,” "your harbour.” Ben’s speech reminds the reader of his time as a sailor and his commitment to a simple, seafaring existence that contrasts with the more sophisticated and luxurious pleasures of his brother’s social circle on land. Furthermore, his acknowledgement that he was “commanded by father” to seek the match and is doing so in accordance with his father’s demands, signals that Ben is still an obedient son at this point in the play. Unlike Valentine, Ben is still willing to submit to his father’s authority.

“Aye, but, my dear, we must keep it secret, till the estate be

settled; for you know, marrying without an estate is like

sailing a ship without a ballast.”

Mrs. Frail reveals two crucial aspects of her situation in these lines to Ben. First, her mention of the necessity of keeping their intended match “secret” until Ben’s inheritance of Sir Sampson’s estate is secure emphasizes the fact that her interest in Ben is motivated purely by money and not by love. While the reader is aware of this, Ben is not—which creates a moment of dramatic irony in the play, as the reader knows something a character doesn’t. Second, Mrs. Frail reveals how cunning she is by modelling her own style of speech upon Ben’s: her use of sea imagery in invoking “a ship without a ballast” is meant to persuade Ben that she shares his interest in seafaring and respects his sailor mannerisms, which is of course far from true. By echoing Ben’s seafaring rhetoric, Mrs. Frail seeks to further soothe and ensare him, in the hopes of securing both the marriage and the estate she desires.

“[...] I am Truth. ‘Tis hard to get a liveli-

hood amongst you. I have been sworn out of Westminster

Hall the first day of every term. ”

Valentine’s “Truth” speeches while feigning madness often center upon themes of corruption and worldliness and are Valentine’s way of safely denouncing the follies of his own social circle. His reference to Truth being “sworn out of Westminster / Hall” gestures towards corruption at the very highest and most powerful levels of society, a corruption that his other speeches as Truth will trace even through people’s social, religious, and sexual dealings with one another.

“[...] What tho’f he be my father, I an’t bound prentice to

‘en: so faith, I told’n in plain terms, if I were minded to

marry, I’d marry to please myself, not him.”

This speech signals a radical change in Ben’s attitude towards his filial obligations towards his father. While in his earlier speech to Miss Prue, Ben showed a willingness to submit to a match to please his father, here he asserts his own agency and rejects his father’s authority. His use of homely imagery in using the simile of the “bound prentice” further emphasizes his down-to-earth character in comparison to the more sophisticated speech of the other characters. The simile also gestures towards the way Ben’s conception of the parent-child relationship has changed: He argues here that it should not resemble the business relationship between an apprentice and a master, which implies that his conception is now drawing closer to Valentine’s, in rejecting authority.

“ [...] Dost thou know what will happen tomorrow?

Answer me not, for I will tell thee. Tomorrow knaves

will thrive through craft, and fools through fortune; and

honesty will go as it did, frost-nipped in a summer suit.”

Valentine’s speech as “Truth” to Foresight is an ironic rebuttal to Foresight’s obsession with divining the future. Here, Valentine suggests that the future is predictable in a very reductive sense: the world will continue to be corrupt and unfair. His imagery of “honesty” going “frost-nipped in a summer suit” is a criticism of how his social circle rejects truth and fair dealing in favor of game-playing and materialistic concerns.

“Nay, faith, now let us understand one other, hypocrisy

apart. The comedy draws toward an end, and let us think

of leaving acting and be ourselves.”

In speaking to Angelica in this fashion, Valentine attempts to cast aside both his feigned madness and the corrupt game-playing of their social circle, urging Angelica instead to consider “leaving acting and be ourselves.” This quote underscores Valentine’s desire for a genuine love connection with Angelica, and reveals his desire for authenticity in their dealings with one another.

“Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is

an insipid thing, and the overtaking and possessing of a wish

discovers the folly of the chase. Never let us know one

another better; for the pleasure of the masquerade is done

when we come to show faces.”

Angelica’s seeming rejection of Valentine’s plea for honesty signals that she is not yet fully persuaded of Valentine’s worthiness or intentions, and she intends to test him further. In evading him, Angelica models her speech on the worldly cynicism of their social circle, rejecting “security” and speaking of “the folly of the chase.” She also resorts to using the imagery of acting and artifice that Valentine urged her to reject in his earlier speech, speaking instead of the “pleasure of the masquerade.” While Valentine is confused by her speech, Angelica’s self-possession allows her to continue concealing her own feelings and intentions until she is ready to reveal them.

“’Tis true, you have a great while pretended to love me; nay

what if you were sincere? Still you must pardon me, if I

think my own inclinations have a better right to dispose of

my person, than yours.”

Angelica’s testing of Valentine continues, with her teasing him that he may have “pretended” to love her all this time, but then adding rhetorically, “what if you were sincere?”. This teasing hints to the audience that Angelica is growing more convinced of the genuineness of Valentine’s affection and is perhaps ready to reveal her feelings in due time. Nevertheless, her reminder to Valentine that she should be guided by her “own inclinations” and not his, asserts her agency and emphasizes her independence. Angelica’s speech here helps to build up to the climax of her declaration of love later in the act, as her emphasis here is that any declaration of love from her will be both sincere and entirely voluntary, thus enhancing its emotional impact.