# Restoration Comedy Scenes for Two Actors: The Way of the World and The Country Wife

> Ten two-person scenes from The Way of the World and The Country Wife, plus one from Love for Love, quoted from free Project Gutenberg texts: the proviso scene, the letter scene, where each one starts and ends, what each character wants, how the words split, about how long it runs, cuts for a five-minute slot, and how to play the wit without camping it up.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/restoration-comedy-scenes-for-two-actors
- Published: 2026-11-14
- Last updated: 2026-11-14

Your scene-study class has reached Restoration comedy. The teacher hands out a reading list with *The Way of the World* and *The Country Wife* on it, pairs you with a partner, and gives you two weeks. You've heard of the proviso scene. You haven't heard of anything else, and you don't know which scenes have exactly two people in them.

That's a common spot to be in, because these plays look like crowd comedies. They're full of servants, fops, aunts, and people hiding in closets. But underneath the crowd, both plays are built from private bargains between two people, and many of the best stretches have nobody else talking.

The short version: below are ten two-person scenes from Congreve's *The Way of the World* and Wycherley's *The Country Wife*, plus one from Congreve's *Love for Love*. For each one you get the first and last lines, what each character wants, how the words split, and about how long it runs, with a shorter cut where the full scene is long. For single speeches, see our guide to [Restoration comedy monologues](https://www.offbook.com/blog/restoration-comedy-monologues). For the Georgian comedies that came a century later, see [Sheridan and Goldsmith scenes for two actors](https://www.offbook.com/blog/sheridan-and-goldsmith-scenes-for-two-actors).

## Pick your edition, then check the clock

Restoration comedy is the comedy written and staged in England from 1660 to 1710, according to [Wikipedia's overview](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_comedy), and it was strongly shaped by the first professional actresses. Both plays are long out of copyright. Every line quoted below was copied from Project Gutenberg: [*The Way of the World*, eBook 1292](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1292) (the 1895 Methuen text), [W. C. Ward's Wycherley, eBook 55426](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55426), and [*Love for Love*, eBook 1244](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1244).

The Congreve edition starts a new scene number every time someone enters or leaves, so the proviso scene is Act 4, Scene 5 there and simply part of Act 4 elsewhere. The scene numbers below are Gutenberg's. Our free copies of [*The Way of the World*](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-way-of-the-world) and [*The Country Wife*](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-country-wife) follow a different edition, so small details change: Mirabell's *Names?* is *Names!* in ours. Hold the same text as your partner, or your cues won't match.

A note on the times. We counted the spoken words in each scene, stage directions out, and divided by 140 words a minute, the pace our [acting scripts](https://www.offbook.com/acting-scripts) use. Laughs and business add time, so a staged run will be longer. Time your cut out loud before you commit to it.

## The Way of the World: six duets in one house

Congreve's last comedy was first performed in 1700 at Lincoln's Inn Fields, and he wrote Millamant for the actress Anne Bracegirdle, according to the [American Shakespeare Center's guide to the play](https://americanshakespearecenter.com/2018/03/dr-ralphs-10-things-to-know-about-the-way-of-the-world). Its first audience showed only moderate enthusiasm, according to [Wikipedia's overview of Restoration comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_comedy). Mirabell wants to marry Millamant, and her aunt, Lady Wishfort, controls half her fortune and hates him. Everyone else is either helping, spying, or both.

### Mirabell and Millamant: the proviso scene (Act 4, Scene 5)

This is the one your teacher means. The American Shakespeare Center calls it probably the most celebrated scene of the Restoration. Millamant has just escaped her country cousin, Sir Wilfull, and Mirabell finds her alone. Start on her line at the end of Scene 4, *Like Phœbus sung the no less am’rous boy.*, so his *Like Daphne she, as lovely and as coy.* completes the couplet, and end when Mrs. Fainall walks in, on his *And here comes one to be a witness to the sealing of the deed.*

Before they marry, each sets terms. Hers: she'll lie in bed as late as she likes, never be called wife or spouse or my dear, and keep her own visitors, letters, and dressing room. His: no confidante to scheme with, no face masks at night, no tight-lacing when she's pregnant, and no strong drink at the tea-table. It's about 8 and a half minutes, almost exactly even (Mirabell about 585 words, Millamant about 600).

