From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. William Wycherley’s Country Wife offers a wealth of connotative meaning through the names of its characters. However, in The Country Wife, references to masks are made almost exclusively in relation to women: “masks have made more cuckolds than the best faces that were ever known” (3.1.111-112); “women are least masked when they have the velvet vizard on” (5.4.116-117). It will also allow the ladies to undertake liaisons with him and yet preserve their honor in the eyes of the world. The play is very explicit and chock-full of sexual innuendos and puns making it too outrageous to be on the stage from 1753-1924. Harcourt shows no loyalty to Sparkish, who thinks Harcourt is his friend, and is merciless in his … In Act 1 of "The Country Wife," the introduction of Mr. Pinchwife features an absolutely ridiculous conversation between the male characters that Pinchwife's feelings and attitudes about women and marriage. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. 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. His devotion to the meritorious Alethea bespeaks his basic good nature, and in the course of the play he is converted to a vision of marriage based on mutual love and esteem. Late in the play she articulates a defense of the hypocrisy of high-born ladies. Restoration comedy. Last Updated on June 1, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Created by. the protagonist, the one who spreads the rumour that he' a eunuch and seduces Mrs. Pinchwife. Unaccustomed to city ways, she is largely guileless and not overwhelmingly bright but... How does Gordy help Junior understand why Rowdy and others on the reservation consider him a traitor? Chazelle, Damien ed. The Country Wife does all of these things well, but was extremely controversial even for it’s time. This question does not relate to The Country Wife. Match. English Restoration Comedies- Stock Characters • The Rake - a fashionable or wealthy man of immoral or promiscuous habits. Horner is the most insightful of all the “wits” in the play, often drawing out and commenting on the moral failings of others, but in his sexual conduct he is the most depraved. The text offers rich evidence that Mr. Pinchwife’s name suggests his flaw—which… Through the use of humour Wycherley addresses some of his key thematic concerns, … Setting. 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. A notorious London rake who, in order to gain sexual access to “respectable” women, spreads the rumor that... Jack Pinchwife. Instant downloads of all 1428 LitChart PDFs Next. In the course of the play he manages liaisons with several of the female characters. Unaccustomed to city ways, she is largely guileless and not overwhelmingly bright but perhaps not so incapable of intrigue as she first appears. The Country Wife JAMES THOMPSON PROVIDENCE can be perceived in drama as the trace of the will of God working in and through the will of man: divine agency, a special Providence, is seen to order and control men's affairs towards His ends. He is a latent tyrant, potentially violent. A middle-aged London man, newly married to the rustic Margery. Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Nick Hern Books edition of The Country Wife published in 2002. GradeSaver, 30 November 2010 Web. A notorious London rake who, in order to gain sexual access to “respectable” women, spreads the rumor that venereal disease has rendered him impotent. 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. https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/playtext-overview?docid=do-9781408169124&tocid=do-9781408169124-div-00000012. Act 1 Quotes. She is engaged to Sparkish, whom she values because he appears incapable of jealousy; in the course of the play, however, she attracts the amorous attentions of Harcourt, whom she begins to value for his intelligence and gallantry. However, Wycherley’s use of humour serves more than simply the creation of entertainment for the audience. The unmarried sister of Sir Jasper Fidget. He pretends to be impotent in order to deceive myopic and inadequate husbands and gain admission to their wives-and his pretended impotence is obviously symbolic, … Sir Jasper Fidget enters with his … The younger sister of Jack Pinchwife, who wants to marry her off for financial reasons. 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 … Lady Fidget is Sir Jasper Fidget ’s wife and, ironically, a woman known in the town for being extremely virtuous and “honorable.”. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Word Count: 646. The way the content is organized, Harry Horner is a wealthy London socialite who has a reputation as a great “wit” and a notorious womanizer. STUDY. