The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley , The Country Wife Summary - The Country Wife may be a Restoration comedy, that is, an English theatrical comedy written during the amount 1660-1710, when theatrical performances resumed in London following their 18-year spell of illegality under the reign of the Puritan Commonwealth. As a genre, Restoration comedy is notable for displaying a recrudescence of bawdiness, the general public expression of which had been suppressed under the Puritans, and for taking a satirical, or maybe cynical, view of marriage and sexuality. As are going to be seen, these characteristics owe much to the genre’s social and historical contexts.
In order better to know this derogation of marriage, it'll be
convenient to talk of Restoration comedy, and of the values that animate it, as
breaking down into two phases, namely the sunshine comedies of the 1660s and
therefore the cynical comedies of the 1670s. the previous , as B. A. Kachur
points out, attended feature an obligatory couple the model of Shakespeare’s
Beatrice and Benedick; this couple’s “mutual antagonism-cum-attraction provided
the requisite does of benign sexual energy that resolved itself happily in
romantic love and consensual marriage between the subversive libertine and
inviolable heroine.” The plots, then, tended toward a decisive social and moral
resolution, imaged within the impending licit coupling between the leading
characters: the libertine, and therefore the moral subversion he represented,
were domesticated and brought in check by his voluntary submission to the
virtuous heroine. The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley against this ,
the comedies of the 1670s were darker; as Kachur observes, they featured “a
preponderance of lecherous men and married women who opted for dispassionate
and illicit sex and denigrated marriage altogether.” The sexual behavior of
those characters attended effect not resolution but dissolution, and therefore
the comedies of the 1670s attended have ambiguous conclusions, instilling insecurity
instead of social affirmation. The Country Wife (1675) is, of course, of this
latter type.
From the 1660s to the 1670s, a shift had occurred in
contemporary attitudes toward the institution of marriage. This shift was due
partially to certain events during the Interregnum, i.e. the amount of
parliamentary and military rule under the Commonwealth of England, beginning
with the execution of King Charles I in 1649 and ending with the restoration of
the monarcy under Charles II in 1660. The Country Wife Summary by William
Wycherley, one among these events was
the marriage Act of 1653, passed under the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell; this
Act required a civil ceremony so as for a wedding to be legally recognized, and
by shifting jurisdiction of marriage from church to state, it redefined
marriage as a civil contract instead of a sacramental bond. Inevitably, this
redefinition diminished the religious awe during which the institution of
marriage had long been held. It also enabled a revaluation of the facility
dynamics obtaining between husband and wife: traditionally, the husband was
sovereign within the domestic sphere and therefore the wife was subservient to
him; the model for this relation, of course, was the sovereignty of the monarch
over his subjects, but because the deposition of Charles I had cast doubt upon
the inevitability of the reign of monarchs over the commons, therefore the
marriage Act made the reign of husbands over wives depend not on a spiritual
necessity but on negotiations between the 2 parties concerned. The Country Wife
Summary by William Wycherley, Perhaps, then, women needed not be the
subservient vassals of their husbands; increasingly, they were viewed as free
individuals with rights and private agency. The tyrannical or neglectful
behavior of husbands therefore became grounds for criticism and satire.
Moreover, the conduct of Charles II himself, in both his
public and his personal capacities, provided grounds for criticism and even
cynicism about both the state and therefore the marital state. Charles’s
governance of England was culpably inept; by the 1670s, it had been clear that
the hopes of 1660 were to be disappointed which the King wasn't to orchestrate
stability within the realm or establish trust within the regime. Additionally,
his personal example was deplorable: he was infamous for his extramarital
affairs and for his illegitimate children, who numbered above a dozen. The
Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley , The King, then, wasn't the lynchpin
of national harmony that he need to have been; neither was he an honest
husband. within the cynical comedies of the 1670s, these facts were made to
analogize and comment upon one another . Kachur sums it up: “By the 1670s,
marital relationships within the comedies were dominated by characters, like
embittered subjects to a seemingly disloyal and detached king, whose skepticism
and disenchantment over matrimony bespoke the overall malaise and
dissatisfaction with the present state of Britain’s restoration, and their want
of fidelity, trust, and affection toward their mates, also as their illicit
sexual liaisons, signalled a covert rebellion against a bond that neither party
found tenable.” Such, clearly, is that the social, political, and moral
atmosphere that precipitated Wycherley’s The Country Wife.
