Context: Mrs. Malaprop, who is the guardian of Lydia Languish, a beautiful young heiress with romantic notions, intercepts a letter to the girl written by "Ensign Beverley," who is really handsome young Captain Absolute. The captain is using the fictitious identity to woo Lydia because she refuses to marry except for pure love; the penniless "ensign" is far more attractive to her than the captain who is wealthy Sir Anthony Absolute's heir! Forced by his father to pay court to Lydia in his own identity, Captain Absolute appears at Mrs. Malaporp's lodgings at Bath, where she tells him about the letter from the "ensign" which she has in her possession, little dreaming that the real author of the letter is the captain who stands before her. Outraged at the comments about her in the letter, Mrs. Malaprop hands it to the captain to read, so that he can know what a scoundrel he has for a rival. As the captain reads the letter aloud, Mrs. Malaprop interrupts occasionally with her comments, illustrating her famous misuse of the language: