Student Question
Discuss the relationship between Lady Wishfort and Sir Rowland.
Quick answer:
Lady Wishfort and Sir Rowland's relationship is essentially fake. In reality, "Sir Rowland" is Mirabell's servant, Waitwell. Lady Wishfort is only interested in the relationship because she believes it will hurt Mirabell, who has insulted her.
The relationship between Sir Rowland and Lady Wishfort is based on false pretenses. First of all, “Sir Rowland” isn't real. Mirabell makes up the existence of a wealthy uncle named Sir Rowland who can disinherit Mirabell by getting married.
Lady Wishfort hates Mirabell because she found out that he only pretended to love her as cover for courting her niece, Millamant, whom he truly loves. Millamant can’t marry without her aunt’s permission, so Mirabell has to find a way to get Lady Wishfort’s consent.
Mirabell has his servant, Waitwell, pose as Sir Rowland and court Lady Wishfort, hoping she will marry him as a way to get revenge on Mirabell. However, at Mirabell’s direction, Waitwell has secretly married Fobile, Lady Wishfort’s maid. Mirabell plans to tell Lady Wishfort the true identity of “Sir Rowland” only after she marries him. Mirabell then intends to offer to produce proof of Waitwell’s previous...
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marriage: this will release Lady Wishfort from her contract in exchange for her granting Mirabell and Millamant permission to wed.
When Waitwell, acting as “Sir Rowland,” meets Lady Wishfort, he wins her over by appealing to her vanity as well as her desire for revenge on Mirabell. He pretends to be madly in love with her, saying,
My impatience, madam, is the effect of my transport; and till I have the possession of your adorable person, I am tantalised on the rack, and do but hang, madam, on the tenter of expectation.
He also says he would gladly starve Mirabell to death. Lady Wishfort is delighted by this and tells him to do it as slowly as possible to prolong Mirabell’s suffering.
After meeting with Lady Wishfort, Waitwell tells Fobile how disgusted he is by having to pretend to woo the older woman, calling her “the antidote to desire.”
Lady Wishfort agrees to “Sir Rowland’s” suggestion that he bring her a marriage contract. However, before he can do so, she discovers the truth and is furious that she came so close to marrying a mere servant. She calls upon the constable to put Waitwell in jail, and Mirabell has to get him released.