"The Way of the World"

William Congreve's "The Way of the World" is a play that has a very interesting way of expressing love, if one can call it that. The only expression of love that I can think of is one that is based mainly around material possessions rather then the true love of the commonly known Romeo and Juliet. The example that immediately comes to mind is the "love" between Mirabell and Millamant, they could have easily run away and eloped without Lady Wishfort's consent, but because they will lose £6000 they decide against it.
In a lot of plays, the balance of love and money is never an issue, people will not only risk damaging their financial situation for their lover they will die for them..in this play,the "lovers" are capable to run away and get married but because it will damage them financially they decide against it?? It is also evident in Millamant and Mirabell's pre nuptial agreement. I'm not sure but isn't a pre-nup. a pretty recent thing, you know in the last hundred or so years? I have never heard of a marriage within a play that took place in the seventeenth century to include a prenuptial agreement. However, that being said, the ideas of love and money are not two different notions in this play, Congreve has combined the two, to include man's love of money rather then man's love for a woman...(The men love whichever sugar mama can provide the most pocket change)
:)