> **MILLAMANT:** Oh, horrid provisos! Filthy strong waters! I toast fellows, odious men! I hate your odious provisos.
>
> **MIRABELL:** Then we’re agreed. Shall I kiss your hand upon the contract?
>
> *Source: William Congreve, The Way of the World, Act 4, Scene 5, Project Gutenberg eBook 1292.*

The game: both of them want this marriage, and neither will be the first to say so. Every condition is a test of whether the other will walk away. For a cut under 5 minutes, start at Mirabell's *Have you any more conditions to offer?* That gives Mirabell most of the words (about 460 to her 200), so for a more even 6 and a half minutes, start earlier at her *Ah, don’t be impertinent.*

### Mirabell and Millamant: the first round (Act 2, Scene 6)

If the proviso scene is taken, take this one. Mirabell asks for *a little private audience*, and Millamant spends it refusing to be serious. She says fools are good for her health; he asks whether there's a worse disease than the conversation of fools; she says *Yes, the vapours; fools are physic for it, next to assafoetida.* End on her exit. It's under 4 minutes, and she leads (Millamant about 295 words, Mirabell about 210).

The game: he wants one honest minute, and she wants him to keep chasing. Her maid, Mincing, is on stage but has no lines here, so cut her or let her watch. Don't play Millamant as cruel. She's laughing because his serious face is *moving* to her, and she can't afford to show it.

### Fainall and Mrs. Marwood: the lovers' quarrel (Act 2, Scene 3)

For a darker duet, take the villains. Fainall is married to Mirabell's former lover; Marwood is Fainall's mistress, and she's secretly in love with Mirabell. Run from Fainall's *You are not jealous?* to Marwood's *Farewell.* It's about 6 minutes (Fainall about 490 words, Marwood about 340). The full stretch, from his *Excellent creature!* to their exit, runs about 7 and a half.

He accuses her of loving Mirabell. She denies it, then threatens to tell his wife everything. He has to win her back, because he needs her for his plot. This cut ends on her walkout; the full scene goes on through his apology and their making up, which is worth having if your slot allows. Play it as a real fight with real stakes: these two are the most dangerous people in the play, and the scene is funny only if they mean it.

### Millamant and Mrs. Marwood: two rivals (Act 3, Scenes 10 and 11)

Here's a scene for two women. Start on Millamant's *Well, ’tis a lamentable thing, I swear, that one has not the liberty of choosing one’s acquaintance as one does one’s clothes* and end on her call for a song to keep up her spirits. It's about 4 and a half minutes (Millamant about 380 words, Marwood about 280). Mincing is on stage with no lines until Millamant sends her off to call the men.

The game: Marwood wants to wound, and Millamant refuses to be wounded. Marwood's best shot is *That I detest him, hate him, madam.*, meaning Mirabell. Millamant's answer begins *O madam, why, so do I*, and she laughs because she knows he loves her. Marwood is lying and Millamant knows it, so play the politeness as a duel with blunt swords.

### Lady Wishfort and Foible: the peeled wall (Act 3, Scene 5)

For an older actor and a younger one, take the mistress and her maid. Foible is secretly working for Mirabell and has just been seen with him, so she covers it by reporting every insult he supposedly made about her lady. Start on Lady Wishfort's *O Foible, where hast thou been?* and end on her exit line, *Let my things be removed, good Foible.* It's about 7 minutes (Lady Wishfort about 525 words, Foible about 425).

The game is Foible's: keep her lady furious at Mirabell and eager for the suitor Foible has lined up. Then Lady Wishfort catches sight of her face in the mirror, *Why, I am arrantly flayed: I look like an old peeled wall.*, and the scene turns to repairs before he arrives. Lady Wishfort is often played big. She's funnier if she's desperate, not daft.

### Mirabell and Fainall: after cards (Act 1, Scene 1)

For two men, take the opening. They're *rising from cards* in a chocolate house, with a waitress, Betty, who has no lines until after your last cue. Start on Mirabell's *You are a fortunate man, Mr. Fainall.* and end on his *Betty, what says your clock?* It's about 6 and a half minutes, close to even (Mirabell about 490 words, Fainall about 405). Mirabell explains how Lady Wishfort turned against him, and Fainall, his supposed friend, enjoys every word. Play Fainall's friendship at full warmth; the audience learns what he is later.

## The Country Wife: a jealous husband and the wife he locks up

Wycherley's comedy was first performed in January 1675 by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, according to [Wikipedia's history of the play](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Country_Wife). It was considered too outrageous to stage from 1753 until 1924. Horner spreads a rumor that he's impotent so husbands will trust him with their wives. Pinchwife has married a country girl, Margery, because he thinks she's too simple to cheat, and locks her up in London.

A content note for class: when it opened, Wikipedia's history says, it was [greeted as the bawdiest and wittiest play yet seen on the English stage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Country_Wife). The letter scene has Pinchwife threatening Margery with a penknife; agree with your teacher and partner how you'll stage it.

### Margery and Alithea: what's jealous? (Act 2, Scene 1)

The shortest scene here, and a good first duet for two women. Margery asks Pinchwife's sister, Alithea, where the best places to walk in London are, and why her husband keeps her locked up. Start on *Pray, sister, where are the best fields and woods to walk in, in London?* and end on *who has nangered thee?*, as Pinchwife comes in. It's about 2 minutes (Margery about 195 words, Alithea about 100).

