Description
A racy, hilarious play filled with hypocrisy and trickery, Love for Love is populated with characters interested only in love, money, or both. Valentine is a lazy libertine who is hiding from his creditors, having squandered his money on women and entertainment. He vows to give up his profligate lifestyle and devote himself to study in order to win over the lovely Angelica. But Valentine’s claims are undercut by the more cynical depictions of love that the play presents: love becomes a commodity, associated with exchange and barter, and a sham, portrayed as fake and false. The rakes Scandal and Tattle view romantic encounters as mere conquests and spend most of their time scheming about their next seductions. And even though Valentine claims to act morally and reform himself, he cruelly denies financial support to his illegitimate child. As the intricate dance of Valentine’s and Angelica’s courtship concludes, we wonder if we can believe in an alternative notion of love that is not defined by lust, avarice, or self-interest.
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Opening Lines (Experimental)
Nudus agris, nudus nummis paternis, Insanire parat certa ratione modoque.
- HOR.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES, EARL OF DORSET AND MIDDLESEX, LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF HIS MAJESTY'S HOUSEHOLD, AND KNIGHT OF THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER, ETC.
My Lord,--A young poet is liable to the same vanity ...
Ratings for 'Love for Love' by Congreve, William
Love for Love
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Love for Love
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