Follow the character's next maneuver
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The intruder returns to supplicate the tenant for a chance to attend the next rehearsal, pleading humbly and earnestly instead of asserting a right to enter. The tenant manages to outwit him by offering an invitation only to the entirely ordinary cleaning session he had claimed to be eager to help with. A philanderer in the same comedy repeatedly pursues casual sexual relationships while misleading several partners about his commitments. The playwright lets the two characters compare their excuses, revealing how polished language can conceal different patterns of conduct.
The intruder continues to supplicate after learning that the invitation involves cleaning, but the tenant calmly repeats the terms he himself had proposed. Her ability to outwit him depends on remembering his exact claim and turning it into a choice he cannot reject without exposing the pretense. The philanderer's repeated relationships form a separate pattern that the story establishes through several partners' accounts, not merely through one flirtatious remark. The scene ends with both characters facing questions about their conduct rather than receiving admiration solely for being amusing.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.