The Country Wife by William Wycherley
"The Country Wife" is a comedy play written by William Wycherley, first performed in 1675, which explores themes of deception, gender roles, and marital fidelity within the context of Restoration England. The plot centers around Mr. Horner, a notorious seducer who pretends to be impotent to gain access to the wives of men who fear his charms. This ruse allows him to interact freely with women, including the naïve and sheltered Mrs. Pinchwife, whose husband, Jack Pinchwife, is obsessively protective and unaware of the burgeoning desires of his wife.
As the story unfolds, the comedy intensifies with misunderstandings, disguises, and the clash between societal norms and individual desires. Mrs. Pinchwife, eager for the excitement of city life that her husband tries to shield her from, becomes embroiled in a chaotic series of events involving mistaken identities and romantic entanglements. The play critiques the rigid expectations placed on women and men, illustrating the complexity of relationships and the often absurd lengths to which individuals will go to maintain their social standing and personal desires.
Ultimately, "The Country Wife" is significant for its sharp wit and satirical examination of the moral hypocrisies of its time, making it a notable work in the canon of English comedy.
The Country Wife by William Wycherley
First produced: 1675; first published, 1675
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Comedy
Time of plot: Seventeenth century
Locale: London
Principal Characters
Mr. Horner , a gallant alleged to be impotentMr. Pinchwife , a jealous husbandMargery Pinchwife , his dissatisfied wifeAlithea , Mr. Pinchwife’s sister, a society womanMr. Harcourt , a gallant in love with Alithea
The Story
Mr. Horner, a gallant with a bad reputation for seduction, pretends that he was made impotent through disease and causes word of his misfortune to be spread throughout the town by his quack doctor. Immediately, men who were afraid to let him meet their wives for fear of seduction hasten to assure him that he can visit their homes and escort their women anywhere. Horner’s old companions among the town gallants tease him unmercifully, and at first, the women will have nothing to do with him. Among his friends is Jack Pinchwife, who is vastly afraid of being made a cuckold. He does not even let it be known that he is married. His wife is a woman from the country; she, he thinks, does not know enough about fashionable city life to think of taking a lover.
Pinchwife makes the mistake, however, of escorting his wife to a play, where she is seen by Horner and some of his friends. When Pinchwife returns to his lodgings, his wife, tired of being kept locked in the house, asks her husband to let her go walking. A relative, a woman from the town, speaks for her as well. Pinchwife becomes angry with both: at his wife for wanting to go out and at his relative who is, he claims, corrupting her morals. Pinchwife foolishly tells his wife what she is missing in town life—plays, dinners, parties, and dances—and so arouses her interest in all that he is attempting to keep from her for the sake of his honor.
When a party of women come to take his wife to the latest play, Pinchwife refuses to let her go or even to see the visitors. He gives out the excuse that she has smallpox. The excuse fails. At the same time Horner and some other gallants come to call.
The women are urged by their husbands to let Horner take them to the theater, but they, in disgust, refuse, until Horner himself whispers to one of them that the rumor spread about his impotency is untrue. Mrs. Pinchwife is forgotten and left behind.
After some time Mrs. Pinchwife becomes melancholy because she wishes to enjoy the gaiety her husband tells her about but refuses to let her see. At last Pinchwife agrees to take her to a play if she will dress as a man. On the way to the play, accompanied by Pinchwife’s sister Alithea, they meet the sister’s fiancé, a simpleton who lets his friend, Harcourt, pay court to Alithea. She, realizing that her fiancé is a fool, tries to treat Harcourt coolly, even though her fiancé is angry with her for doing so.
Before they arrive at the theater they meet Horner. Pinchwife, in spite of all he hears about Horner’s impotence, is worried lest Horner discover Mrs. Pinchwife’s disguise. Horner, recognizing Mrs. Pinchwife, teases the jealous husband by kissing the young “gentleman” and telling “him” the kiss is for his sister, Mrs. Pinchwife. Horner, in addition, tells the “young man” that he is in love with Mrs. Pinchwife.
The following morning Alithea is dressed to marry her fiancé. The bridegroom comes with a parson, actually Harcourt in disguise. Harcourt is still determined to take Alithea for his own, if he can. After some discussion, the marriage is put off for a day.
Meanwhile, Pinchwife tries to force his wife to send a letter calculated to discourage Horner’s attentions, but she substitutes a love letter for the one her husband dictated. After taking the letter, Pinchwife locks her in her room and tells her to stay away from the window.
In his own rooms, Horner holds a discussion with his quack doctor and tells him how well his scheme to fool husbands is working. In proof, a well-bred woman comes to his rooms, but the opportunity is lost when her husband follows her. A few moments later two other women arrive, much chagrined when they find Horner entertaining other visitors. Pinchwife, knowing nothing of the substitution, delivers the letter. Upon his return home he finds his wife writing another love letter to Horner. Angered, he draws his sword, but he is interrupted by the entrance of Alithea’s fiancé.
Mrs. Pinchwife lies her way out of the situation by saying she is writing the letter for Alithea, who, she says, is in love with Horner. Pinchwife, knowing that Horner is of as a good family and is as wealthy as his sister’s fiancé, thinks that by marrying Alithea to Horner he can keep his wife away from the rake. When he agrees to take Alithea to Horner, his wife disguises herself in Alithea’s clothing and presents herself as Alithea to be taken to Horner’s lodgings.
Pinchwife unsuspectingly takes his wife to Horner and leaves to get a clergyman to marry the couple. On the way he meets his sister’s fiancé, who is puzzled by Pinchwife’s tale. When they meet the real Alithea, all are confused. Shortly after Pinchwife leaves, three women appear at Horner’s lodgings. During the visit all three discover that Horner enjoyed their favors, while each thinks he is hers alone. After they leave, Horner gets rid of Mrs. Pinchwife after some trouble; she wants to leave her husband and live with Horner.
Pinchwife, Alithea, Harcourt, and the fiancé all arrive to clear up the mystery of the disguised Alithea. The men accuse Horner of double-dealing, and Pinchwife threatens the gallant with his sword. Mrs. Pinchwife, who is loitering nearby, enters the room. To save the honor of all concerned, Alithea’s maidservant takes the blame for lying. The doctor comes in unexpectedly and testifies again to the impotency of Horner. His report puts all husbands at their ease again. Only Mrs. Pinchwife, who is unable to leave her husband or to have Horner’s favors, is out of sorts.
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