Mirabell: A Lockean Gentleman

ZHU Yuhan, LUO Xinping

Nanjing University, Guangdong University of Science and Technology

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Abstract: The aristocratic gentleman in Shakespearean romantic comedy and the witty trickster in Jonsonian satirical comedy represent the dual traditions of English Renaissance comedy, yet both are flawed: the former lacks agency in resolving conflicts, while the latter exhibits uncivility. In The Way of the World, William Congreve transcends these models by creating Mirabell as a Lockean gentleman—a synthesis of the aristocratic protagonist’s grace and the trickster’s resourcefulness. Inspired by John Locke’s Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Mirabell embodies rational self-governance, moral discipline, and contractual pragmatism. His victory over the antagonist through legal ingenuity (rather than violence) symbolizes the triumph of Lockean social order over Hobbesian absolutism, reflecting the play’s innovative engagement with post-1688 political philosophy.

Keywords: dual traditions of English Renaissance comedy, The Way of the World, Mirabell, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Lockean gentleman

DOI: 10.53397/hunnu.jflc.202502001

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