Essay Questions

How does Young Fashion punish his elder brother, Foppington, for refusing to share their inheritance with him equitably?

Foppington is determined to marry the wealthy noble man's daughter. He uses the matchmaker to negotiate on his behalf to ensure that everything goes as planned. The matchmaker does his part, and the marriage date is set. However, the matchmake knows very well that Foppington is a man who does not keep his promises. Therefore, the matchmaker decides to take Young Fashion during the wedding day as the groom and gets married to the noble man's wealthy daughter. Young Fashion finds this the best opportunity to avenge Foppington because he did not share part of the inheritance with him. Foppington cannot do anything regarding the marriage because Fashion is the official husband of the wealthy noble man's daughter.

What is the main virtue of Amanda?

Amanda is portrayed as a patient and most faithful woman. Despite knowing that Loveless is a womanizer, she agrees to marry him. Loveless promises Amanda that he is now a changed man and he will stop sleeping around with other women. Loveless stays faithful for a while, but his lust for beautiful women returns when they return to London. While in London, Loveless visits theaters often, and he meets Berinthia. He falls in love with her. Even after realizing that Berinthia is related to his wife, Loveless continues to pursue a sexual relationship. Despite the many instances that Amanda catches Loveless with other women, she remains optimistic that he will change. Amanda refuses to succumb to the temptations of having sexual affairs with men who pursue her because she loves her unfaithful husband.

Why is Loveless so obsessed with adultery?

Throughout the text, the reader realizes that Loveless does not get sexual satisfaction from one woman. Loveless is married to Amanda, who is depicted as a faithful and beautiful woman, but he does not get sexual pleasure. Amanda is not to blame for Loveless' sexual displeasure because she does her best to gratify him. The infidelity fascination of Loveless is linked to his audacious youth. When he was a yang man, Loveless had the habit of sleeping with different women to explore his sexual ego. The primary aim of Loveless's early relationships with women was to satisfy himself but not to love. The name 'Loveless' is symbolic because it represents his inability to love back his faithful wife Amanda by remaining faithful.