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The Country Wife Character List Harry Horner. The doctor whom Horner enlists to spread the rumor of his impotence. The Country Wife essays are academic essays for citation. A rakish friend of Horner, Harcourt meets Alethea early in the play, flirts with her in front of Sparkish, and soon falls in love with her. A shallow and foolish playboy who considers himself, wrongly, a “wit.” He is engaged to Alethea, attracted primarily by her money. A common feature of the dramatic imitation of Providence is the seeming disparity between a character's desires and his deserts. The Question and Answer section for The Country Wife is a great Even his name is generic of his profession. Pinchwife is bullying and hypocritical in his treatment of Margery. The Country Wife study guide contains a biography of William Wycherly, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Harcourt and Alithea represent the lovers in the play and are the only respite from the cynical machinations and hypocritical schemes of the other characters. He is happy to entrust his wife, Lady Fidget, to Horner’s company, on the theory that the presence of the supposed eunuch will keep her occupied and discourage the advances of other, more potent men. A young unmarried woman related to the Fidgets. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. However, in many ways Wycherley went beyond the works of his contemporaries in his use of humour to actually critique the Restoration society and its vices. We can identify unambiguously the three well-known Restoration comedy character types when they first appear onstage in The Country Wife. Alethea’s clever and sensible maidservant. The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy written in 1675 by William Wycherley. The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy written in 1675 by William Wycherley. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”. The Quack. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Learn. His main character, Horner pretends to be sexually impotent, while the supposed innocent woman from the … • The country father- A Father from the country • The coquette - A flirtatious woman. Yost, Julia. Write. Like many other Restoration Comedies The Country Wife is characterised by farcical humour that runs throughout the whole play, generated through wit, sexual innuendo and a great deal of dramatic irony. Alethea is the most straightforwardly admirable person in the play: her residence in London and enjoyment of the pleasures of the town have sharpened her wits but not dulled her morals. "The Country Wife Characters". Harcourt and Dorilant seem to mostly be there to add to the conversation and jabs about Pinchwife. The attractive young “country wife” of the title, Margery is newly married to Jack Pinchwife and is visiting London for the first time to see Alethea’s wedding. … William Wycherley’s, The Country Wife employs characters that challenge traditional gender norms and go against societal expectations to generate comic relief. Get the entire The Country Wife LitChart as a printable PDF. Teachers and parents! Like Lady Fidget, she is a member of “the virtuous gang” and secretly a conquest of Horner’s. When assessing the overall role of humour in The Country Wife one has to accept that it is used for more than the simple generation of laughter. The Country Wife Characters - In this article, we will discuss the main characters in the play The Country WIfe by William Wycherley. The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, that is, an English theatrical comedy written during the period 1660-1710,. Genre. The wife of Sir Jasper Fidget, she is much younger than her husband and a leading figure in “the virtuous gang.” Utterly hypocritical, she piques herself on her virtue in public and avails herself of Horner’s physical charms in private. Lady Fidget. William Wycherley lived from 1640 to 1715, and wrote The Country Wife in 1675. Even its title contains a lewd pun. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Last Updated on June 1, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Please place your question in the proper category and repost your question. Her unrefined sexual vitality and all-around naturalness contrast with the hyper-civilized corruption of the Londoners around her. In contrast to the other female characters in The Country Wife, Old Lady Squeamish is never seen as a sexual character in the play. The Country Wife by William Wycherley was published in 1675. Any double entendres made by Old Lady Squeamish, such as “…as pretty harmless company for a lady as a snake without his teeth” (4.3.192-3), are addressed to other characters, not to herself, such as this jab at Mr. Horner. It is classified in English literature as a Restoration comedy. The Country Wife study guide contains a biography of William Wycherly, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Lady Fidget Character Analysis. • The Cuckold- The character is the husband of a adulterous wife. Spell. -Graham S. Mrs. Squeamish is a fashionable town lady, the companion of, 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, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. the doctor who appears right at the beginning of the play, and wh helps Horner spread the rumour . The grandmother of Mistress Squeamish; she strives in vain to preserve her granddaughter’s purity. A rake before his marriage, he is now the archetypal jealous husband: he lives in fear of being cuckolded, not because he loves his wife but because he believes that he owns her. For example, the dual meaning in Pinchwife’s name provides a basis for the discussion of an emerging lesson in the play: coercive tactics fail to ensure loyalty. Wycherley, William. In conclusion, The Country Wife presents a society that is full of intimacy, infidelity, hypocrisy, loveless sexual encounters arrangements and one sex solidarism with intents of deceit. Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Quack. • The fop- A foolish man overly concerned with his appearance and clothes in 17th century England. These characters outmaneuver, seduce, or dupe all the rest, and as the label … LitCharts Teacher Editions. She is skeptical of her mistress’s plans to marry the vapid Sparkish, and she is resourceful in coming up with schemes to encourage a match with Harcourt. PLAY. (including. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Country Wife by William Wycherly. Still, their love is not pure and socially sanctioned, and Harcourt must steal Alithea from under her fiancé’s nose before they can be together. The attractive young “country wife” of the title, Margery is newly married to Jack Pinchwife and is visiting London for the first time to see Alethea’s wedding. London, Holloway: Oberon books, 2005. The Country Wife. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Lady Fidget is Sir Jasper Fidget ’s wife and, ironically, a woman known in the town for being extremely virtuous and “honorable.”. Word Count: 736. He spreads a rumor that he has caught a venereal disease and that, after being treated…, Sir Jasper Fidget is a wealthy businessman, the husband of. Mrs. Dainty Fidget. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The Conscious Lovers is a sentimental comedy, in which, according to Oliver Goldsmith, “the virtues of private life are exhibited, rather than the vices exposed” (491). The protagonists, Horner, Alithea and Harcout are truewits—the aristocrats with libertine, skeptical, naturalist manners. Test. Terms in this set (13) Harry Horner. Gravity. The characters in The Country Wife come to represent social forces not so easily managed in Restoration life, and through the actions of these characters, Wycherley not only satirizes the patriarchy of Restoration London, but also reveals that within the full scope Restoration drama, The Country Wife is a definitive comedy of manners. The plays action begins with Harry Horner explaining to The Quack his brilliant ruse for making a conquest of Londons upper-class ladies. Mr. Harry Horner. He is obsessively jealous and is terrified of being made to look foolish and of gaining a reputation as a “cuckold.”. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. 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. The Country Wife has reached little consensus about certain interpreta-tive issues even now; Helen Burke refers to its "notorious resistance to in-terpretation. As the character of the Quack appears in the opening scene of The Country Wife, he is a minor functionary, a flat but necessary character. He appears to Alethea incapable of jealousy, but this is true only insofar as the envy of other men increases the “value” of his prospective wife, whom he thinks he owns. William Wycherley’s The Country Wife was a great box office success when it first premiered in London in 1675. Jack Pinchwife directs his wife, Margery Pinchwife, to finish her letter to Harry Horner as she had … He has chosen Margery for a wife because he believes that she is innocent and naïve and therefore easy to control. The Country Wife Character Analysis. So little attention has been paid to the Quack that nowhere is his function discussed in any detail. The theater audiences of the Restoration had a far more … She spends most of her time with her sister in law, Mrs. Dainty … read analysis of Lady Fidget. Read the Study Guide for The Country Wife…, Let it be Decieved: Deception in The Country Wife and The Conscious Lovers, The Mythic Archetype of Don Juan in The Country Wife and The Rover, The Country Wife and Reversal of Power Dynamics, View Wikipedia Entries for The Country Wife…. A man of business who derives no end of amusement from the rumor of Horner’s impotence. Works Cited. She spends most of her time with her sister in law, Mrs. Dainty Fidget, and her friend Mrs. Squeamish, and the trio are known as the “virtuous gang. The protagonist of the play, Horner, is a well-known playboy in London. Also, please add a chapter or section number if possible. viktoriavegh TEACHER. Horner, the central character of The Country Wife, stands alone in his society, with no close friends or confidants, alienated and iso-lated, incapable of any meaningful action except repeated and unsatisfactory seduction. Sir Jasper Fidget. Like Lady Fidget, she is a member of “the virtuous gang” and secretly a conquest of Horner’s. Flashcards. 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. A rake before his marriage, he is now the... Margery Pinchwife. 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. English. London. Struggling with distance learning? Of course as a Restoration Comedy the farcical humour is at the heart of the play. Horner has already been set up as kind of… The Country Wife characters. The major themes of William Wycherley’s The Country Wife, according to prominent scholars of Restoration comedy, are marriage, love, and sex. The Country Wife is a typical stage comedy; most of the characters, including the protagonist, are humorous, flawed people who wish to hide their faults from others. A middle-aged London man, newly married to the rustic Margery. Her sexual nature is simple; she has none. 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