In Act 2, Scene 1, Mrs. Marwood tells Mrs. Fainall that she only pretends to hate men to please Lady Wishfort. She personifies love as an emperor in order to describe how she really feels:
To be free, I have no taste of those insipid dry discourses with which our sex of force must entertain themselves, apart from men. We may affect endearments to each other, profess eternal friendships, and seem to dote like lovers; but ’tis not in our natures long to persevere. Love will resume his empire in our breasts, and every heart, or soon or late, receive and readmit him as its lawful tyrant.
Marwood claims that she doesn't like pretending to love women more than men. In many cases, she thinks, women only spend time with one another because it's improper to spend all their time in the company of men. She believes that as much as women try to pursue friendship with one another, love for men always comes back to rule their hearts as a "lawful tyrant." The idea that love for men is a tyrant suggests that women are powerless to do anything about the situation. The idea that it is a "lawful" tyrant suggests that this is the way things are supposed to be. Whatever women want, it is only natural for them eventually to be ruled by their desire for men and the things men offer.
This outlook should indicate that Mrs. Fainall and other women had better be careful around Marwood. Her loyalty is to her "emperor" (love for men), not to them. She is ready to stab women in the back if her loyalty to a man tells her to do so. Personifying love as a tyrannical emperor illuminates the fact that Marwood is somewhat of a tragic figure in the comedy. She can't help but to act according to her love for Fainall, no matter how he treats her or how many bad situations her love gets her into. The play makes room for the idea that women are far too beholden to mercurial men in Restoration society. Marwood is driven by her love for Fainall, but she might feel differently about him if society gave her better options to desire.
