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Country Wife
Wycherley's comedy of marriage and infidelity is accompanied by a new introduction which illuminates matters of language and of dramatic and theatrical artistry for readers, theatre-goers and play-makers.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1675
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About the author
William Wycherley
142 books19 followersWilliam Wycherley was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for the plays The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer.
Wycherley left Oxford University and took up residence at the Inner Temple, but gave little attention to the study of law. Pleasure and the stage were his only interests. His play, Love in a Wood, was produced early in 1671 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was published the next year. Though Wycherley boasted of having written the play at the age of nineteen, before going to Oxford, this is probably untrue. Macaulay points to the allusions in the play to gentlemen's periwigs, to guineas, to the vests which Charles ordered to be worn at court, to the Great Fire of London, etc., as showing that the comedy could not have been written the year before the author went to Oxford. However, even if the play had been written in that year, and delayed in its production till 1672, it is exactly this kind of allusion to recent events which any dramatist with an eye to freshness of colour would be certain to weave into his dialogue.
That the writer of a play far more daring than Etherege's She Would if She Could — and far more brilliant too — should at once become the talk of the court was inevitable; equally inevitable was it that the author of the song at the end of the first act, in praise of harlots and their offspring, should attract the attention of the king's mistress, Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. Possibly Wycherley intended this famous song as a glorification of Her Grace and her profession, for he seems to have been more delighted than surprised when, as he passed in his coach through Pall Mall, he heard her address him from her coach window as a "rascal" and a "villain", and the son of a woman such as that mentioned in the song. His answer was perfect: "Madam, you have been pleased to bestow a title on me which belongs only to the fortunate." Seeing that she received the compliment in the spirit in which it was meant, he lost no time in calling upon her, and was from that moment the recipient of those "favours" to which he alludes with pride in the dedication of the play to her. Voltaire's story (in his Letters on the English Nation) that Her Grace used to go to Wycherley's chambers in the Temple disguised as a country wench, in a straw hat, with pattens on and a basket in her hand, may be apocryphal, for disguise was superfluous in her case, but it shows how general was the opinion that, under such patronage as this, Wycherley's fortune as poet and dramatist was now made. King Charles, who had determined to bring up his son, the Duke of Richmond, like a prince, sought as his tutor a man as qualified as Wycherley to impart a "princely education", and it seems clear that, if not for Wycherley's marriage, the education of the young man would actually have been entrusted to him as a reward for having written Love in a Wood.
It is, however, his two last comedies — The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer — that sustain Wycherley's reputation. The Country Wife, produced in 1672 or 1673 and published in 1675, is full of wit, ingenuity, high spirits and conventional humour.
It was after the success of The Plain Dealer that the turning point came in Wycherley's career. The great dream of all the men about town in Charles's time, as Wycherley's plays all show, was to marry a widow, young and handsome, a peer's daughter if possible — but in any event rich, and spend her money upon wine and women. While talking to a friend in a bookseller's shop at Tunbridge, Wycherley heard The Plain Dealer asked for by a lady who, in the person of the countess of Drogheda (Letitia Isabella Robartes, eldest daughter of the 1st Earl of Radnor and widow of the 2nd Earl of Drogheda), answered all the requirements. An introduction ensued, then love-making, then marriage — a secret marriage, probably in 1680, for, fearing to lose the king's patr
Wycherley left Oxford University and took up residence at the Inner Temple, but gave little attention to the study of law. Pleasure and the stage were his only interests. His play, Love in a Wood, was produced early in 1671 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was published the next year. Though Wycherley boasted of having written the play at the age of nineteen, before going to Oxford, this is probably untrue. Macaulay points to the allusions in the play to gentlemen's periwigs, to guineas, to the vests which Charles ordered to be worn at court, to the Great Fire of London, etc., as showing that the comedy could not have been written the year before the author went to Oxford. However, even if the play had been written in that year, and delayed in its production till 1672, it is exactly this kind of allusion to recent events which any dramatist with an eye to freshness of colour would be certain to weave into his dialogue.
