The country wife analysis. Macaulay] -- Love in a wood; or, St.

The country wife analysis In his own day, The Plain-Dealer was his Read More › The Country Wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. ” She is seduced by Horner and eventually becomes his mistress when she outsmarts her husband and escapes from his jealous supervision. Best summary PDF, The Country Wife study guide contains a biography of William Wycherly, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: The Country Wife, based on a compilation of Molière’s The School for Husbands (1661), The School for Wives (1662), and Terence’s The Eunuch (161 BCE), is about marriage, infidelity, and male friendship. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. Squeamish, and the trio are known as the “virtuous gang. Although Horner does not actually have sex with Margery in this scene, Pinchwife The Country Wife by William Wycherley is a classic Restoration comedy that dissects the frivolities and hypocrisies of 17th-century English society, featurin Introduction -- William Wycherley [by T. When Harcourt first meets Alithea (Sparkish, her fiancé, introduces. She cannot believe that Pinchwife really wishes her to marry Horner and confesses to Lucy that she would rather marry Harcourt instead. Use the link below to buy this book. ” Mrs. Detailed Summary & Analysis Prologue Act 1 Act 2 Act 3, Scene 1 Act 3, Scene 2 Act 4, Scene 1 Act 4, Scene 2 Act 4, Scene 3 Act 4, Scene 4 Act 5, Scene 1 Act 5, Scene 2 Act 5, Scene 3 Act 5, Scene 4 Epilogue The Epilogue is “spoke by Mrs. Pinchwife flies into a rage at this, even though Margery says that she would only kiss Horner again if Pinchwife compelled her to. William Wycherley (in his The Country Wife) was one of those Restoration dramatists who laid more emphasis on the exploitation of rhetorical devices to achieve many literary dramatic functions Margery is the young bride of Pinchwife and the titular “country wife. Study Guide; Q & A; Essays; Join Now to View Premium Content The present contribution investigates irony in William Wycherley’s masterpiece, The Country Wife (1675), from a pragmatic perspective. Margery is naïve and unfamiliar with the way of life in the city. It was first published in Cheever’s collection The Housebreaker of Shady Hill (1958). Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Well, 'tis e'en so, I have got the London disease they call love; I am sick of my husband, and for my gallant. The Country Wife Summary and Analysis of Act V, Scene 4 and Epilogue. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. The premise of the plot, of a wife trapped in an abusive marriage might consider either leaving it or taking a lover, outraged some sections of Restoration society . One of Cheever’s most frequently anthologized stories (along with “The Swimmer”), The Country Husband is the author’s modern take on the English bawdy Restoration comedy William Wycherly’s The Country Wife (1675). Verbal dexterity, as the wits — and Horner in particular — Horner. The Country Wife is structured around three main storylines: Horner’s pretend affliction, the relationship between . It made its first appearance in Lincoln's Inn Fields in May, 1697. William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a Restoration Comedy written in 1675. He says that he will go and get a chaplain to marry them and tell Sparkish that his marriage is off. Download William Wycherley's The Country Wife for your kindle, tablet, IPAD, PC or mobile No Carolean comedy has garnered such a range of critical opinion, some of which borders on moral indignation, for its prurient content as Wycherley’s acknowledged masterpiece, The Country Wife. When Harcourt first meets Alithea (Sparkish, her fiancé, introduces him to her), he claims that he could look at her “until he was as blind” as Sparkish. Horner and unlock other The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, that is, an English theatrical comedy written during the period 1660-1710,. Not having heard Essays for The Country Wife. Squeamish pretends to be extremely pure and “honorable” in public, but is highly promiscuous and decadent in private. Critical Essay by Barrie Essays for The Country Wife. —[aside. The seventeenth century libertine king Charles II saw it twice, and is said to have joined the 'dance of the cuckolds' at the end of one performance; the eighteenth century actor-playwright David Garrick declared it 'the most licentious play in the English language'; the The Provoked Wife (1697) is the second original comedy written by John Vanbrugh. His one-liners, often as asides, mock social behaviors and institutions The Country Wife, banished from the stage since the nineteenth century, enjoyed critical approval and revivals in both countries. