The seventeenth century libertine king charles ii saw it twice, and is said to have joined the dance of the cuckolds at the end of one performance. Librivox recording of the country wife by william wycherley. Like john vanbrugh, wycherley spent some years of his adolescence in france, where he was sent. Page the countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Yet that free play that the characters revel in, and that is so productive of the country wife s comedy leads to a serious question. Wycherley moved in high society, and conducted several liaisons with aristocratic ladies, including the duchess of c. Margery, the country wife, upsets his plans when she learns the manners of the city and begins to apply them herself.
Pinchwife has recently married an innocent country girl, who immediately falls for horner. Man of business leaves his wife in my lodgings, invites me to his house and wife, who before. Jamess park the gentleman dancingmaster the country wife the. His restorationera comedies are notable for their keen satires of manners and society, and the playwright was a favorite among the wits in the court of charles ii. Download william wycherley s the country wife for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. The country wife by william wycherley librarything. The country wife is a restoration comedy written in 1675 by william wycherley.
The country wife by william wycherley 970 words bartleby. The country wife by william wycherley is a play in the restoration period that certainly develops many themes. William wycherleys the country wife was first performed in january 1675, by the kings company, at the theatre royal, drury lane. See all books authored by william wycherley, including the country wife, and the country wife and other plays. The resourceful hero of the country wife is horner, the scourge of stupid husbands and the hope of unhappy wives. William wycherleys the country wife essay 1751 words. Popular for its lively characters and its double entendres, the bawdy comedy was occasionally vilified for immorality. The title itself contains a lewd pun with regard to the first syllable of country. This 45page guide for the country wife by william wycherley includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 5 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. The play fits perfectly into greenwalds definition of a comedy of manners. Pshaw, thats all one, that grave circumspection in marrying a country wife. Free example the country wife by william wycherley essay. This is the beginning of wycherleys the country wife, which is about a trickster horner out to seduce as many married women as he can.
The country wife is a set text for aqa english literature aas level and for wjec drama and theatre arts aas level. In order to cover the promised theme of marriage and free love in wycherleys the country wife while simultaneously moving on to aphra behns the rover, i will address the theme in both plays. The country wife by william wycherley the seventeenth. Director william gaskill once said about his production of the recruiting officer. The country wife is a classically bawdy restoration comedy. The country wife by wycherley william qualified writers. Nick hern books the country wife, by william wycherley. William wycherley, 16401716 16411716 the countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Through a single simple ruse horner helps one woman after another settle accounts with a foolish spouse. Look up william in wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The country wife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. William wycherley wikisource, the free online library. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Discussion of themes and motifs in william wycherleys the country wife. It satirizes the sexual duplicity of the aristocracy during the reign of charles ii. A product of the tolerant early restoration period, the play reflects an aristocratic and antipuritan ideology, and was controversial for its sexual explicitness even in its own time. Jamess park the gentleman dancingmaster the country wife. It was considered so rude that it wasnt performed from the 18thcentury until the 20thcentury. The theme at the forefront of this play is the idea of marriage.
One of the most notorious restoration comedies in existence, william wycherley s the country wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. The country wife is particularly famous, or infamous, for the socalled china scene. William is a popular given name of an old germanic origin. Wycherley spends most of the play commenting on marriage and the relationship between men and women. The regents restoration drama text is based on the first. It takes a lot of planning and hard work to bring a questors production to the stage. William wycherley four plays by william wycherley free. The country wife has been revived more often in the twentieth century than almost any of the restorations tamer works. The country wife by william wycherley overdrive rakuten. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
As a general rule of thumb while reading the country wife, if you think he see a dirty joke based on a doubleentendre, youre not mistaken. The country wife by william wycherley the questors. William wycherley synonyms, william wycherley antonyms. A mistress should be like a little country retreat near the town, not to dwell in constantly, but only for a night and away. The country wife was written by william wycherley in 1675. Download william wycherleys the country wife for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or. William wycherley four plays contents introduction william wycherley by t. William wycherley four plays by william wycherley free ebook. Pray, sister, where are the best fields and woods to walk in. William wycherley books list of books by author william. The country wife by wycherley william, coursework download. One of the best and most vibrant examples of this is william wycherley s play the country wife. One of the best and most vibrant examples of this is william wycherleys play the country wife.