That the writer of a play far more daring than Etherege's She Would if She Could — and far more brilliant too — should at once become the talk of the court was inevitable; equally inevitable was it that the author of the song at the end of the first act, in praise of harlots and their offspring, should attract the attention of the king's mistress, Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. Possibly Wycherley intended this famous song as a glorification of Her Grace and her profession, for he seems to have been more delighted than surprised when, as he passed in his coach through Pall Mall, he heard her address him from her coach window as a "rascal" and a "villain", and the son of a woman such as that mentioned in the song. His answer was perfect: "Madam, you have been pleased to bestow a title on me which belongs only to the fortunate." Seeing that she received the compliment in the spirit in which it was meant, he lost no time in calling upon her, and was from that moment the recipient of those "favours" to which he alludes with pride in the dedication of the play to her. Voltaire's story (in his Letters on the English Nation) that Her Grace used to go to Wycherley's chambers in the Temple disguised as a country wench, in a straw hat, with pattens on and a basket in her hand, may be apocryphal, for disguise was superfluous in her case, but it shows how general was the opinion that, under such patronage as this, Wycherley's fortune as poet and dramatist was now made. King Charles, who had determined to bring up his son, the Duke of Richmond, like a prince, sought as his tutor a man as qualified as Wycherley to impart a "princely education", and it seems clear that, if not for Wycherley's marriage, the education of the young man would actually have been entrusted to him as a reward for having written Love in a Wood.
It is, however, his two last comedies — The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer — that sustain Wycherley's reputation. The Country Wife, produced in 1672 or 1673 and published in 1675, is full of wit, ingenuity, high spirits and conventional humour.
It was after the success of The Plain Dealer that the turning point came in Wycherley's career. The great dream of all the men about town in Charles's time, as Wycherley's plays all show, was to marry a widow, young and handsome, a peer's daughter if possible — but in any event rich, and spend her money upon wine and women. While talking to a friend in a bookseller's shop at Tunbridge, Wycherley heard The Plain Dealer asked for by a lady who, in the person of the countess of Drogheda (Letitia Isabella Robartes, eldest daughter of the 1st Earl of Radnor and widow of the 2nd Earl of Drogheda), answered all the requirements. An introduction ensued, then love-making, then marriage — a secret marriage, probably in 1680, for, fearing to lose the king's patr
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
November 30, 2021
I taught this play on a yearly basis at the end of the first half of English Lit sophomore survey, Anglo-Saxon to Restoration (more than half except to cramped moderns). After teaching it for the fifth year, it was performed by our best local theater (Trinity Square, Providence, RI) ; my school had 25 tickets for students, but would not prioritize my students who had read the play. Bizarre, and stupid. Only a couple of 'em managed to get tickets before the staff (mostly) gobbled 'em all up. Corrupt, too.
It's a delightful play, and sums up Tory versus Whig for the next century. Lady Fidget sugests the Tories, and Pinchwife the country gentleman Whigs. Horner (yes, horny continues to be slang) displays familiar hypocrisies of a president--oops, I meant to say, of a pussy-grabber. Wycherley also borrowed in his "Plain Dealer," from Moliere's Le Misantrope.
In my latest book, there's a dog poet, Wordsworth (featured on the cover and interior illus) who says, "Of many words I have no need,/ like all those human lies--/say, where they've been. With one sniff/ I know, the noser knows." Wordsworth would discover what Pinchwife has trouble finding.
And of course, one of the most famous scenes in all Restoration comedy occurs here, with lovers in a room/ not in a room, exiting and entering. That scene, mostly from Moliere, as is the whole play--in fact, most of Restoration Drama (and I was T.A. in grad shool for a course on it by my learned boss, David Haley, who had taught at Harvard before coming to U Minnesota.) I read Moliere fairly well because his French is closer to Latin; in fact, when I was defeated by a vain prof on my first doctoral oral exam, I read five Moliere plays in French, making the defeat almost worth it.