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Country Wife by William Wycherly. Much space is devoted to recording the obvious: we need hardly be told, for example, that The letter scene evokes, at the same time, our amused sympathy for Mistress Pinchwife and our anger at her husband. A quack is as fit for a Pimp, as a Midwife for a Bawd; they are still but in their way, both helpers of Nature. This jealousy backfires and eventually leads his wife right into the arms of the man he’s scared of: Mr. ” Dorilant does not play a large role in the action of the play but is present in the background of many scenes. read analysis of Blindness Mrs. Plot Summary. The Country Wife was written, according to its author’s own statement, about the year 1671 or 1672. Get all the key plot points of William Wycherley's The Country Wife on one page. The literature in the Restoration Period was very eclectic and tolerant, often commenting on society and class structure while focusing on the life of the aristocracy. Analysis of William Wycherley’s Plays By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on May 22, 2019 • ( 0). The Restoration was a period of rebellion against Puritanism, which was enforced in England after the defeat of Charles I in the English Civil War. Margery complains that he would not let her sit with “the gentry” because only “naughty women” sat there. She falls in love with Harcourt and, though she resists his advances at first (out of loyalty to her fiancé), she is paired with Harcourt by the end of the play. Its The Tiger’s Wife Plot Overview; No Country for Old Men Plot Overview; Of Mice and Men: Character Analysis on Curley's Wife; Of Mice and Men Extract Analysis — Curley’s Wife; The Tiger’s Wife Chapter 4 – 6 Analysis; The Tiger’s Wife Chapter 10–Epilogue Analysis; WP Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa Research Paper The Country Wife was apparently first produced by the King’s Company at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane on January 12, 1675, and was obviously well received by the audiences of the time, for it Lady Fidget is Sir Jasper Fidget ’s wife and, ironically, a woman known in the town for being extremely virtuous and “honorable. Horner, my hot fit comes and I am all in a fever, indeed, and as in Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Wycherley’s Plays. Margery in The Country Wife is portrayed as the naive and controlled wife of the jealous Mr. Initially depicted as a simple and obedient country Download The Country Wife free in PDF & EPUB format. xlvi-liv) is similarly pedestrian: the Throughout The Country Wife, human beings are generally depicted as being at the complete mercy of their baser instincts, revealing the extent to which certain characters entertain reductionist views of their fellow humans. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Pshaw! that’s all one. He makes up the third of Horner’s party so that the group of three “rakes” mirrors the group of three “honorable” ladies, Lady Fidget, Mrs. THE COUNTRY WIFE. 19 pages. Pinchwife come from the country, the term "country wife" sounds very "The Country Wife" offers a window into the social and moral complexities of 17th-century London, shedding light on the intricate dynamics of marriage, infidelity, and social pretenses. The Country Wife Material. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book. The title contains a lewd pun with regard to the first syllable of "country". Alithea is a genuinely honest woman who, unlike the other “honorable” ladies in the play, tries her best to be virtuous and loyal to her betrothed. Dainty Fidget is the sister of Sir Jasper Fidget and the companion of Lady Fidget and Mrs. A pox on him and his simile!⁠—Aloud. The Country Wife study guide contains a biography of William Wycherly, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Prof. Then of necessity, madam, you think a man must carry his wife into the country, if he be wise. The first category consists of rakes like Horner and company, the second of Margery Throughout The Country Wife, Horner displays a marked dislike of anyone attempting to masquerade as something they aren't. ” She spends most of her time with her sister in law, Mrs. Dainty Fidget, and Mrs. Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Alithea from The Country Wife. The Country Wife does all of these things well, but was extremely controversial even for it’s William Wycherley lived from 1640 to 1715, and wrote The Country Wife in 1675. Preceded by the Commonwealth of Oliver Cromwell, the Restoration period—as the name suggests—began with the restoration of the monarchy after King Charles II returned from exile. Sparkish is a vain, foolish socialite who is obsessed with his reputation and “honor,” has an extremely high opinion of himself, and is easily tricked by the clever characters in the play, such as Harcourt and Horner. Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. Dainty The title, The Country Wife, is wordplay on the first syllable of the word “Country. Like George Etherege, he was in Essays for The Country Wife. As many playwrights have done before and after The Country Wife, Wycherley gives a nod to the theatre and its role in The Country Wife (Act 5) Lyrics. docx), PDF File (. Alithea admits that she likes Harcourt more than Sparkish but feels obliged to Sparkish because he has such faith in her “virtue. Dainty Fidget, and her friend Mrs. Horner responds that pomp and “ceremony” makes men uncomfortable and that “honorable” ladies seem to scorn “wild” men. Out of all the characters, Horner is the most vocally critical of Restoration society and the social mores surrounding romance and sexuality. She despises the ones who lead women on but will not follow through once they seduce them, and older men who flirt with younger women and try to impress them with riches, while the young women just laugh at them and take advantage. His implication here is that unintelligent people shouldn't pretend to be intelligent, since nature has apparently chosen to not make them intelligent. ; Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more. In the midst of a continual banter of sexual innuendo there lies, cynical commentary and misogonistic attitude’s upon women, love and what is Throughout The Country Wife, human beings are generally depicted as being at the complete mercy of their baser instincts, revealing the extent to which certain characters entertain reductionist views of their fellow humans. Styan's Restoration Comedy in Performance (1986); Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0521274214. Oddly, Wycherley's treatment of honor in The Country Wife has evoked only casual interest, although Barber surely challenges further inquiry when he remarks, "In the 206 plays studied, I have found 4,847 examples of honour as a noun, the range in single plays being from O (Midsummer Night's Dream) to 86 (The Country Wife). The Country Wife. James's park -- The gentleman dancing-master -- The country wife -- The plain dealer. I have undone you for ever with the Women, and reported you throughout the whole Town as bad as an Eunuch, with as much trouble as if I had made you one in earnest. Search all shows. It can cause adverse Buy The Country Wife from Amazon. Vanbrugh’s The Provoked Wife (1697), Congreve’s The Way of the World (1700) and Farquhar’s The Beaux’s Stratagem (1707) are some examples. The Country Wife Characters. Dorilant is the companion of Horner and Harcourt and a well-known “rake. ; Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Margery soon learns the art of deception, and lies Alithea watches Sparkish storm of and believes that Pinchwife has decided to break off their engagement. Sir Jasper , in contrast, is the quintessential naïve cuckold who is oblivious to his wife’s deceptions. Pinchwife, a Table and a lit Candle) Pinchwife: Come take the Pen and make an The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, that is, an English theatrical comedy written during the period 1660-1710, when theatrical performances resumed in London following their 18-year spell of illegality under the reign of the Puritan Commonwealth. Horner. The country wife of the title, Margery Pinchwife is young, possibly under the age of 20, and has been married to an older man with no regard to her wishes. Pinchwife: Aside. She has heard that town ladies fall in love with “ gallants ” and now knows this experience herself; the thought of Horner fills her with desire whereas the thought of Pinchwife makes her sick. ” Alithea is afraid of marrying a jealous husband as she dreads the way that jealous husbands treat their wives. One such means of communicating this reductive worldview comes through comparisons to animals, which happens throughout the play—thus Alba Graziano – Introduction. Horner from The Country Wife. She begs him to take her to the theatre so that she can see the man who A man named Pinchwife, however, who was recently married to a woman from the country, hasn’t heard the rumors of Horner’s impotency and becomes so paranoid and jealous that he keeps his new country wife locked away at home. His implication here is that unintelligent people shouldn't pretend to be intelligent, since nature has apparently Analyze the types of satire in The Country Wife. The ladies have come before Horner was expecting them, and he now plans to lock his most recent conquest, Margery Pinchwife, inside his chamber. Study Guide. By using a methodological framework based on the main studies published by Grice (1975), Sperber and Wilson (1981), Classical restoration comedy from William Wycherly, adapted by Johnathan Freeth. ” They complain bitterly that they are passed over in favor of common women and ask Horner why this is the case. