Proviso scene: Difference between revisions
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== '''Sources''' == | == '''Sources''' == | ||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_literature | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_literature | ||
Revision as of 18:12, 22 July 2009
Scene in which the witty couple of a Restoration comedy (usually a witty, but virtuous lady and a rake) agree on conditions for their marriage. These conditions usually comprise the demand that the rake give up his promiscuous and irresponsible ways and thus show a tendency towards a more equal relationship of the genders. Proviso scenes were typically used in Restoration comedy after 1690. They were influenced by Locke’s contract theory model (contracts between equals) and reflect a shift in cultural values and society, as well as an orientation on a mainly middle class audience and females.
An especially famous example of a proviso scene is the debate between the witty couple Mirabell and Millamant in William Congreve’s ''The Way of The World'' (1700).