It's a delightful play, and sums up Tory versus Whig for the next century. Lady Fidget sugests the Tories, and Pinchwife the country gentleman Whigs. Horner (yes, horny continues to be slang) displays familiar hypocrisies of a president--oops, I meant to say, of a pussy-grabber. Wycherley also borrowed in his "Plain Dealer," from Moliere's Le Misantrope.
In my latest book, there's a dog poet, Wordsworth (featured on the cover and interior illus) who says, "Of many words I have no need,/ like all those human lies--/say, where they've been. With one sniff/ I know, the noser knows." Wordsworth would discover what Pinchwife has trouble finding.
And of course, one of the most famous scenes in all Restoration comedy occurs here, with lovers in a room/ not in a room, exiting and entering. That scene, mostly from Moliere, as is the whole play--in fact, most of Restoration Drama (and I was T.A. in grad shool for a course on it by my learned boss, David Haley, who had taught at Harvard before coming to U Minnesota.) I read Moliere fairly well because his French is closer to Latin; in fact, when I was defeated by a vain prof on my first doctoral oral exam, I read five Moliere plays in French, making the defeat almost worth it.
December 19, 2015
After a 18-year of Puritan ban on theatrical performances, I can only imagine that a play like this would be a breath of fresh air. "The Country Wife" is filled with energy and wit, displaying three tales of romantic conquest.
October 12, 2020
A funny Restoration Comedy that attempted to change society with shockingly radical content.
Full RTC
Full RTC
September 23, 2019
If some works are above criticism, this one is unquestionably too low. As the editor of the edition that I read notes: "In truth, Wycherley's play is protected against the critics as a skunk is protected against the hunters. It is safe, because it is too filthy to handle and too noisome even to approach."
I read this book because I was seeking an encounter with the zeitgeist of Charles II's restoration and was well served. "The Country Wife" is a work remarkable for its occasional wit and consistent stench.
I read this book because I was seeking an encounter with the zeitgeist of Charles II's restoration and was well served. "The Country Wife" is a work remarkable for its occasional wit and consistent stench.
May 22, 2017
I have very conflicted feelings about this play. On the one hand, Restoration comedy isn't usually my thing, and the first half is tedious. On the other hand, the plot really catches fire at the top of Act 4, it actually gets really funny, and the ending resolved things much better than I was afraid it would.
But. There is an incredibly disturbing extended scene in Act 3, in which threats of horrifying domestic violence are played for laughs, and THERE IS NOT ENOUGH NOPE IN THE WORLD TO DESCRIBE MY FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
On balance, this isn't terrible for classical comedy. But I prefer Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz for classical, French door, romantic comedy and mistaken identity hijinks sans disgusting "jokes."
But. There is an incredibly disturbing extended scene in Act 3, in which threats of horrifying domestic violence are played for laughs, and THERE IS NOT ENOUGH NOPE IN THE WORLD TO DESCRIBE MY FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
On balance, this isn't terrible for classical comedy. But I prefer Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz for classical, French door, romantic comedy and mistaken identity hijinks sans disgusting "jokes."
August 17, 2012
Wycherley has certainly used tremendous wit in each line that his characters speak. Beside this, the dialogues have been very carefully arranged to weave a very interesting, witty, entertaining and as it were, a smart plot. I personally liked the Alithea-Harcourt plot line the most. The change in the feelings of both these characters was, for me, channelised in the right direction where this change was symbolic of valorising not just true love but also justice, reason and the courage to be able to stand for what is right in ones view.
June 26, 2023
A fun Restoration romp!
March 20, 2022
Una comedia teatral divertida, aunque ligera, muy propia de la Restauración inglesa.
La corrupción de la ciudad que convierte a maridos y esposas en cornudos y "ligeras de cascos", porque no hay nada como lo prohibido como para resultar atrayente.
