Initially, however, the play struck many audience members as continuing the "immorality" of the previous decades, and was not well received.

Meanwhile, Lady Wishfort, a widow, wants to marry again and has her eyes on an uncle of Mirabell's, the wealthy Sir Rowland.

Waitwell pretends to be Sir Rowland and, on Mirabell's command, tries to trick Lady Wishfort into a false engagement.

Act 1 sets in a chocolate house where Mirabell and Fainall have just finished playing cards.

Witwoud and Petulant appear and Mirabell is informed that should Lady Wishfort marry, he will lose £6000 of Millamant's inheritance.

Mirabell and Millamant, equally strong-willed, discuss in detail the conditions under which they would accept each other in marriage (otherwise known as the "proviso scene"), showing the depth of their feeling for each other.

Lady Wishfort agrees to let Sir Rowland bring a marriage contract that night.

This neutralises the blackmail attempts, after which Mirabell restores Mrs. Fainall's property to her possession and then is free to marry Millamant with the full £12000 inheritance.

The epigraph found on the title page of the 1700 edition of The Way of the World contains two Latin quotations from Horace's Satires:Audire est operæ pretium, procedere recte Qui mæchis non vultis.—Hor.