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. The country is as terrible, I find, to our young English ladies as a monastery to those abroad; and on my virginity, I think they would rather marry a London jailer than a high sheriff of a county, since neither can stir from his employment. Analysis Start Free Trial The Country Wife. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period The doctor who helps Horner spread the rumor of his impotence. Like the other “virtuous” ladies, Mrs. Like Margery, Lucy is from a lower social class and, therefore, is not educated and does not have a reputation to protect the way that upper class ladies do. At least we are a little surer of the breed there, know what her keeping has been, whether foiled or Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Mr. uk; Get The Country Wife online from Bibliomania ; Back to top Learning about Restoration comedy. Abbas Lutfi Hussein(PhD) Al-Neelain Univ. e. In her chamber, Margery longs to see Horner and realizes that she is in love with him. This implies that people from the country are simple and uneducated compared with sophisticated and cosmopolitan town dwellers and relates to The Country Wife Analysis; The Country Wife Analysis. The Country Wife William Wycherly. Essays for The Country Wife. Alithea ’s maid. The Country Wife is a typically elitist view of Hobbesian social conflict. Therefore, it is fitting that an unreliable doctor spreads this false rumor and confirms it, “as a William Wycherly’s The Country Wife criticizes Restoration society (late 17 th century England) for its hypocrisy. The play was first performed in 1675 and caused a great deal of controversy due to its explicit sexual content and criticism of the In The Country Wife, William Wycherley uses satirical one-liners, disguises, and an ambiguous ending to outline major themes. , Khartoum Al-Mustansiriyah Univ. Squeamish is unmarried and lives under the care of her grandmother, Old Lady Squeamish. The play belongs to the Restoration comedy tradition, meaning that it was riddled with sexuality and wit and was Immediately download the The Country Wife summary, chapter-by-chapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more - everything you need for studying or teaching The Country Wife. Lady Fidget, Dainty Fidget, and Mistress Squeamish meet Harry Horner in his lodging. The Country Wife is set in England during the Restoration period (1660-1688), which Wycherley himself lived through. The Country Wife was written, according to its author's own statement, about the year 1671 or 1672. 5 Words are weapons, used more or less skillfully as a character perceives more or less clearly. PDF Cite Share Returning from France, and with the collusion of Dr Wycherley takes a satirical tone throughout The Country Wife as he critiques a wide range of social and sexual attitudes. The country wife of the title, Margery Pinchwife is young, possibly under the age of 20, and has been married to an Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. Harry Horner, a wealthy “ rake ” who spends his time pursuing women and hedonism, spreads a rumor that he has contracted a venereal disease and has been made impotent. This paper examines the attitude of William Wycherley, the ferocious moralist, to the victimization of women by the elite of aristocratic society during the Restoration era. In his Discussion of themes and motifs in William Wycherley's The Country Wife. Musicals; Good for Kids; Small cast; Upgrade to PRO to read our character analysis for Alithea and unlock other amazing An Analysis of Love in The Country Wife Essay Example 🎓 Get access to high-quality and unique 50 000 college essay examples and more than 100 000 flashcards and test answers from around the world! The Country Analysis of William Wycherley’s Plays. xxxviii) The discussion of structure (pp. As a genre, Restoration comedy is notable for displaying a recrudescence of bawdiness, the public expression of which had been suppressed under the Puritans, and for taking a satirical, or even cynical, view of marriage and sexuality. Pinchwife believes that Margery is stupid and easily manipulated and he marries her because he is Among the summaries and analysis available for The Country Wife, there are 1 Full Study Guide, 1 Short Summary and 1 Book Review. Pinchwife and Mrs. William Wycherley’s (8 April 1641 – 1 January 1716) dramatic canon consists of only four plays, and his stature in English letters depends almost entirely on a single work, The Country Wife. The qualitative analysis focuses on the utterances spoken by Horner, the main character of the comedy. Peter Pan Summary by JM Barrie. Squeamish. Essays & Analysis (5) Critical Essay by Derek Cohen. Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc. Credits: Produced by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (online soon in an extended version,also linking to free sources for education worldwide); Images generously In fact, The Country Wife presents a rich and varied panorama well suited to a pragmastylistic analysis of taboo language, i. She is relieved, as she sees now that Sparkish is capable of jealousy. Musicals; Good for Kids; Small cast; Upgrade to PRO to read our character analysis for Mr. The pair set off to find him while Alithea remarks on her luck; Pinchwife agrees to leave the pair alone. Pinchwife responds that “no woman can be forced” and launches into a bitter tirade against women, who The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy written in 1675 by William Wycherley. What Complete summary of William Wycherley's The Country Wife. ; Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level. The Country Wife Introduction + Context. He was born on April 8, 1641, and died in the year 1716. She immediately sees through Sparkish, who is engaged to Alithea, and knows that he is not good enough for her and does not appreciate his In Pinchwife ’s house, Margery Pinchwife complains to Alithea, Pinchwife’s sister, that Pinchwife never lets her go out into town or wear pretty clothes. Deception and cuckoldry enable instability in the traditional home in Wycherley’s The Country Wife. Mrs. ; Quote explanations, with page numbers, for over 45,765 quotes. doc / . Squeamish is a fashionable town lady, the companion of Lady Fidget and Mrs. Quick answer: The title The Country Wife is a double entendre pointing to the racy content of this play. Knepp. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Signs represent reputation in The Country Wife and symbolize the ways in which the characters use their reputations to advertise things about themselves which they wish to be widely known. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period China is used to symbolize sex throughout the play and Horner and his lovers use it as a code word. Pinchwife, a womanizer like Horner, admits that he has taken a country wife rather than a city wife. She decides to write a letter to Horner, now that she knows how to, but Pinchwife interrupts her The main plot concerns the activities of lusty Margery, a country woman whose jealous husband, Mr. To attain his goal, Wycherley casts the characters of The Country Wife into four distinct groups, the victimizer, the victimized, the self-made victims, and the exemplary characters. Home / Study Guides / The Country Wife. At a rare outing to the theatre she is noticed by Mr. One such means of communicating this reductive worldview comes through comparisons to animals, which happens throughout Margery grows irritated when Pinchwife mentions their country home and tells him that she has been ill since he told her about the man at the theatre who was in love with her. Its production upon the stage was subsequent to that of The Gentleman Dancing-Master , to which allusion is made in the prologue, and antecedent to that of the earlier-written Plain Dealer , in the second act of which the author inserted some AI Tools for on-demand study help and teaching prep. ), the resources below will generally offer The Country Wife chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Marriage is not depicted as a symbol of love in The Country Wife and, instead, is associated with qualities such as hatred, greed, and misogyny. As a genre, Restoration comedy is notable for displaying a recrudescence of bawdiness, the public expression of which had been Wycherley’s The Country Wife (1675) and The Plain Dealer (1676) are notorious for their sexually explicit dialogues. The best study guide to The Country Wife on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Although this destroys Horner’s reputation, he uses this to his advantage to seek out Blindness. Horner provokes the women, and they react to him with disgust, as exemplified in Lady Fidget's use of metaphor in the following passage: Though not every comedy of manners is self-flagellating or critical in nature, many of these literary works do take on a more satirical bent, The Country Wife included. William Wycherly Indignor quidquam reprehendi, non quia crasse Compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper: Nec veniam antiquis, sed honorem et præmia posci Horat. Dainty Fidget has a reputation as a “virtuous” woman who scorns “lewd” and promiscuous men and is disgusted by anything sexual. , and concentrating on the language in the china The mood throughout The Country Wife is lighthearted and jovial, interspersed with satirical moments that carry a slightly more cutting quality. Ishraqa Bashir Mohammed (PhD) & Asst. The document summarizes the Restoration comedy play The Country Wife by William Wycherley. The Country Wife essays are academic essays for citation. 5,466 words, approx. In Horner ’s house, the Quack has returned to find out how Horner’s trick has worked out for him. Criticism of The Country Wife itself is also uneven. Summary. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period Essays for The Country Wife. I have heard this distemper called a fever, but methinks ’tis liker an ague, for when I think of my husband, I tremble and am in a cold sweat, and have inclinations to vomit, but when I think of my gallant, dear Mr. He is shocked at how much progress Horner has made. Macaulay] -- Love in a wood; or, St. Horner tells Sir Jasper he is busy, but Sir Jasper tells him that his wife and the “virtuous gang” of ladies are on their way up, dressed for a masquerade ball. Squeamish —known together, ironically, as the “virtuous gang. ” This refers to both female genitalia, the object of male conquest in the play, and describes a person who is a malicious fool. The story’s point of view is 3rd person omniscient. Quack. Written in 1675, it was bold and raunchy something of a 'Carry-On' comedy Essays for The Country Wife. In the midst of a continual banter of sexual innuendo there lies, cynical commentary and misogonistic attitude’s upon women, love and what is Essays for The Country Wife. Horner asks if they curse these people for his sake, but the women scornfully reply that they curse them “for their own. A product of the easygoing early Restoration period, the play reflects an "The Country Wife" by William Wycherley is considered a masterpiece of Restoration comedy, a genre that emerged in the late seventeenth century and was characterized by its bawdy humor, wit, and social satire. He examines desire and how it affects every aspect of social life. For most of the characters, marriage is a A note about the names of the characters: Most of the characters in The Country Wife have "character-names"; that is to say, their names signify a character trait. Not only does Mrs. Pinchwife chose a country wife because he believed that she would be too naïve to become bored with him or to give in Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. L. Wycherley aims to make many of his characters into objects of amusement; as such, the mood is rarely ever serious, as is characteristic of a comedy of manners. Summary and Analysis of the plot William Whycherly’s The County Wife is a hilarious comedy about men and women in love and marriage. As he leaves, the servant enters and announces Sir Jasper Fidget, who is on his way up. PDF downloads of all 2,062 LitCharts guides. co. The Country Wife in Italy: Reception and Translation Valentina Rossi – The Function of Horner’s Irony in Wycherley’s The Country Wife Fabio Ciambella – Insulting (in) The Country Wife: a Pragmatic Analysis of Insults and Swearwords Daniela Francesca Virdis – China Metaphors: an Investigation of Metaphorical Strategies in The In the narrow world of The Country Wife, to have one's self-determination revoked and reputation sullied may feel like the worst thing in the world. By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on May 22, 2019 • ( 0) William Wycherley’s (8 April 1641 – 1 January 1716) dramatic canon consists of only four plays, and his stature in English letters depends almost entirely on a single work, The Country Wife. Sparkish is engaged to Pinchwife ’s sister, Alithea, but he is only marrying her for her money. (p. However, like Margery, Lucy is more intelligent than people realize. ] —Well, my dear Doctor, hast thou done what I desired. A “quack” is an old-fashioned term for a doctor who peddles nonsense cures and who is not reliable. Pinchwife agrees that he only married because he “could never keep a whore to [him]self” (56). This style of writing is well-suited generally to depicting the particular sphere of society Wycherley satirizes: people who, though often highly educated, cannot communicate their thoughts on controversial or taboo matters directly because of the Pinchwife imagines the country as a place of innocence and the city as one of wickedness. Scene 4. Premièring at Drury Lane in January 1675, just one year prior to Etherege’s The Man of Mode and during the height of Carolean drama’s heavy proliferation of ‘sex comedies’ in the The Country Wife also heavily features epigrammatic writing, in which characters speak in short, witty statements, often with a satirical twist. , Baghdad Country Wife I, a Restoration comedy, was written in 1675. " Explore the play's summary, study the critical analysis, understand the themes, and read the important quotes. That grave circumspection in marrying a country wife, is like refusing a deceitful pampered Smithfield jade, to go and be cheated by a friend in the country. Horner and THE COUNTRY WIFE DRAMA ANALYSIS 2 The country wife drama analysis: reputation and identity. Updated: 11/21/2023. Pinchwife, who tries to shield her from city life. insults, offences, swearwords, etc. Dainty Fidget and a member of the “virtuous gang. PDF downloads of all 2,047 