The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley William
Wycherley’s The Country Wife was written and first performed in London, in
1675. The play has lived on together of the foremost famous samples of British
Restoration comedies and continues to be produced frequently. The Restoration
era, between 1660 and about 1700, describes the amount following the
Commonwealth era and therefore the restoration of English monarchy. During the
Commonwealth, theatre was banned in England for 18 years, so together with his
return to the throne, King Charles II encouraged not only the reinstatement of
the theatre but the assembly of plays with lascivious content and language. Restoration
comedies had complicated romantic plots, often featuring a mix of labor and (as
the character Sparkish complains) members of the aristocracy. After Puritan
control during the Commonwealth, artistic responses just like the Country Wife
adopted a transparent anti-Puritan stance. But even during this moment of
permissiveness, the play was considered scandalous and was actually banned from
the stage between 1753 and 1924.
The Country Wife, supported a compilation of Molière’s the
varsity for Husbands (1661), the varsity for Wives (1662), and Terence’s The
Eunuch (161 BCE), is about marriage, infidelity, and male friendship. 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. Jack Pinchwife, a former rake, has recently married Margery
Pinchwife, a lady from the country, since rampant cuckolding seems to be a
trait learned within the city. The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley Pinchwife
tries to cover his wife from his philandering friends, but Horner becomes
enamored with Margery, who immediately falls for him. As Horner schemes to bed
Margery (as well as all the opposite married ladies around him), his friend
Frank Harcourt falls crazy with Pinchwife’s sister, Alithea, who is betrothed
to Mr. Sparkish, a foolish bore who believes that he's witty and intelligent.
Much trickery ensues, involving masks, fake twins, and humorous mix-ups. At the
top of the play, Mr. and Mrs. Pinchwife remain unhappily together while Harcourt
presumably marries Alithea, and Horner goes on to stay bedding unhappy wives
who can preserve their honor and reputation under the ruse that Horner is
incapable of defiling them.
The Restoration era introduced the primary professional women
actresses, as before the Commonwealth, female roles on English stage were
played by boys. This led to the creation of “breeches roles,” which required
women to wear pants, a trope that manifests within the Country Wife when
Margery Pinchwife is disguised as her own brother. Given the style of the
amount , the appeal of getting women in breeches roles was the chance to
ascertain their legs in form-fitting clothing. The play depicts competitions
that occur between men and therefore the ways in which women become pawns and
prizes in those competitions. It shows these interactions as a game during
which a woman’s honor and reputation are tantamount to her social value, and
yet the impeachability of her virtue is decided less by her actions than by the
gossip surrounding her actions (or even inactions). The Country Wife differs
from many romantic comedies in its cynicism about marriage and an ending during
which the protagonist doesn't wed his beloved or maybe receive punishment for
duplicitousness but instead continues his rakish behavior.
The Country Wife
Summary by William Wycherley
Act I.
The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley The play’s
action begins with Harry Horner explaining to The Quack his brilliant ruse for
making a conquest of London’s upper-class ladies. Horner has spread a rumor
that a treatment for venereal disease rendered him impotent, and his new status
as a eunuch will allow him to gain access to ladies whose husbands and families
would otherwise consider him dangerous. It will also allow the ladies to
undertake liaisons with him and yet preserve their honor in the eyes of the
world.
Act II.
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. The women discuss Pinchwife’s jealousy, and Margery
expresses her admiration of the actors she saw at the theater yesterday.
Pinchwife enters and impresses both wife and sister with the importance of
Margery’s remaining ignorant of the ways of the town. The Country Wife Summary
by William Wycherley 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.
Sparkish, who is to
marry Alethea tomorrow, arrives with Harcourt to show off his fiancée to him.
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. Alethea tries in vain to wind
Sparkish up to some degree of indignation over this behavior; Sparkish believes
staunchly that sophisticated town wits are immune to jealousy.
