Scene i Summary

This scene picks up directly from the end of Act III, with Charles taking the men to see his family portraits and attempting to auction them. Charles is more than willing to part with the portraits of many of his relatives, while Sir Oliver comments in shocked asides at how little Charles values these accomplished ancestors.

At last, they come to a portrait of Sir Oliver himself before he went to India. Charles refuses to sell his uncle's portrait, winning his uncle to his side. Sir Oliver is flattered, confessing in an aside that he "forgive[s] [Charles] for everything." Despite offers of more and more money, Charles will not part with Sir Oliver's portrait.

Charles has made over five hundred points in this impromptu portrait auction, and he tells Rowley to give one hundred to his poor relation, Stanley. He claims it's better to give away the money to someone in need than wait for creditors to arrive.

Scene ii Summary

Moses and Sir Oliver consider Charles's behavior in the previous scene. Sir Oliver repeats that Charles refused to sell his portrait, which has obviously endeared the younger Mr. Surface to his uncle. Moses admits that Charles is in debt partly because "he is so damned charitable." Sir Oliver tells Rowley he will next meet with Joseph Surface in the guise of Mr. Stanley.

Scene iii Summary

The action moves to Joseph's library, where he converses with a servant about whether Lady Teazle has sent word that she isn't coming. He thinks Sir Peter is ignorant of his dealings with Lady Teazle. When the servant leaves, Joseph thinks aloud that Lady Teazle does not know his true motives for pursuing Maria.

Lady Teazle arrives and reports that Sir Peter is annoyed with her and "jealous of Charles," so their plan seems to be working. As an aside, Joseph expresses his satisfaction that his gossipy friends have helped mar Charles's reputation in Sir Peter's eyes. He claims he has no designs on Maria, and Lady Teazle complains that Lady Sneerwell has spread "a scandalous story" about her.

In counseling Lady Teazle about how to handle her husband's new suspicions of her infidelity, Joseph gives her seemingly contradictory advice: "to give him reason" for his jealousy. He advises her to break her appearance of innocence, or, as Lady Teazle phrases it, "to part with [her] virtue to secure [her] reputation."

The servant returns to announce that Sir Peter has arrived, so Lady Teazle hides behind a screen in the room. Sir Peter confides that his wife's recent behavior has troubled him; he believes she is having an affair with Charles. At this point, Sir Peter still firmly believes in Joseph's goodness, so he takes Joseph's disbelief at the accusations as proof of his "integrity."

Sir Peter doesn't believe he can publicly expose his wife's affair because he will bring ridicule on himself. In Sir Peter's eyes, what's worse is that Charles has betrayed Sir Peter, his guardian. Joseph vows to disown his brother for this betrayal to keep Sir Peter's favor. He also says he believes Lady Teazle is honorable.

Sir Peter tells Joseph he wants to end the conflict with his wife. He plans to give her an annual income on which to live and a generous inheritance after his death. Sir Peter believes these actions will be amenable to his wife, but he has not told her yet (of course, he does not know that she is hearing it now, behind the screen).

Sir Peter chides Joseph for not winning Maria's affection. Meanwhile, Charles has arrived and...