William Congreve’s The Way of the World 

威廉．康格里夫《如此世道》簡介

中文翻譯：宋蘋芳、談玉儀

Source: http://web.utk.edu/~misty/Waysummary.html 

Plot Summary

Mirabell is in love with Millamant, a niece of Lady Wishfort, and has pretended to make love to the aunt to conceal his suit for the niece.  His trick has been revealed by Mrs. Marwood, who does it out of revenge because Mirabell has rejected her advances.  Lady Wishfort, who now hates Mirabell "more than a quaker hates a parrot," will deprive her niece of the half of the inheritance she controls if Millamant marries Mirabell.  Mirabell has his servant Waitwell impersonate his uncle, Sir Rowland, and pretend to marry Lady Wishfort, but only after having secretly married him off to her maid Foible.  He hopes to use this humiliating deception to force Lady Wishfort to consent to his marriage to Millamant. 

米拉貝爾（Mirabell）愛上威士弗特夫人(Wishfort)的姪女米勒曼特(Millamant)，並且還假裝跟威夫人相好來隱瞞他對其姪女的愛意，不料米拉貝爾的秘密竟為馬伍德（Marwood）夫人所揭發，她基於求愛被拒而報復。現在威夫人對於米拉貝爾的討厭「遠過於貴格會教徒對鸚鵡的憎惡」，如果米拉貝爾與她的姪女結婚，她將收回給姪女一半遺產的承諾。為此，米拉貝爾想出以下的計謀：他請求僕人衛特維爾(Waitwell) 以假名羅蘭爵士(Rowland)，權充他的叔叔來誘惑威夫人，假意要與其成婚結婚，但之後他卻私下與威女士的女僕佛伊白(Foible)成親。米拉貝爾希望利用對威女士一連串的羞辱、欺騙行為來迫使她答應他與米勒曼特的婚事

The plot is discovered by Mrs. Marwood, who also finds out that Mirabell has had a past intrigue with Mrs. Fainall, daughter of Lady Wishfort, and after married her off to Mr. Fainall, thinking that she was pregnant with his child.  She conspires with Fainall, her lover and the pretended friend of Mirabell, to reveal this information to Lady Wishfort, while Fainall threatens to divorce his wife and to discredit Lady Wishfort unless he is given full control of Mrs. Fainall’s property and Millamant’s portion is handed over to him.  The scheme fails. Mrs. Fainall denies all and brings proof of Fainall’s affair with Mrs. Marwood, while Mirabell produces a deed by which Mrs. Fainall, before her marriage, made him trustee of all her property.  Lady Wishfort, grateful for her release from Fainall’s threats, forgives Mirabell and consents to the marriage.

  然而，這個陰謀被馬夫人所揭發，她同時發現米拉貝爾曾與威夫人的女兒費諾爾夫人(Mrs. Fainall)有一段舊情。馬夫人並且認為費夫人是因為已懷上米拉貝爾的孩子，所以才立刻下嫁費先生。馬夫人與其愛人同時也是米拉貝爾的表面朋友費先生出奇不異地告訴威夫人此項小道消息，同時費先生也假借握有妻子曾與前任男友交往的證明來威脅妻子離婚，並以此破壞威夫人的聲譽。交換的條件是他得以掌控太太的財產及接管米拉貝爾與米勒曼特結婚所得的遺產。然而，這個計畫終告失敗，因為費太太否認所有不實指控，並指證其夫與馬太太的婚外情。米拉貝爾也表明費太太結婚前就已任命他為財產管理人，她已將費太太的財產轉移到表妹的戶頭之下，所以費先生無法自其太太處淂到任何好處。威夫人十分感激米拉貝爾的法律知識及適度的處理，讓她免於遭受費先生的威脅，所以她終於改變初衷，原諒米拉貝爾先前對於她的羞辱，並且爽快地答應他與姪女的婚事。