Once Sparkish, Harcourt, and Alethea have left, Pinchwife is
surprised by the arrival of Lady Fidget, Dainty Fidget, and Mistress Squeamish.
The ladies have come to see Margery, but Pinchwife invents excuses for why they
cannot, then departs rudely. The ladies discuss Pinchwife’s jealousy and lament
the mistreatment of upper-class wives by their husbands. They also discuss
adultery, which they agree injures no one’s honor as long as it goes on in secret.
Sir Jasper arrives with Horner, saying that he has business to attend to and that the ladies must accept Horner as their chaperone. 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 and Horner then step aside, ostensibly to patch things up, and Horner tells Lady Fidget in confidence that his impotence is a sham. She is delighted with this news, and the pair establish an implicit intention to undertake a liaison.
Act III.
Margery and Alethea again discuss the restrictions Pinchwife
has imposed on Margery. 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. Margery
protests, however, saying that she wants to stay in London and walk abroad.
Pinchwife finally gives in; he decides to disguise Margery as a young man and
take her out for an airing.
In the next scene, Horner, Harcourt, and Dorilant stand
bantering in the New Exchange. Harcourt confesses that he is in love with
Alethea and needs a way of preventing her marriage to Sparkish. Horner advises
him to use Sparkish himself as a cover for making advances to Alethea. Sparkish
himself then approaches, and soon Pinchwife enters with Alethea and the
disguised Margery.
Horner, recognizing Margery beneath her disguise, makes his
move right under Pinchwife’s nose; Pinchwife cannot intervene without admitting
to the disguise and humiliating himself. The Country Wife Summary by William
Wycherley Meanwhile, Harcourt gets Sparkish to plead for him to Alethea, and in
begging for reconciliation he covertly (but in terms clear enough to Alethea)
expresses his love for her. Alethea becomes frustrated with Sparkish, who
refuses to recognize that Harcourt is actually trying to steal her away from
him.
When Pinchwife’s back is turned, Horner manages to make off
with Margery. Pinchwife searches in vain for his wife, who soon returns with
her arms full of gifts from Horner. Pinchwife, suspecting that he has been
cuckolded, prepares to leave. Sir Jasper enters to fetch Horner to Lady Fidget.
Act IV.
Alethea’s maid Lucy finishes dressing her mistress for the
wedding with Sparkish. Lucy disapproves of the match, however, and continues to
advocate for Harcourt. 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. The Country Wife Summary by William
Wycherley , Alethea also reveals that Sparkish’s lack of jealousy is, to her,
his most attractive quality.
Sparkish enters with Harcourt, who is disguised as his
fictional brother “Ned,” the parson, who is to officiate at the wedding.
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.
In the next scene, Pinchwife interrogates Margery regarding
her encounter with Horner. 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 forces Margery to compose at his dictation a
letter to Horner expressing her disgust with him and renouncing any further
contact. Margery complies under threat of physical harm, but once the letter is
finished and Pinchwife’s back is turned, she substitutes a love-letter for the
harsh one Pinchwife dictated.
The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley , In the next
scene, Horner gives The Quack a positive report on the success of his impotence
ruse. The Quack then conceals himself as Lady Fidget enters, seeking her first
sexual encounter with Horner. The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley , 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. Lady Fidget’s
outrageous explanation, that she was merely determining whether Horner is
ticklish, satisfies her oblivious husband. Sir Jasper objects, however, that
Lady Fidget was supposed to be shopping for china. She explains that Horner
himself has some expertise in china and even possesses a few pieces that she
would like to obtain. With this excuse, she exits to another room, into which
Horner soon follows her on the pretense of protecting his china collection. As
Sir Jasper stands gleefully by, anticipating that his wife is about to obtain a
valuable piece of china, Lady Fidget and her new lover have a liaison behind
the locked door. Mistress Squeamish enters too late and is disappointed to have
missed her opportunity; when Horner and Lady Fidget re-enter, they indicate
through double entendres that he is physically depleted.
Pinchwife enters, and Sir Jasper departs with the ladies.
