Class division of The Man of Mode by Sir George Etherege: Introduction, Culture, Summary and Themes -- englit.in

Q: Critically discuss the wit in “The Man of Mode” by Sir George Etherege.

One of the most important restoration comedies is “The Man of Mode,” or “Sir Fopling Flutter,” written by the English dramatists, Sir George Etherege. Who is considered one of the “big five dramatists” of Restoration comedy. It was first published in 1676, and played by Thomas Betterton and William Smith. In the course of the play, the womanizer, Dorimant who tries to win over the young heiress,  Harriet and to disengage himself from his affair with Mrs. Loveit. The critic, Brian Gibbons describes, “The Man of Mode” as “The comedy of manners in its most concentrated form.”

“The Man of mode,” Etherege’s last play, appears to satirize many contemporaries of Restoration London. The character of Dorimant may have been based on John Wilmot, 2^nd Earl of Rochester; though there is no evidence of this. One is the portrayal of life as a “game.” Norman N. Holland concludes that “Virtually every action of every character becomes a gambit in a great and meaningless social game.” Virginia Ogden Birdsall sees Restoration comedy as a celebration of play and argues that Dorimant, and Harriet are rewarded for their mastery in “the love game” and “the game of life.”

As the play opens, Dorimant, a well-known rake, complains to his friend Medley that he is losing interest on his current beloved, Mrs. Loveit. Dorimant expresses potentially, “Most infinitely; next to the coming to a good understanding with a new Mistress, I love a quarrel with an old one”; and says about “The Orange Woman.” Medley realizes Dorimant is speaking about Harriet, an heiress. However, Harriet’s mother, Lady Woodvill, already disliked Dorimant that based on his bad reputation. Dorimant complains that he is bored with his love life. On the one hand,  Sir Fopling Flutter, new to London and is inordinately obsessed with his clothing and appearance—in other words, “a fop.”

On the other hand, Mrs. Loveit complains to her waiting-woman, Pert. Dorimant expresses to Mrs. Loveit by targeting to Sir Fopling Flutter, “The worse woman you, at first sight to put on all your charms, to entertain him with that softness in your voice and all that wanton kindness in your Eyes you.” He pretends to be jealous and leaves. Accordingly, Act III opens with Busy, Harriet’s waiting-woman, teasing Harriet about her affection for Dorimant. Apparently, Dorimant asks Belinda to meet Mrs. Loveit at The Mall, a road in London, and set up a scene in which Mrs. Loveit will appear to be flirting with Fopling. That night, the major characters all assemble at The Mall, flirts with Dorimant, but pretends not to be in love with him. Mrs. Loveit and Belinda arrive together and meet Fopling.

Act IV begins with Dorimant is in disguise as “Mr. Courtage”, he elicits to Lady Woodvill, “All people mingle nowadays, madam, and in public places women of quality have the least respect showed ‘em.” In Act V, Mrs. Loveit is indeed suspicious of Belinda for arriving in Dorimant’s coach. Dorimant arrives and announces that he is ready for marriage. Mrs. Loveit and Belinda reveal Dorimant’s true identity to Lady Woodvill, who is outraged at first, but softens when Harriet explains how much she loves him. The other characters also offer their support of Dorimant. Fopling arrives and confused by Mrs. Loveit’s sudden lack of interest in him.

In the last paragraph, Harriet teases Mrs. Loveit, telling her and Belinda to stay away from Dorimant for their own good. Mrs. Loveit leaves in a huff, and the other characters prepare to feast before Dorimant, Harriet, and Mrs. Woodvill depart for the country. It ends with, “And if these honest gentlemen rejoice, Adod, the boy has made a happy choice.”

Throughout the play, “The Man of Mode” needs no partisan defense because most of Etherege’s objections lack real cogency. Only his denunciation of Dorimant’s “Falsehood to Mrs. Loveit, and the Barbarity of Triumphing over her Anguish” isolates an issue involving legitimate questions of characterization, consistency, and tone. J. Douglas Canfield has recently maintained that Etherege’s diabolic and Christian imagery provides a sustained and serious ethical commentary on his characters’ conduct. Etherege’s contemporaries saw Loveit as ludicrous without sentimental qualifications because they recognized in her violent passion and its codified articulation in terms of love, hate, jealousy, and revenge.

In conclusion, Etherege’s play, “The Man of Mode” explores the superficiality of society, the pursuit of pleasure, and the consequences of libertinism. The play explores, “courtship, love, and sexual intrigue in the context of the Restoration period.” The play offers a somewhat cynical view of marriage, portraying it as a social contract driven by convenience and social standing rather than genuine affection. It satirizes the manners and social conventions of the fashionable elite in the 17^th-century London, highlighting the superficiality and hypocrisy of the upper class.