Margery's question, *Jealous! what's that?*, is honest. So is her review of the play she saw: she was bored by it but liked the actors, *the goodliest, properest men, sister!* The Gutenberg stage direction has Pinchwife *peeping behind at the door* as the scene starts. If you have a third classmate, put him there with no lines; the scene gets twice as funny.

### Pinchwife and Margery: the letter (Act 4, Scene 2)

This is the scene for a man and a woman. Pinchwife makes Margery write Horner a letter at his dictation, telling him to keep away. She objects to the rudest words, then, alone, writes a loving one and swaps it for his. The whole scene, from his *Come, tell me, I say.* to his exit, is about 12 minutes, close to even (Pinchwife about 840 words, Margery about 885).

> **PINCHWIFE:** I'll have you write a letter to your lover.
>
> **MRS. PINCHWIFE:** O Lord, to the fine gentleman a letter!
>
> **PINCHWIFE:** Yes, to the fine gentleman.
>
> **MRS. PINCHWIFE:** Lord, you do but jeer: sure you jest.
>
> *Source: William Wycherley, The Country Wife, Act 4, Scene 2, Project Gutenberg eBook 55426.*

For a 4-minute cut, start at *Come, minx, sit down and write.* and end when Pinchwife leaves to fetch the wax. Margery's speech after he goes, where she writes her own letter, is a monologue; add it only if your slot allows. In the 1973 American Shakespeare Theatre revival, the [Harvard Crimson's critic](https://thecrimson.com/article/1973/7/6/the-country-wife-in-bright-funny) singled out Carole Shelley's pauses, inflections, and repetitions of the word *so* as she took dictation. Each "So—" is a choice. Make every one different.

### Horner and Pinchwife: the letter delivered (Act 4, Scene 3)

The sequel, for two men. Pinchwife brings the letter to Horner's lodging, sure it will end the affair. Start on Horner's *Well, what brings my dear friend hither?* and end on Pinchwife's exit, *play with any man's honour but mine, kiss any man's wife but mine, and welcome.* It's about 6 and a half minutes, exactly even (about 450 words each). The Quack is on stage throughout with no lines in this span; cut him or let him watch.

The game: Pinchwife wants to watch Horner squirm. Horner reads the letter, sees it's a love letter, and has to keep a straight face while working out what's happened. Pinchwife's *I wear a sword.* is the threat he's been saving. Horner's reply calls him mad. Play Pinchwife as the only sane man in London, in his own mind, and the scene works.

### Pinchwife and Margery: the second letter (Act 5, Scene 1)

Pinchwife caught Margery writing another letter to Horner at the end of Act 4, and this scene opens with him making her finish it, his hand on his sword. She signs it with his sister's name, Alithea, and claims his sister made her write it. Start on his *Come, take the pen and make an end of the letter* and end on his *Come, sister, where are you now?* It's about 7 and a half minutes (Pinchwife about 620 words, Margery about 415).

Margery isn't inventing alone. In an aside she says she'll ask Lucy, Alithea's maid, what lie to tell next, so play each trip offstage as a chance to get new instructions. She leaves and comes back three times; the last time, he puts out the candle, she slips round him in the dark, and he locks the door on an empty room and leads his own wife off as his sister. Give her a door or a corner to use, and rehearse the exits as carefully as the lines.

## One more from Congreve: Love for Love

If you want a third play, try Tattle and Miss Prue in *Love for Love*, Act 2, Scene 11 (Congreve's most popular play, the American Shakespeare Center notes). Only the two of them are on stage. Tattle, described in the cast list as a beau *valuing himself for secrecy*, teaches Miss Prue, a country girl, how to be courted, and the lesson is lying.

> **TATTLE:** Why you must say no, or you believe not, or you can’t tell—
>
> **MISS PRUE:** Why, must I tell a lie then?
>
> *Source: William Congreve, Love for Love, Act 2, Scene 11, Project Gutenberg eBook 1244.*

A content note: Tattle coaches a young girl to refuse him while giving in, and the scene ends with him chasing her to her bedchamber. Agree with your teacher and partner how you'll play it first. We haven't timed this one, because it isn't in our library; count the words in your edition and divide by 140.

## Play the wit without camping it up

Restoration comedy dies in two ways. Actors float above the lines, all fans and sniffs, or they slow down to show they understand the long sentences. The characters don't think they're in a comedy. Millamant is scared of losing her freedom, Pinchwife is scared of being a cuckold, Marwood is in love with a man who despises her. Play the want, and the wit takes care of itself.

The American Shakespeare Center's advice is to look to Millamant for wit and to the fops, Witwoud and Petulant, for its absence. That's a useful test: if your character is trying to be clever, you're playing a fop. Millamant isn't trying. She's thinking faster than Mirabell, out loud.

