ful prize of a rich widow's wealth."
             The phrase, "the way of the world," has already been employed in the play so far, where, in Act Two, Fainall assures Mrs Marwood that he will marry her after getting rid of his wife and explains his behaviour as necessary to "bustle through the ways of wedlock and this world." Fainall associates the way of the world with a state of marriage in which the partners are not loyal to each other. The conventional, romantic view of marriage is at odds with the Restoration view of it. Fainall is openly cynical about his marriage and love life when he reflects, "I have a wife and so forth." In contrast Mirabell and Millamant truly love each other. However this action of love is continually driven by the desire to acquire the six thousand pounds. This financial drive imparts a weakness to many of the relationships. While Mirabell truly loves Millamant, he is not blinded by love. Money is Lady Wishfort's sole hold over her niece and even the marriage of Foible and Waitwell is built on a promise of a sum of money. This is the
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