Hay momentos hilarantes con el protagonista, un supuesto eunuco tras su paso por Francia (con una trama para ligar similar a "No desearás al Vecino del Quinto"), y como los maridos engañados dejan a sus esposas con él, aunque se vayan a cargar toda la vajilla, y como la inocente protagonista, es rematadamente boba, pero ideal para su marido (y resalto a la hermana de éste y la trama de los celos con su pretendiente). Para echar unas risas, mientras se disfruta de la poca moralidad de ese periodo en Inglaterra.
La corrupción de la ciudad que convierte a maridos y esposas en cornudos y "ligeras de cascos", porque no hay nada como lo prohibido como para resultar atrayente.
Hay momentos hilarantes con el protagonista, un supuesto eunuco tras su paso por Francia (con una trama para ligar similar a "No desearás al Vecino del Quinto"), y como los maridos engañados dejan a sus esposas con él, aunque se vayan a cargar toda la vajilla, y como la inocente protagonista, es rematadamente boba, pero ideal para su marido (y resalto a la hermana de éste y la trama de los celos con su pretendiente). Para echar unas risas, mientras se disfruta de la poca moralidad de ese periodo en Inglaterra.
January 15, 2025
I’ve never read the word ‘cuckold’ so much in my life.
October 18, 2023
I had to read this play for my literature course at university and unfortunately I didn't enjoy it.
I'm generally not someone who really enjoys reading plays - But I found this one really awful. I regularly counted how many more pages I had to read to finally finish this piece and although I was getting closer and closer to the end, it felt like it was progressing slower and slower.
The characters are 99% unapproachable, albeit “witty”. They seem despicable rather than interesting and there is simply a lack of warmth.
What bothered me incredibly about this play is the way women were portrayed. As a woman, some passages felt very uncomfortable. "The Country Wife" seems to disdain women and that is one reason why I will never willingly read any of Wycherley's work again.
I'm generally not someone who really enjoys reading plays - But I found this one really awful. I regularly counted how many more pages I had to read to finally finish this piece and although I was getting closer and closer to the end, it felt like it was progressing slower and slower.
The characters are 99% unapproachable, albeit “witty”. They seem despicable rather than interesting and there is simply a lack of warmth.
What bothered me incredibly about this play is the way women were portrayed. As a woman, some passages felt very uncomfortable. "The Country Wife" seems to disdain women and that is one reason why I will never willingly read any of Wycherley's work again.
January 15, 2025
deals with rather uninteresting characters that i easily confused (e.g. lady fidget and lady pinchwife). plot's also boring, mostly revolving around infidelity. i did find lady pinchwife's and horner's storyline interesting, esp when she started writing him letters and the plot began to develop. just wish horner wasn’t such an ass and actually helped her escape her isolated marriage instead of surrounding himself with ten other women. overall, the ending was pretty disappointing, and so was the play in general since not much really changed from the beginning
2,0 stars
2,0 stars
May 9, 2021
A strong showing for this text on the Top Ten Seducers in Literature list:
1) Richard III
2) Paris
3) Dracula
4) Horner
5) Valmont
6) Boulanger
7) Don Juan
8) Humbert Humbert
9) Lancelot
10) Dorian Gray
1) Richard III
2) Paris
3) Dracula
4) Horner
5) Valmont
6) Boulanger
7) Don Juan
8) Humbert Humbert
9) Lancelot
10) Dorian Gray
March 4, 2023
Funny as all hell! Got to love double entendres ;)
January 2, 2022
Jesus Christ, I wanna punch everyone in this play. But I guess that’s the point, so well done Wycherley, you weirdo.
January 17, 2023
Didn’t understand a fucking word of that. I don’t have a scooby what was actually happening. Fuck open uni for making me spend my day off work reading this nonsense.
February 9, 2025
This is the book that made me fluent in restoration english comedy 🤌🤌🤌
October 27, 2024
this is the first step to my dissertation folks, note it down. when I'm done with my bachelors I will have won the best thesis award. no spoilers though.
October 23, 2020
I thought it was a very interesting read! I mean the sole concept of the theme of sex and the relationship between man and woman was very modern even for a play from that time!
September 8, 2025
2.5 stars
December 16, 2025
gurkan karimi niye siktin
September 9, 2024
“until they bepissed themselves” okay… 1675 humour is funnier than i thought it would be…?