- Find the last word. The joke is usually the end of a long sentence, like Millamant's *I may by degrees dwindle into a wife*. Keep your energy up through every clause until you get there.
- Pick up your cues. Wit is a rally, and a pause before every reply turns it into a lecture. Save your pauses for the turn, like Mirabell's *Then we’re agreed.*
- Give each condition a different target. In the proviso scene, every term is a new test, not the next item on a list.
- Let the country characters be sincere. Margery and Miss Prue aren't stupid. They're new to town and ask real questions, which is why their questions land.
- Play threats as threats. Fainall and Pinchwife are frightening, and the comedy is the gap between their danger and their dignity.
- Use your period posture once. One bow or one turn of a fan tells the room you know the period. After that, talk to your partner.

For deeper work on period manners, see our guide to [acting in a period piece](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-act-in-a-period-piece). To see who has how many lines in a pasted scene, try our free [script line counter](https://www.offbook.com/tools/script-line-counter). For classical speeches to pair with your scene, browse our [comedic monologues](https://www.offbook.com/monologues/comedic).

## The picks at a glance

| Scene | Pair | Run time | Split |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Way of the World, 4.5 (proviso) | Man and woman | About 8.5 min (cut under 5) | Even |
| Way of the World, 2.6 | Man and woman | Under 4 min | Millamant leads |
| Way of the World, 2.3 | Man and woman | About 6 min | Fainall leads |
| Way of the World, 3.10-11 | Two women | About 4.5 min | Millamant leads |
| Way of the World, 3.5 | Two women | About 7 min | Lady Wishfort leads |
| Way of the World, 1.1 | Two men | About 6.5 min | Close to even |
| Country Wife, 2.1 | Two women | About 2 min | Margery leads |
| Country Wife, 4.2 (letter) | Man and woman | About 12 min (cut about 4) | Close to even |
| Country Wife, 4.3 | Two men | About 6.5 min | Even |
| Country Wife, 5.1 | Man and woman | About 7.5 min | Pinchwife leads |
| Love for Love, 2.11 | Man and woman | Not timed | Not counted |

For a five-minute slot, the Act 2 Mirabell and Millamant scene, the Millamant and Marwood scene, Margery and Alithea, and the cuts of the proviso and letter scenes fit with room for laughs. For more pairings by cast, see our lists of [two-person scenes for two women](https://www.offbook.com/blog/two-person-scenes-for-two-women) and [two-person scenes for two men](https://www.offbook.com/blog/two-person-scenes-for-two-men).

## Rehearse your half before you meet your partner

These scenes run on speed, and you can't practice speed by reading your own lines in your head. Before you meet, agree on your edition and your cut, and mark both first lines and last lines in the same copy.

In Offbook, upload the scene from one of these texts and pick your part. Realistic voices read the other one and wait while you say your line before cueing the next. When the words start to stick, hide your own lines while your partner's stay on screen, or switch to first-letter cues, as the video below shows. Then hide the whole script for a final run.

Video: [Hide your lines](https://www.offbook.com/learn/hide-your-lines) (1:07)

First-letter cues are especially good for Congreve's word order, where swapping two phrases kills the joke. Here's Mirabell's line as cues:

> T w a. S I k y h u t c?
>
> *Then we’re agreed. Shall I kiss your hand upon the contract? (Mirabell, The Way of the World, Act 4, Scene 5)*

You can make cues like these for any speech with our free [first-letter memorizer](https://www.offbook.com/tools/first-letter-memorizer). Our guide on [how to prepare a scene for acting class](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-prepare-a-scene-for-acting-class) has a week-by-week plan.

## Questions actors ask

### Is the proviso scene in The Way of the World good for scene study?

Yes. It's two people, almost exactly even, with a clear game: both want the marriage and neither will admit it first. The full scene runs about 8 and a half minutes, so for a short slot start at Mirabell's *Have you any more conditions to offer?* for a cut under 5.

### What scene from The Country Wife works for a man and a woman?

The letter scene in Act 4, Scene 2, where Pinchwife dictates and Margery resists, cut to about 4 minutes. Its sequel in Act 5, Scene 1, where she blames the letter on his sister, runs about 7 and a half. Both include Pinchwife's threats (a penknife in one, his hand on his sword in the other), so agree on staging first.

### Are these plays free to use?

Yes. *The Country Wife* was first staged in 1675 and *The Way of the World* in 1700, so both texts are in the public domain. You can read them free on Project Gutenberg, and our play library has full texts of both.

### Can I rehearse a Restoration scene without my partner?

Yes. Rehearse on your laptop with the full script on a big screen, while Offbook's voices read your partner's lines and wait for yours. You can also listen to your scenes on your phone anywhere, which keeps your cues in your ear on the way to class.