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. Pinchwife warns Horner not to cuckold him, but Horner feigns surprise
at learning that the “youth” he kissed was not Margery’s brother but Margery
herself. With another warning, Pinchwife departs.
After a brief discussion between Horner and The Quack,
Pinchwife re-enters with Sparkish. 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 expresses disappointment in Alethea’s attachment
to Sparkish; he is thinking of Harcourt’s hopes, though Pinchwife takes him to
be disappointed for his own sake. Pinchwife exits, and Sparkish invites Horner
to dine with him and Pinchwife. Horner accepts, on the condition that Margery
will be invited.
In the next scene, Margery thinks longingly of Horner and
sits down to write another letter to him. 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.
Act V.
After dinner, Pinchwife directs Margery to finish the letter
to Horner as she had intended. Margery cleverly finishes it in Alethea’s name,
suggesting that Alethea, not she, is in love with Horner. Pinchwife warms to
the idea of marrying Alethea to Horner instead of Sparkish. 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. Pinchwife falls for this ruse, and soon he and the disguised
Margery depart for Horner’s lodging.
In the next scene, Pinchwife delivers the disguised Margery
to Horner and then departs to find a parson who will marry Horner and Alethea.
Sir Jasper then enters to inform Horner that Lady Fidget and her friends will
soon be arriving.
In the next scene, Pinchwife, in Covent Garden, presents
Sparkish with evidence that Alethea has written to Horner and intends to marry
him. Sparkish is incensed over this insult. 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.
In the next and final scene, Lady Fidget, Dainty Fidget, and
Mistress Squeamish all carouse with Horner in his lodging. (Margery is
concealed in a nearby room.) The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley , The
ladies speak openly of their frustrations with the upper-class men who neglect
them and of the hollowness of “reputation.” Lady Fidget then makes a reference
to Horner’s being her lover; this admission elicits surprise from the other two
ladies, who apparently have also availed themselves of Horner’s services. The
three ladies quickly agree not to fight over him, however, but rather to be
“sister sharers,” all keeping each other’s secrets.
Sir Jasper enters, and then the group receives notice that
Pinchwife and others are approaching. Horner sends his guests into another
room, then calls forth Margery and tries in vain to persuade her to go home
before Pinchwife finds her. Margery, however, has resolved to leave Pinchwife
and take Horner as her new husband. Horner sends her back into the other room
as Pinchwife and the others enter.
Pinchwife, accompanied by Alethea, Harcourt, Sparkish, Lucy,
and a parson, wants Horner to attest that Alethea has visited his lodging.
Horner lies, in order to protect Margery, and affirms this. Alethea, baffled
and aware that she is dishonored by this slander, avows that she regrets the
loss of no one’s good opinion but Harcourt’s. Harcourt declares that he
believes her; he then tries in vain to get Horner to clear the matter up. The
two men have reached a stalemate when Margery pokes her head in.
Margery gives her opinion that the parson should marry Horner
to her rather than to Alethea. Pinchwife, suddenly undeceived, draws his sword
on Margery; Horner objects, and Pinchwife turns to threaten him instead, then
is restrained by Harcourt. Sir Jasper, entering, inquires what is going on and
is amused by the notion of Horner’s cuckolding anyone. Pinchwife’s seriousness,
however, instills in him a fear that Horner may be virile after all. The
Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley.
Lucy intervenes, claiming that Margery’s coming in disguise
to Horner’s lodging was not an indication that Margery loves Horner but rather
part of Lucy’s plan to break up Sparkish and Alethea. Margery objects, however,
that her love for Horner is genuine. Pinchwife makes more threats.
The Country Wife Summary by William Wycherley Suddenly The
Quack walks in, to the relief of Horner, who calls upon him to attest to his
impotence, which The Quack obligingly does. Sir Jasper readily accepts this
medical testimony. Pinchwife is more suspicious and requires to be assured that
all of London believes in Horner’s impotence before he will accept the idea.
Margery continues to dissent, but the ladies overwhelm her testimony with
expressions of their confidence in Horner’s deficiency. 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.”
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