LitCharts guides. Blindness is associated with love in The Country Wife, which reflects the theatrical and literary traditions which Wycherly is drawing on throughout his play. eNotes critical analyses help you gain a deeper understanding of The Country Wife so you can excel on your essay or test. Throughout The Country Wife, Wycherly uses theatrical devices, such as disguise and costume changes, to suggest that the more something is forbidden, the more titillating and attractive it becomes. eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of The Country Wife. Gossips, scandals, fashion, city and Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. This is an old tradition in The timeline below shows where the character Sir Jasper Fidget appears in The Country Wife. The context has numerous themes all intelligently integrated into the play by William Wycherley to make the literal work interesting. ”Their reputation as women who are honorable is extremely ironic as, underneath this public image, A satire uses comedy and exaggeration to highlight moral weaknesses in characters and society. Other scholars have explored a Freudian interpretation of The Country Wife, making much of Horner's latent homosexuality, emotional impotence, etc. Learn about William Wycherley's "The Country Wife. ; Quote explanations, with page numbers, for over 45,396 quotes. The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Harry Horner or refer to Harry Horner. Pinchwife demands to know how Margery reacted when Horner did this and she replies that she “stood very still” and even enjoyed it a little. The country wife is one of the most renown literary works for the past three hundred years. Alithea tells her that Pinchwife is jealous but reminds her that he took her to the theatre the night before. The play's witty dialogue and farcical plot provide a humorous yet insightful commentary on the human condition and the foibles of societal norms. “The Other Wife” is about a French aristocrat and his second wife has a brief encounter with his ex-wife in a restaurant. ACT V SCENE 1 (Pinchwife’s Lodging) (That evening) (Enter Mr. Horner: A Pox!Some unbelieving Sisters of my former acquaintance, who I expect their sense should be satisfied of the falsity of the report. Superior Essays. Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more. Learn. pdf), Text File (. AI Tools for on-demand study help and teaching prep. Pinchwife, sequesters her at home to ensure her fidelity. Read more. The types of satire found in The Country Wife are all forms of Horatian satire, which is to say comic social commentary. The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy written by William Wycherley and first performed in 1675. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Indeed, more than feeling awful, such a downfall in reputation may have real-world consequences, preventing women from being able to marry men with the means to support them financially. Protagonist Francis Weed’s predicament may be Horner personifies nature in the course of this conversation, using this as a means to legitimize his argument against Sparkish's behavior. A product of the tolerant early Restoration period, the play reflects an arist In The Country Wife, Horner ’s name reflects his status as a “cuckold maker,” as he gives men horns, or makes them cuckolds, when he sleeps with their wives. The ladies prevent him from The paper analyzes the fierce moralist William Wycherleys perspective on the mistreatment of women by the Restoration eras aristocratic class. Harcourt begins the play as one of Horner’s “rakish” companions but is converted by his love for Alithea and is Pinchwife: Ay, my dear, you must love me only, and not be like the naughty town-women, who only hate their husbands and love every man else; love plays, visits, fine coaches, fine clothes, fiddles, balls, treats, and so lead a wicked town-life. She is humorously naïve and The Country Wife Prologue Summary & Analysis | LitCharts. William Wycherley. Wycherley directs his satire in The Country Wife against both the sexual libertines of the English upper classes and their judgmental counterparts—individuals who publicly pass moral judgment on the sexual Essays and criticism on William Wycherley's The Country Wife - The Country Wife. To get there, Wycherley divides the characters in The Country Wife into four camps: the abuser, the victim, the self-made victim, and the role model. (Enter Sir Jaspar Fidget, Lady Fidget and Mrs. The title is a pun on the first syllable of the word “country,” implying that his purpose of finding any wife is to use her as an object for sex. Horner tells him that he has already spent time with several “civil persons” and that, while all the husbands and chaperons in the city believe that he is impotent, their “wives, sisters, and daughters” know the truth. Harry Horner, an