The aptly named horner is pretending to be a eunuch in order to gain access to women under their husbands noses. William wycherley, the country wife the open anthology. Preliminaries omitted play details the country wife. Yup, the prim n proper reign of the puritans in england was officially over by the time wycherley wrote this bad boy. Vance, william wycherley and the comedy of fear 2000, 83. He was born at clive near shrewsbury, shropshire and baptised on 8 april 1641 at whitchurch, hampshire, son of daniel wycherley 16171697 and his wife bethia, daughter of william shrimpton. William wycherley was a restoration playwright, best known for his comedies the country wife 16723 and the plain dealer 1675.
William wycherleys restoration comedy the country wife opens in. Marriage vs a libertine philosophy in wycherleys the. William wycherley lived from 1640 to 1715, and earned his reputation as one of the wittiest. The following entry presents criticism of wycherleys career published between 1993 and the present. The country wife by wycherley, william 16401716 one of the key themes of country wife which come out quite clearly from the script is the failure of the restoration arrangement of the marriages in the society. The country wife by william wycherley new bbc radio drama production considered too obscene to be staged in its original form for nearly 200 years, william wycherleys raunchy restoration comedy tells the tale of mr horner a notorious rake who spreads the false rumour that he is impotent in order to gain free access to other mens wives. Pdf the country wife by william wycherley download pdf. The country wife 1675 a comedy by wycherley, william 16401716 the persons mr. Discover book depositorys huge selection of william wycherley books online. Wycherley left oxford university and took up residence at the inner temple, but gave little attention to the study of law. The country wife by william wycherley, paperback barnes. William wycherley was an english dramatist of the restoration period, best known for the plays the country wife and the plain dealer.
The country wife by william wycherley, 9781854592255, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. The countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Often considered the bawdiest of restoration comedies, wycherleys play introduces. Critics assert that a comedy of manners and the people who inhabit it represent the. I have undone you forever with the women, and reported you throughout the whole town as a eunuch, with as much trouble as if i had made you one in earnest. Wycherley spent some three years of his adolescence in. It was no doubt intended to register approval of liveliness or resiliency, and i will rely on this usage later. The country wife considered too obscene to be staged in its original form for nearly 200 years, william wycherleys restoration comedy tells the tale of mr horner, a notorious rake, who spreads the false rumour that he is impotent in order to gain access to other mens wives. Wycherley has almost certainly indeed put it there. The country wife by wycherley, william 16401716one of the key themes of country wife which come out quite clearly from the script is the failure of the restoration arrangement of the marriages in the society. Need help on themes in william wycherlys the country wife. I want to make use of drydens term plyant in a couple of different ways.
Wycherley understands that nobody is ideal and that a individuals virtues can be altered if pressures and outside influences become notable. The plyant discourse of wycherleys the country wife. Front matter indignor quicquam reprehendi, non quia crasse compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper. The country wife william wycherley download free ebook. Poets like cudgeld bullys, never do at first, or second blow, submit to you. Horner claims to have extensive knowledge of the china collected by fashionable ladies, and this provides them with an excuse to visit his rooms to discuss china. A virtuous woman in william wycherleys the country wife, william wycherley enlightens the audience to capture several different ironical statements and questionable behaviors. For the basis of his plot, wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of moliere, but. Read the country wife, by william wycherley on bookmate.
The country wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. Wycherley, william, in dictionary of national biography, london. The countrywife, comedy of manners in five acts by restoration dramatist william wycherley, performed and published in 1675. The country wifewilliam wycherleyfree downloadpdf epub.
380 1397 507 744 1610 223 1101 953 599 440 402 184 520 5 1149 496 572 736 1404 1538 1015 849 894 437 337 460 579 161 737 78 42 1291