Analysis of "The More the Merrier" by Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann 's play "The More the Merrier" begins with the two main characters Emily Stringer and Raphael Thumbs professing their love to each other and agreeing to marry. They were so enamored to one another that Raphael wanted the wedding to take place immediately that night or the following day but to which Emily countered because it was so soon. She still had to shop for a trousseau and the banns (declarations made in church) that take three weeks to complete. Raphael then expressed his desire to begin a new life "cut off from everyone else" to which Emily agreed. It was only when he uttered his yearning to "cut loose from the past" that Emily began to question what it was that he wanted to cut loose from. After confirming that the "past" Raphael was talking about was really trivial, they went about establishing their need to "wipe the slate clean" such as banishing their unhealthy habits and getting away from people they didn 't want to see anymore. They basked at the thought of purging away their past and further sealing their undying love for each other by a sordid recollection of how they fell in love with each other.
This romance however shifted to a social dilemma with the entrance of Simon Latchflake in Emily 's doorstep. In this shift to a romantic farce, it turned out that Simon was once engaged to Emily and was coincidentally, Raphael 's best friend. Simon then wreaked havoc by maligning Emily 's reputation. He urged Raphael that Emily was not fit for him because she had so many friends and was knotted to thousands of people. This was contrary to Raphael 's idea of marriage as secluding one 's self from the rest of the world. With this realization, Raphael began to have second thoughts and exited with Simon 's cigar to rethink things over. With Raphael gone from the scene, Simon then tried to persuade Emily to marry him instead because he too was sick of his old life and now wanted to settle down. Emily then retorted that she had thousands of
This romance however shifted to a social dilemma with the entrance of Simon Latchflake in Emily 's doorstep. In this shift to a romantic farce, it turned out that Simon was once engaged to Emily and was coincidentally, Raphael 's best friend. Simon then wreaked havoc by maligning Emily 's reputation. He urged Raphael that Emily was not fit for him because she had so many friends and was knotted to thousands of people. This was contrary to Raphael 's idea of marriage as secluding one 's self from the rest of the world. With this realization, Raphael began to have second thoughts and exited with Simon 's cigar to rethink things over. With Raphael gone from the scene, Simon then tried to persuade Emily to marry him instead because he too was sick of his old life and now wanted to settle down. Emily then retorted that she had thousands of