“All that I know of her perfections now is only by memory. I remember, indeed, that about two years ago I loved her passionately; but those golden days are gone, Palamede. Yet I loved her a whole half year, double the natural term of any mistress, and I think in my conscience I could have held out another quarter; but then the world began to laugh at me, and a certain shame of being out of fashion seized me.”
Rhodophil is married to a perfect woman but compares the relationship to the length of time he would have a mistress, and he feels out of fashion to be married without a lover on the side. This is an exaggerated view of Marriage, one that is far enough removed to be laughed at and yet connected in true human experience enough to have humor. Palamede sums up his marital plight as well,
“In few words: my old man has already married me; for he has a greed with another old man, as rich and as covetous as himself; the articles are drawn, and I have given my consent, for fear of being disinherited; and yet know not what kind of woman I am to marry.”
These melancholy views of marriage do serve a sad purpose. To drive our players on toward another goal, which Congreve would agree is as universal, if not more so, than the concept of marriage, this is sex. This is a tricky slope and if used to gain a rapport with an audience in a comedy must not be too lude. The way this is done is described brilliantly by L.C. Knights in the article Restoration Comedy: The Reality and the Myth,
“Sex is a hook baited with tempting morsels; it is a thirst quencher; it is a cordial; it is a dish to feed on; it is a bunch of grapes; it is anything but sex. (This, of course, explains why some people can combine a delighted approval of restoration comedy with an unbalanced repugnance for such modern literature as deals sincerely and realistically with sexual relationships.)”
Marriage A-La-Mode can divert from some of Congreve's character issues and still be a great comedy because the larger concepts of marriage and sex are the real connections the audience has. They will hang upon every word to hear other's views on the subject to see how akin they are to their own. Though Congreve specified his humor as coming from the personality, I feel he would agree that it is the true universal connection that makes the play Humorous. So even though Marriage A-La-Mode breaks all of his rules I still feel he would consider it a great play.
When understanding the theory Congreve gives on humor, one is able to grasp what makes these plays truly funny. In The Country Wife it is the humorous characters of Mr. and Mrs. Pinchwife that drive the humor. In Marriage A-La-Mode there is not one humorous character, but its success could also be attributed to Congreve's view of humor. In this play it is the universal mode of marriage and sex that gives us that deep human connection. This understanding is not only important to future playwrights but to the greater audience as well. Understanding that there is a true connection between what we find as humorous and ourselves is empowering. When Hobbes goes on to talk about laughter he explains that it is powerful for one to be able to laugh at themselves. (Hobbes) When we, as humans, grasp the concepts and characters of comedies as something which touches us on a deeper level than it is then and there that playwrights will send their deepest lessons; the lessons that need to be given. Understanding how the playwright's mind works is always a good thing, and more so when the theatre at the time, as film is today, is the foremost learning institution in society. The concept may not be as obvious as Harvard and Oxford, but it is at the end of the day more widespread.
