William Congreve

William Congreve

William Congreve was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a minor political figure in the British Whig Party.

Famous lines:

Two of Congreve's phrases from The Mourning Bride (1697) have become famous, although sometimes misquoted or misattributed to William Shakespeare

• "Musick has charms to soothe a savage breast," which is the first line of the play, spoken by Almeria in Act I, Scene I. This is often rendered as: "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast" or even savage beast.
• "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," spoken by Zara in Act III, Scene VIII, but paraphrased as "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

Works:

• The Old Bachelor (1693)

• The Double Dealer (1694)

• Love for Love (1695)

• The Mourning Bride (1697)

• The Way of the World (1700)

Congreve coined another famous phrase in Love for Love (1695):

• "O fie, Miss, you must not kiss and tell."