April 14, 2013
This was one of the last plays I had to read for my Introduction to Drama module. I've still got one or two coming up, but I thought I'd review this one before I started reading those.
One of the first things that needs to be said about this play is that it is a Restoration comedy. The Restoration period is known for its freer, anti-Puritan approach. The monarchy had just been restored and was more flamboyant than it had ever been. Most plays written at the time were comedies of a, perhaps, questionable nature, both dealing loosely with sexuality and yet delivering social commentary quite satirically. The same is true for this play. 'The Countrywife' may seem trivial, and is for the largest part, yet it also comments on the hypocrisies of both city- and countrylife.
As you may have seen from the blurb, characters have been given names to symbolise their characteristics. I myself have never really liked it. Of course names always reflect the characters because authors brood over those names long and hard, but this is simply too obvious for me. In drama many things are different from fiction writing, yet this seems like an easy way out. Pinchwife is peculiarly obsessed with his wife, Horner tries everything to get into a woman's pants and Mrs. Squeamish is...well, squeamish.
The plot is severely hindered by its characters. Mrs. Pinchwife is incredibly annoying and blind. It is hardly funny. Clearly she is a satire of innocent country wenches that are brought to the big city, but there is hardly any merit to her. Her husband always finds himself on the wrong side of 'domestic abuse' track and you can hardly feel sorry for him to be stuck with such a wife. The only character with some sense in him is Horner and he therefore rules the play. All others are pawns in his game.
It is hard to enjoy a play or book when you "have" to read it. And yet I can positively say that my dislike for this play does not stem from this. The play 'The Rover', also a Restoration comedy, was also required reading and yet I quite enjoyed it. Characters and dialogue were witty and the plot was interesting. It is a shame to see a play from the same time be its complete opposite.
It does not happen often that I truly dislike a play, but there was simply little to enjoy for me in 'The Country Wife'. It is a simply read that doesn't take very long. Scenes written for laughter are, on occasion, fun yet more often than not I found myself exasperated. All I can do is pray that this play is not chosen for our exam next month.
One of the first things that needs to be said about this play is that it is a Restoration comedy. The Restoration period is known for its freer, anti-Puritan approach. The monarchy had just been restored and was more flamboyant than it had ever been. Most plays written at the time were comedies of a, perhaps, questionable nature, both dealing loosely with sexuality and yet delivering social commentary quite satirically. The same is true for this play. 'The Countrywife' may seem trivial, and is for the largest part, yet it also comments on the hypocrisies of both city- and countrylife.
As you may have seen from the blurb, characters have been given names to symbolise their characteristics. I myself have never really liked it. Of course names always reflect the characters because authors brood over those names long and hard, but this is simply too obvious for me. In drama many things are different from fiction writing, yet this seems like an easy way out. Pinchwife is peculiarly obsessed with his wife, Horner tries everything to get into a woman's pants and Mrs. Squeamish is...well, squeamish.
The plot is severely hindered by its characters. Mrs. Pinchwife is incredibly annoying and blind. It is hardly funny. Clearly she is a satire of innocent country wenches that are brought to the big city, but there is hardly any merit to her. Her husband always finds himself on the wrong side of 'domestic abuse' track and you can hardly feel sorry for him to be stuck with such a wife. The only character with some sense in him is Horner and he therefore rules the play. All others are pawns in his game.
It is hard to enjoy a play or book when you "have" to read it. And yet I can positively say that my dislike for this play does not stem from this. The play 'The Rover', also a Restoration comedy, was also required reading and yet I quite enjoyed it. Characters and dialogue were witty and the plot was interesting. It is a shame to see a play from the same time be its complete opposite.
It does not happen often that I truly dislike a play, but there was simply little to enjoy for me in 'The Country Wife'. It is a simply read that doesn't take very long. Scenes written for laughter are, on occasion, fun yet more often than not I found myself exasperated. All I can do is pray that this play is not chosen for our exam next month.
