36 pages • 1 hour read
William CongreveLove for Love
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1695A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Act IIIChapter Summaries & Analyses
Act III Summary
The Nurse interrupts Tattle’s attempted seduction of Miss Prue, catching them both in Miss Prue’s chamber. Tattle hastily leaves Miss Prue alone with her Nurse. Angelica, Scandal, and Valentine enter the scene, with Valentine and Angelica arguing about Angelica’s feelings. Angelica claims that she is indifferent to Valentine’s love. Tattle joins them and tries to insist to Angelica that she does indeed return Valentine’s affection, but Angelica remains unmoved. Angelica teases Tattle about his conquests and indiscretion, while insisting that she herself has always managed to resist the wooing of young men such as Valentine.
Sir Sampson enters with Mrs. Frail and Miss Prue, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Ben. Valentine and Scandal leave, as Valentine does not wish to see Ben. Sir Sampson is disgusted at Valentine’s departure, and warns Angelica that Valentine only courts her in the hope of gaining her estate for himself. Angelica assures Sir Sampson that she is in no danger of falling for Valentine, claiming that his former estate was the only attraction he ever held for her.
Ben enters the room, and his identity as a sailor is strongly marked in his style of speech: he frequently uses nautical terminology and metaphors to express himself and speaks in a far less polished manner than his brother Valentine, with even Sir Sampson admitting to Ben’s lack of elegance. Mrs. Frail attempts to flirt with Ben, which pleases him. Sir Sampson insists on leaving Ben alone with Miss Prue, his intended bride, but before leaving Tattle whispers to Miss Prue a reminder that she has promised herself to him.
When left alone together, Ben mentions the intended marriage to Miss Prue. Unlike Valentine, Ben appears to be a strong believer in filial duty, and he openly admits that he intends to marry Miss Prue only at his father’s command: “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” (3.324-26). The intended match soon falls apart, as Miss Prue is openly contemptuous of Ben. Mrs. Foresight and Mrs. Frail enter the room and find Ben and Miss Prue arguing, which pleases them. Mrs. Foresight insists on taking Miss Prue away while telling Mrs. Frail to take Ben away with her. When Sampson and Foresight enter and find no one there, they assume the match has been made and plan to hold the wedding the next day.
Scandal enters and tells Sir Sampson that Valentine has suddenly taken ill, and he is behaving like he has lost his wits. Sir Sampson is skeptical and vows to push ahead with the agreement over the inheritance before exiting. Scandal flatters Foresight by pretending to be impressed by Foresight’s astrological knowledge, then he tries to persuade Foresight that he does not look well. When Mrs. Foresight enters, Scandal whispers to her that he is trying to get Foresight out of the way because he passionately desires her for himself. They persuade Foresight to go to bed, and afterwards, Mrs. Foresight appears to resist Scandal’s advances and argues with him. Mrs. Frail and Ben enter the scene, and we learn through their conversation that they intend to marry once the estate is settled upon Ben. They all agree it is time to go to bed.
Act III Analysis
Ben’s entry into the play, and his characterization, form a complement to Miss Prue’s initial characterization. Ben’s rough, unpolished manner seems to cause some embarrassment to his father, but Ben’s forthright demeanor also speaks to an honesty and unworldliness that is lacking in many of the other characters. Ben’s obsession with seafaring is stressed to the point of caricature, and his frequent recourse to nautical imagery and metaphor is a reminder of where he has been for the past few years: “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.” (3.324-27)
Ben’s commitment to seafaring is more significant when considered in terms of financial dependency and agency: while Valentine appears to have no profession at all, and therefore no means to support himself, Ben does indeed have a profession and is therefore less dependent on Sir Sampson’s goodwill. Ben’s defiance of Sir Sampson’s will later in the play will therefore have fewer material repercussions for him, which is turn gives him more agency than Valentine.
Scandal’s tricking of Foresight, and seduction of Mrs. Foresight, forms a contrast to the blunt conversation between Ben and Miss Prue earlier in the Act. While Ben and Miss Prue speak very frankly—and even rudely—to one another about their feelings and intentions, Scandal and Mrs. Foresight engage in a game of evasion and deceit, with Scandal declaring his passionate intentions and Mrs. Foresight pretending to be shocked by his advances. Their worldliness in their dealings with one another, their easy willingness to deceive Foresight, and the inherent cynicism of their passion speaks to the side of the play that represents the opposite of “love for love.” The same can also be said of Mrs. Frail’s desire to entrap Ben in a match with her instead of Miss Prue: She has no love for him whatsoever, but she desires the material and social prosperity a match with him would bring her if he inherits Sir Sampson’s estate. Thus, these two parallel approaches to love and marriage play out alongside one another throughout this Act.