infamous womanizer, enlists his doctor to spread the false rumor that Horner has become impotent to convince other men to trust him to be alone with their wives. " Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level. This shows Sparkish’s arrogance and disdain for the theatre and represents the attitude of many Restoration theatre goers. Alithea is Pinchwife ’s sister and is engaged to Sparkish. In the Restoration period, marriages were commonly viewed as transactions, especially among wealthy class people, and were often arranged for material and social reasons rather than because the couple were in love. When Sparkish asks what Harcourt means, Harcourt tells him that he is Summary and Analysis of the plot William Whycherly's The County Wife is a hilarious comedy about men and women in love and marriage. The later Restoration comedies were subtler in their treatment of similar themes. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period The Small Key Story Summary, Notes And Line By Line Analysis In English By Paz Latorena; 9 Poems About Spring Season; Categories Drama Summary. A product of the tolerant early Restoration period, the play reflects an aristocratic and anti-Puritan ideology, and was controversial for its sexual explicitness even in its own time. As such, the play contains several characters that embody particular aspects of these dynamics: Pinchwife, for example, represents the moralizing viewpoint of those who consider the city and all its excesses a den of the utmost iniquity. Wit provides thesis and justification for manipulating others. Written in 1675, The Country Wife, reflects the new sexual daring and exuberant excess of the Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. Pinchwife argues that her illness will make him ill with jealousy, but Margery insists that she does not understand what he means. From the creators of SparkNotes. Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers; Role of Women in the Restoration Period The Country Wife - Free download as Word Doc (. B. Show Guides. Although he is clearly a noble man with a “title,” Horner describes him as Lucy laments that people put so much stock in “honor” as, she feels, it does them more harm than good. Provide a critical analysis of The Country Wife. Show More. It discusses how the As Sir Jasper, Lady Fidget, and Dainty speak with Horner in Act 1, Scene 1, the subject of Horner's impotence is broached. About; Advertise; Guest Posts; The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley • Rhetorical Analysis of Humor in William Wycherley’s The Country Wife Prof. When Horner takes Margery aside in Covent Garden, stealing her away under Pinchwife ’s nose, he gives her some “China oranges” which she proudly takes back and presents to her husband. txt) or read online for free. An analysis of how France 20th century gender roles influence the multiple personalities of a The Country Wife is intended as a satire of social and sexual dynamics during the time period in which Wycherley lived. Horner, a notorious rake who starts a false rumour that he is a eunuch in order to gain the confidence of suspicious husbands. In The Country Wife, Pinchwife, an older man who is terrified of being cheated on and made a “ cuckold,” marries a young woman, Margery, from the country because he believes that she is less likely to cheat on him than a city wife. Restoration audiences would participate in the action on stage by shouting from the pit and Wycherly sees this as disrespectful and thinks it shows that the audience, like Sparkish, are pompous and pretentious and look down on the playwright’s work. In the midst of a continual banter of sexual innuendo there lies, cynical commentary and misogonistic attitude's upon w Get ready to explore The Country Wife and its meaning. The best reference guide to the comic drama of the Restoration era is J. Her greatest fear is that a jealous Harcourt is the companion of Horner and Dorilant and the lover of Alithea, whom he tries to persuade to leave her fiancé, Sparkish. ”In her speech, she ridicules unsuccessful lady’s men. 45 pages Essays for The Country Wife. Throughout The Country Wife, Horner displays a marked dislike of anyone attempting to masquerade as something they aren't. When Sparkish first arrives at Horner ’s house, he tells Horner a joke which suggests that Horner, whom Sparkish believes to be impotent, is a “sign” of a man and compares him to a literal William Wycherly was an English dramatist of the restoration period. 1484 Words; 6 Pages; Open Document. Best summary PDF, The Country Wife, based on a compilation of Molière’s The School for Husbands (1661), The School for Wives (1662), and Terence’s The Eunuch (161 BCE), is about marriage, infidelity, Need help with Act 1 in William Wycherley's The Country Wife? Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis.