William Congreve

William Congreve (1670–1729) was an English playwright and poet associated with the Restoration stage. He is best known for his witty comedies of manners, notably *Love for Love* (1695) and *The Way of the World* (1700), works celebrated for their polished dialogue and satirical portrayal of fashionable society. Congreve also wrote the tragedy *The Mourning Bride* (1697) and contributed poetry and occasional pieces. Though his theatrical output was relatively small, his influence on English comedy was lasting, and his plays remain central to the canon of late seventeenth-century drama.