A power struggle. Three words encompass the major component of Congreve's play, "The Way of the World." A primary example occurs between the play's two main characters: Mirabell and Millamant when Mirabell asks for her hand in marriage. Known as the "proviso scene", it represents the greatest power struggle in the play--a battle of the sexes. Some see Millamant prevailing to be as powerful if not more so than Mirabell. These "Pro" sided scholars have called the proviso scene an example of equality between the sexes and a literary progression toward the modern woman. Contrastingly, I believe Millamant loses power throughout the scene and although Mirabell may sincerely care for her, he does not intend to give her more equality through marriage. Describing the scene sequentially, I will go into detail about why I support the "con" side of the argument. Overall, there are three main sections of...