Price Range Not Applicable. Pinchwife enters, reads the letter she is composing, and is about to commit a violent act upon her when Sparkish walks in and puts a stop to it, leading Pinchwife off to dinner. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”. Teachers and parents! Meanwhile, with Lucy’s help, Margery concocts a plan to get to Horner’s lodging: she will impersonate Alethea, who ostensibly wishes to meet Horner and discuss the matter with him but who is so ashamed that she must wear a mask in order not to face Pinchwife. Their first son, Nevada Alexander Musk, died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at the age of 10 weeks. Wycherley rejects the tradi-tional sexual morality of Christian society, which attempts to deny free play to the erotic drive, to channel it into the one acceptable outlet of marriage, just as Machiavelli rejected the restraints this morality would impose upon the exercise of power. Among the concluding remarks, Harcourt indicates his impatience to be a husband, the Pinchwifes each indicate their distaste for their marriage, and Lucy insists to Pinchwife that Margery’s expression of love for Horner “was but the usual innocent revenge on a husband’s jealousy.” Margery reluctantly confirms this lie, and Pinchwife resigns himself to accepting the story, though it does not convince him: “For my own sake fain I would all believe; / Cuckolds, like lovers, should themselves deceive.”. Pinchwife makes more threats. They eventually succeed in seeing Sparkish off just in time for Mr. Pinchwife to arrive. Lucy disapproves of the match, however, and continues to advocate for Harcourt. The Country Wife (1675) A COMEDY by Wycherley, William (1640-1716) The Persons Mr. Horner, a gentleman Mr. Harcourt, his acquaintance, enamored of Alithea Mr. Dorilant, friend to Mr. Harcourt Mr. Pinchwife, a newlywed gentleman Mr. Sparkish, engaged to Alithea Sir Jaspar Fidget, a noble gentleman Mrs. Margery Pinchwife, a newlywed country lass The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, that is, an English theatrical comedy written during the period 1660-1710,. You will hear all the vulgar words (whoremaster, coxcomb, pimp etc.) Inside, Horner drinks with the “honorable” ladies who begin to get tipsy. When Margery tells Pinchwife that Horner put his tongue in her mouth when he kissed her, Pinchwife can no longer contain his jealousy and forces Margery to write a letter to Horner in which she tells him that she finds him disgusting and will not tolerate his advances. Margery, however, has resolved to leave Pinchwife and take Horner as her new husband. The play has lived on as one of the most famous examples of British Restoration comedies and continues to be produced frequently. ACT 2, Scene I. Mrs. Margery Pinchwife,and Alithea: Mr. Pinchwife peeping behind at the door. In the next scene, Pinchwife, in Covent Garden, presents Sparkish with evidence that Alethea has written to Horner and intends to marry him. Horner takes Lady Fidget aside and whispers to her that he is not actually impotent and says that he has lied for her sake, to get close to her. Pinchwife is furious with Horner for “cuckolding” him and prepares to duel him. (including. Sir Jasper enters to fetch Horner to Lady Fidget. After the departure of the Fidgets, Horner’s two friends, Frank Harcourt and Mr. Dorilant, enter and banter with him about women, wine, and friendship. It will also allow the ladies to undertake liaisons with him and yet preserve their honor in the eyes of the world. Restoration comedy written in 1675 by William Wycherley. Sir Jasper is taken aback for a moment, but Horner is saved by the reappearance of the Quack who gives Pinchwife and Sir Jasper his word “as a physician” that Horner is impotent. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. Retrouvez The Country Wife et des millions de livres en stock sur Amazon.fr. https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/playtext-overview?docid=do-9781408169124&tocid=do-9781408169124-div-00000012. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Popular for its lively characters and its double entendres, the bawdy comedy was occasionally vilified for immorality. Sparkish himself then approaches, and soon Pinchwife enters with Alethea and the disguised Margery. Margery plays along with this, though she knows that they are all lying, and resigns herself to a future as Pinchwife’s wife. As they are talking, Pinchwife, Margery, Alithea and Lucy walk past, and the men pursue them. Please place your question in the proper category and repost your question. Alithea and her maid, Lucy, accompany them. Horner hides Margery in another room and meets the ladies, who are preparing to get very drunk and have a bawdy evening with him. The way the content is organized, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Sir Jasper objects, however, that Lady Fidget was supposed to be shopping for china. Lady Fidget and Horner then step aside, ostensibly to patch things up, and Horner tells Lady Fidget in confidence that his impotence is a sham. Unaccustomed to city ways, she is largely guileless and not overwhelmingly bright but perhaps not so incapable of intrigue as she first appears. Margery is upset because she has fallen in love with Horner and thinks of a way to trick her husband. Lady Fidget, Mrs. Dainty Fidget, and Mrs. Squeamish arrive at Pinchwife’s house to take Margery to see the play. Margery cleverly finishes it in Alethea’s name, suggesting that Alethea, not she, is in love with Horner. He tells Pinchwife that he saw him at the theatre the previous night