What is the plot of The Country Wife?

What is the plot of The Country Wife?

Popular for its lively characters and its double entendres, the bawdy comedy was occasionally vilified for immorality. The main plot concerns the activities of lusty Margery, a country woman whose jealous husband, Mr. Pinchwife, sequesters her at home to ensure her fidelity.

Why was the country wife banned?

In fact, its notoriety is such that the play was effectively banned until the 1920s, as audiences were deemed too fragile to deal with its central themes of cuckolding and infidelity and a text stuffed with more innuendo than your average Carry On film.

How does the country wife end?

In a final trickster masterpiece, Horner averts the danger, joining forces with his more sophisticated lovers to persuade the jealous Pinchwife to at least pretend to believe Horner impotent and his own wife still innocent.

Who falls instantly in love with Alithea?

Harcourt falls in love with Alithea instantly and begins to court her, brazenly, in front of Sparkish. Although Alithea protests, Sparkish does not notice and seems incapable of jealousy.

When was the Country Wife banned?

1920s
Inspired by French farce, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife had long been considered highly controversial for its excess of sexual innuendo. It was well received initially in 1675 during the English Restoration, but shortly thereafter, The Country Wife was banned from the stage until the 1920s.

What is a true wit in The Country Wife?

He believes (wrongly) that he is a “true wit” (a comic, genuinely funny man) like Horner and the others, but, in reality, he is a “false wit” or a “spark” (a common stock figure on the Restoration stage, an arrogant buffoon whose opinion of himself and his own intelligence is much higher than it should be).

When was the Country Wife written?

1675
The Country Wife/Date written

Who is Alithea in The Country Wife?

Alithea is Pinchwife’s sister and is engaged to Sparkish. 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.

What is the relationship between Horner and Lady Fidget?

She is the female counterpart of Horner in everything except what society expects from her, because she is a woman and he is a man.

Is The Country Wife a poem?

“The Country Wife” sets a poem of Dana Gioia and was premiered at the Hellas Festival in New York City. “The Country Wife” was published in Gioia’s volume Daily Horoscope in 1986.

What is the central character of the play The Country Wife?

Harcourt and his beloved, Alithea, with their intelligence, wit, and humane principles, make The Country Wife an interesting play. Mr. Horner is the main character and protagonist of the play.

Who is the protagonist in The Country Wife?

Mr. Horner is the main character and protagonist of the play. Those familiar with Restoration comedies will at once recognize him as a typical Restoration gallant, given to witty and cynical observations on London society, and living the life of a libertine.

What is the plot of the country wife?

The Country Wife Summary. 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. Soon the fatuous Mr. Sparkish arrives, bores the three friends with his pretensions to wit, and is driven away.

What is the genre of the country wife?

The Country Wife by William Wycherley was published in 1675 and premiered the same year at the Theatre Royal in London. It is classified in English literature as a Restoration comedy. The term “restoration” refers to a historical period in England from 1660 to 1700, marking the era when monarchy was restored to England…

What is the first act of the Country Wife about?

Overview: Act One. These qualities of Restoration comedy are central to The Country Wife. The first act opens with the cunning Harry Horner describing how he has spread the rumor that he is impotent in order to seduce the wives of unsuspecting husbands who assume Horner has no interest in sex.

When was the book The Country Wife published?

The Country Wife by William Wycherley was published in 1675 and premiered the same year at the Theatre Royal in London.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvWCPxt9Otw