November 27, 2015
Horner ist ein Lebemann und liebt zwei Dinge: Frauen und Sex. Im London des Jahres 1675 sind Affären an der Tagesordnung, daher sind die Ehemänner ein wenig paranoid, was die Möglichkeit angeht, Hörner aufgesetzt zu bekommen. Um sich den Zugang zu Frauen zu sichern, denkt sich Horner zusammen mit seinem Arzt Quack eine Geschichte aus, die der Arzt in ganz London verbreitet: Horner war in Frankreich, bekam die Pocken und ist nun impotent, ein Eunuch. Mit Frauen hat er abgeschlossen.
Sir Jasper Fidget findet das lustig und beginnt Horner zu piesacken, indem er ihn zum „Babysitter“ für seine Frau Lady Fidget und seine Schwester Mrs Dainty bestimmt. Die beiden Damen sind zunächst nicht begeistert, was sollen sie mit einem Eunuchen anfangen. Horner jedoch macht ihnen bald klar, dass er sich diesen Ruf nur zugelegt hat, um ihre Ehre zu schützen. Die Party kann also beginnen!
Pinchwife, ein Bekannter Horners und ein schon eher betagter Geselle, hat eine junge Frau vom Lande geheiratet. Er bewacht er seine Frau, schließt sie ein, verkleidet sie als deren Bruder… Alles, nur damit Horner ihm keine Hörner aufsetzt. Das jedoch ist nur ein Ansporn für Horner, der das Spiel interessanter macht.
Nun beginnt ein Verwirr- und Wechselspiel in dem Horner diversen Ehemännern Hörner aufsetzt, Frauen beglückt und dabei selber als Lustobjekt benutzt wird.
Dieses Theaterstück stammt aus der Restaurationszeit und ist sehr freizügig. So freizügig, dass es später nur noch in entschärfter Form auf die Bühne kam und selbst in unserem Jahrhundert als teilweise zu skandalös empfunden wurde.
Die Idee an sich ist nicht neu. Sich als Eunuch auszugeben, um der Lust zu frönen ist aus einem antiken Stück entlehnt aber dennoch immer noch ganz unterhaltsam.
Viel Wortwitz spielt sich zwischen den Zeilen ab in Doppeldeutigkeiten und haufenweise Symbolismus. Man sollte wirklich eine Variante mit Fußnoten verwenden, die einem diese Witze erklären, sonst entgehen sie dem modernen Leser. Orangen als Zeichen der Untreue, Porzellan als Zeichen der Unschuld… Die Mermaid Edition ist in dieser Hinsicht wirklich gut und hilfreich.
Die Geschichte hat auch heute noch ihren Witz und ich kann mir das Stück durchaus in einer modernisierten Variante, verlegt in die 1980er Jahre vorstellen, die Geschichte ist zeitlos und wunderbar hedonistisch.
Sir Jasper Fidget findet das lustig und beginnt Horner zu piesacken, indem er ihn zum „Babysitter“ für seine Frau Lady Fidget und seine Schwester Mrs Dainty bestimmt. Die beiden Damen sind zunächst nicht begeistert, was sollen sie mit einem Eunuchen anfangen. Horner jedoch macht ihnen bald klar, dass er sich diesen Ruf nur zugelegt hat, um ihre Ehre zu schützen. Die Party kann also beginnen!
Pinchwife, ein Bekannter Horners und ein schon eher betagter Geselle, hat eine junge Frau vom Lande geheiratet. Er bewacht er seine Frau, schließt sie ein, verkleidet sie als deren Bruder… Alles, nur damit Horner ihm keine Hörner aufsetzt. Das jedoch ist nur ein Ansporn für Horner, der das Spiel interessanter macht.
Nun beginnt ein Verwirr- und Wechselspiel in dem Horner diversen Ehemännern Hörner aufsetzt, Frauen beglückt und dabei selber als Lustobjekt benutzt wird.
