Commerce and Acting in A Man of Mode

“Admirably well acted!”
In 3.2, Harriet and Young Bellair “instruct” each other’s “look and gestures” in order to pretend to be lovers. Bellair claims it was “admirably well acted!” (116). In 3.3, Harriet teases Dorimant, and “Acts him,” asking “is this not like you?” (126). It seems all the more self-referential to have the characters engage in this sort of play. How is this sort of “acting” different from what we’ve seen before? Is it more like "mimicking," which is a phrase that pops up occasionally in the play? What does it suggest about the society of A Man of Mode, and about those watching the play?

Selling Oranges, Selling Information
Within the first scene, we are thrust into a sort of “commerce of gossip” with the character of the (rather sassy) orange-woman. When Dorimant refuses her fruit, she provokes him with hints about Harriet’s arrival in town, and he in turn refuses to pay her until she divulges more information. In a play full of the romps and romances of the idle rich, I am intrigued by the role of this lower-class woman, as well as the various footmen, servants, etc. in the play. Is the gossip in this play truly like an economy on its own? What do we make of the orange-woman’s character and her place in this universe?