with a beautiful young woman. The Country Wife Character Analysis. Pinchwife and Sparkish are discussing the latter’s marriage to Alethea, which may be invalid, as the authenticity of the parson is now in doubt. Horner is shocked when Pinchwife reappears, this time bringing him a masked woman. Publication date 1961 Topics English drama Publisher San Francisco : Chandler Pub. After some preliminary fretting over her reputation, she embraces Horner just in time to be caught in the act by Sir Jasper, who enters unexpectedly. She is followed by her grandmother, Old Lady Squeamish. Pinchwife is more suspicious and requires to be assured that all of London believes in Horner’s impotence before he will accept the idea. Soon Alethea enters, and Sparkish says such nasty things to her, including an avowal that her only attraction for him was her money, that Alethea concludes that she was deceived all along about his good nature. The Country Wife. The Question and Answer section for The Country Wife is a great He has not heard the rumors about Horner and becomes extremely jealous when Horner inquires about his wife and suggests that she may make Pinchwife a “cuckold.” Pinchwife replies that his wife is too simple and stupid to be taken into town and so he plans to leave her at home. Horner is at home with the Quack, who is eager to hear how Horner’s experiment is going. Harry Horner, a notorious womanizer, spreads a rumor that he has contracted venereal disease and that, while being treated for this by a French surgeon, he has accidentally been made impotent. Sir Jasper then enters to inform Horner that Lady Fidget and her friends will soon be arriving. While they are talking, Sir Jasper arrives with Horner and Dorilant and tells the ladies that these young men will take them to the theatre. Jack Pinchwife enters, and Horner correctly discerns that he has recently gotten married. Lady Fidget rejects the idea of spending time with a eunuch, but Sir Jasper wins her cooperation by suggesting that she might win money off Horner at cards. Lady Fidget finally announces that Horner is her secret lover and is surprised when Mrs. Dainty and Mrs. Squeamish confess that he is theirs, too. Suddenly The Quack walks in, to the relief of Horner, who calls upon him to attest to his impotence, which The Quack obligingly does. Pinchwife forces Margery to compose at his dictation a letter to Horner expressing her disgust with him and renouncing any further contact. but the moral sense that should accompany the language is missing. Chaldean Numerology. Numerology. PROLOGUE, spoken by Mr. Hart. Pinchwife is not yet a cuckold, but he sees that he will have to take measures to ensure that Horner does not have any further success with his wife. Pinchwife returns and overhears them and berates Alithea for setting a bad example for Margery. Pinchwife enters, and Sir Jasper departs with the ladies. Horner ushers the Quack behind a screen and the doctor watches as Lady Fidget throws herself at Horner. In The Country Wife, Pinchwife and Sparkish are two of the other central male figures, and in many ways catalyze the plot. Horner rushes in after her and Sir Jasper laughs at the sounds coming through the door. After a trip to France, he pretends to have become impotent because of a venereal disease that he supposedly caught abroad in order to convince married men to allow him to have access to their wives. The ladies discuss Pinchwife’s jealousy and lament the mistreatment of upper-class wives by their husbands. psychology of The Country Wife. Pinchwife leaves, but he is brought back a moment later by Sparkish, who insists they must join him for his wedding dinner. Dorilant leaves but Sir Jasper insists that it will not harm their reputations to be seen with Horner. He agrees on the condition that she dress up like a man so that Horner and his friends will not recognize her. Sir Jasper Fidget enters with his wife, Lady Fidget. After dinner, Pinchwife directs Margery to finish the letter to Horner as she had intended. Romeo and Juliet. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Margery Pinchwife complains to her sister-in-law, Alethea Pinchwife, that her new husband has confined her indoors and will not let her see the sights in London. In the next scene, Horner, Harcourt, and Dorilant stand bantering in the New Exchange. For, though one of the most profligate and heartless of human compositions, it is the elaborate production of a mind, not indeed rich, original or imaginative, but ingenious, observant, quick to seize hints, and patient of the toil of polishing. Horner lies, in order to protect Margery, and affirms this. Pinchwife, who has not heard the rumors, privately fears that Horner will cuckold him. Pinchwife, suspecting that he has been cuckolded, prepares to leave. William Wycherley’s The Country Wife was written and first performed in London, in 1675. Pinchwife has brought Horner the letter from Margery. The group agree to keep each other’s secrets. Your stingy country Coxcomb keeps his wife from his friends as he does his little Firkin of Ale for his own drinking. Pinchwife tries to avoid them, but the men accost the party and ask who the young man among them is. They married in 2000 and separated in 2008. Master of Fine Arts program performs William Wycherley 17th century Restoration comedy this fall at The Costume Shop. Pinchwife then enters and, after accusing Alethea of being a disreputable lady, says that he is looking forward to marrying Alethea off to Sparkish and then returning with Margery to the country. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Margery objects, however, that her love for Horner is genuine. He is impressed with what he hears and even more impressed when Lady Fidget arrives alone. You can invite conversation or merely let it be known that you just needed to say it! They feel that men no longer seek out “virtuous” women to have affairs with. The protagonist of the play, Horner, is a well-known playboy in London. Pinchwife finally gives in; he decides to disguise Margery as a young man and take her out for an airing. One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Horner and Lady Fidget re-emerge, Lady Fidget carrying some china, and Mrs. Squeamish tries to persuade Horner to give her some china, too. It will also allow the ladies to undertake liaisons with him and yet preserve their honor in the eyes of the world. The numerical value of country wife in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6. Pinchwife bursts in on her and forces her to finish what she is writing. As they are talking, Sparkish arrives and the friends scramble to find a way to get rid of him. The plays action begins with Harry Horner explaining to The Quack his brilliant ruse for making a conquest of Londons upper-class ladies. Pinchwife enters and impresses both wife and sister with the importance of Margery’s remaining ignorant of the ways of the town. The pair begin to fondle each other but are interrupted by Sir Jasper. Horat. Noté /5. Sir Jasper Fidget enters with his … Before Margery can explain herself to Horner, however, Sir Jasper arrives and tells him that Lady Fidget, Mrs. Dainty, and Mrs. Squeamish are on their way up. When it comes out that Horner has seen the new Mrs. Pinchwife, the day before at the theater, Pinchwife becomes uncomfortable and departs. It is intelligent within … It satirizes the sexual duplicity of the aristocracy during the reign of Charles II. Renowned playboy, Harry Horner, has made it known in the society pages that he is now impotent. When he returns with the letter seal, Margery swaps the letters and seals the one she has written herself, rather than Pinchwife’s, to send to Horner. When they are told that Horner is impotent, however, the ladies (who have a reputation for being extremely virtuous) are disgusted and refuse to stay with him. Pinchwife searches in vain for his wife, who soon returns with her arms full of gifts from Horner. There aren't many laughs in this soggy piece, despite the best efforts of the talented cast who mug and sashay through it. Pinchwife enters and the ladies immediately leave with Sir Jasper to avoid being seen by another man. Thus the world of The Country Wife, judged by quoti- The men then discuss Pinchwife’s reasons for marrying and his choice of a bride, and Pinchwife’s contempt for women becomes plain. The ladies are horrified and refuse. Sir Jasper, entering, inquires what is going on and is amused by the notion of Horner’s cuckolding anyone. The two women argue about the nature of honor and whether it is prudent or just for Alethea to marry a man she does not love, simply because she previously agreed to it. Alethea tries in vain to make Sparkish see through the disguise; eventually she gives up and agrees to submit to what she knows will be an invalid marriage ceremony. Lady Fidget thinks quickly and tells her husband that she is tickling Horner because he has refused to take her shopping. Pinchwife delivers Margery’s letter to Horner; Horner reads it on the spot and figures out that Margery has substituted a love-letter for one that Pinchwife dictated to her. Through Pinchwife’s close-mindedness and mean-spirited protectiveness, his wife becomes susceptible to Horner’s charms. It is not an exaggeration to say that the play is focussed on sex and erotic adventure and the sex war, at least within the limitations of the class and time. She tells Alithea that she loved going to the theatre the night before and found the actors extremely handsome. Pinchwife claims that he has married a rich (and, according to him, “ugly” and “silly”) country wife so that he does not need to worry about her cuckolding him. Mr. Harry Horner. 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. Vent away about whatever is stressing you out at the moment. When Margery inquires the reason for this, Pinchwife explains that a licentious man at the theater has seen her and fallen in love with her; Margery is delighted, and soon Pinchwife locks her away in another room. Yost, Julia. This only increases Margery’s enthusiasm, so Pinchwife tells her that a man has already seen her at the theatre and is in love with her. Harcourt falls in love with Alethea immediately upon seeing her, and he cleverly makes advances to her under the nose of Sparkish, who is too obtuse to comprehend the drift of Harcourt’s dialogue. Harcourt declares that he believes her; he then tries in vain to get Horner to clear the matter up. With another warning, Pinchwife departs. As soon as the rumor has been circulated, Horner is pleased to find that Sir Jasper Fidget, a businessman who works in the city, comes to call and leaves his wife, Lady Fidget, and her companions, Mrs. Dainty Fidget and Mrs. Squeamish, in Horner’s care. In 1675, The Country Wife was performed with brilliant success, which, in a literary point of view, was not wholly unmerited. That she loved going to the confusion of Sparkish to their amusement tells her.! … William Wycherley, William, 1640-1716 understand the purpose of a way get... Gives her opinion that the ladies must accept Horner as their chaperone tickling Horner he. 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