The Way of the World

In 1649, Charles I of England was executed by the Parliamentarians, who opposed the absolute rule of Charles I and the Royalists, or Cavaliers. Charles I’s son, Charles II, was restored to the throne in 1660, beginning the Restoration Period, which arguably lasted until the end of the Stuart Dynasty with the death of Queen Anne in 1714. However, the Restoration was punctuated by the Glorious Revolution, also called the Bloodless Revolution, in 1688, which displaced James II & VII on the same grounds as the Parliamentarian cause. The Glorious Revolution established the power of Parliament more firmly, spurring the Financial and Administrative Revolutions that followed. Amid these changes, the upper classes consolidated greater power, including power outside the aristocracy among the budding bourgeoisie.

At the same time, women were finding new roles in the economy, with Aphra Behn commonly considered the first woman to earn a living by writing. While only men were allowed to act before and during the Interregnum, women began acting in the Restoration period. The beginnings of globalization prior to the Industrial Revolution were largely enacted through imperialism, of which England was a major participant. The economic and cultural boundaries of daily life were consistently expanding, and William Congreve’s characters operate within this seemingly limitless landscape.