Dieses Theaterstück stammt aus der Restaurationszeit und ist sehr freizügig. So freizügig, dass es später nur noch in entschärfter Form auf die Bühne kam und selbst in unserem Jahrhundert als teilweise zu skandalös empfunden wurde.
Die Idee an sich ist nicht neu. Sich als Eunuch auszugeben, um der Lust zu frönen ist aus einem antiken Stück entlehnt aber dennoch immer noch ganz unterhaltsam.
Viel Wortwitz spielt sich zwischen den Zeilen ab in Doppeldeutigkeiten und haufenweise Symbolismus. Man sollte wirklich eine Variante mit Fußnoten verwenden, die einem diese Witze erklären, sonst entgehen sie dem modernen Leser. Orangen als Zeichen der Untreue, Porzellan als Zeichen der Unschuld… Die Mermaid Edition ist in dieser Hinsicht wirklich gut und hilfreich.
Die Geschichte hat auch heute noch ihren Witz und ich kann mir das Stück durchaus in einer modernisierten Variante, verlegt in die 1980er Jahre vorstellen, die Geschichte ist zeitlos und wunderbar hedonistisch.
May 15, 2013
I want to believe that there is a deeply resonant and cultural importance to Wycherly's The Country Wife - but I don't think so. I have the sneaky suspicion that the aristocratic values on display might just be indicative of the Charles II reign. The other inkling I have with regards to the play was to wonder if it was produced early in the return of the theatre in England. I think the theatres were closed in 1642 and not opened again until over a decade later. I'm wondering how early in that return this play sits? The content of the play is most notably: Sexual excess, innuendo, and a deep desire to make sure that only some people are graced with superior "wit" simply to make others look like idiots. The only thing I can think to look at in this particular play that might yield some kind of critical result is the interplay between town and country and what it means in this particular period, and what its legacy of thought might be on the stage. In the end, I was left wondering how people study Restoration comedy in the long term - The Country Wife was so awful.
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July 27, 2011Absolutely hilarious! The premise is that a known lecher gets a quack doctor to spread a rumor he's become a eunuch, and thereby he can cuckold all his friends, since it won't be suspicious for honorable ladies to frequent his home. It plays out delightfully, as the hero mixes with an array of silly characters, including his fellow bachelors, gullible husbands, a stupid mistress (the titular country wife), and her jealous husband. Of note additionally is the refreshing acknowledgement of the feminine sexuality and desire, equal to or even greater than the masculine. Although some characters censure their behavior, having the women speak for themselves (in the "innocent" company of a "harmless" man) redeems it, since they own up to their desires and defend their cuckolding by blaming their husbands for not satisfying them. Overall, a very fun read, and I'm sure a joy to see in a live production.
August 6, 2018
Absolutely hysterical. The fops, the wittiness, the cross-dressing, and all of the fancy, stuck up, refined ladies just had to have their way with Horner, who pretty much screws everybody in the story, despite claiming to have had syphilis. To have, in the end, have each of the women he slept with all claim that they had not, and that Horner was impotent was the icing on the cake. To keep their puritanical virtue intact, they lied as a group and all lived depressingly ever after, especially Horner.
July 16, 2019
a pretty good read. the character of horner, as with most eighteenth century libertines, is delightful to witness in action, and there are some pretty good hi-jinks, jokes, and characters contained in the play. however, at some points the language becomes sludge that's hard to parse through (although maybe i just wasn't used to 18th century writing), and it was one of those books that's better to be taught than to actually read
more nuanced rating: 2.5 starts
more nuanced rating: 2.5 starts
December 31, 2024
I wish uni would give us an interesting text to study. I’ve had more fun watching paint dry
March 24, 2017
Plays are, of course, primarily intended to be performed, and reading one with the intention of performing it drastically changes the experience. Digesting The Country Wife as a piece of literature, however, is almost painful in how convoluted and glaringly waffling it is. 1.5 stars.
February 24, 2018
Intensely confusing though hilarious. This play is one that is easier to understand when performed. The countless characters and love triangles become repetitive, but the play maintains its humour throughout.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews