William wycherley, 16401716 16411716 the countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. The countrywife, comedy of manners in five acts by restoration dramatist william wycherley, performed and published in 1675. The country wife has provoked powerfully mixed reactions over the years. 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. The country wife by william wycherley the seventeenth. Pdf the country wife by william wycherley download pdf. 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. Pshaw, thats all one, that grave circumspection in marrying a country wife. William wycherleys the country wife was first performed in january 1675, by the kings company, at the theatre royal, drury lane. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. 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. William is a popular given name of an old germanic origin. 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 wifewilliam wycherleyfree downloadpdf epub. Wycherley understands that nobody is ideal and that a individuals virtues can be altered if pressures and outside influences become notable. Like john vanbrugh, wycherley spent some years of his adolescence in france, where he was sent. The country wife by william wycherley librarything. 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. William wycherley wikisource, the free online library. William wycherley synonyms, william wycherley antonyms.
A virtuous woman in william wycherleys the country wife, william wycherley enlightens the audience to capture several different ironical statements and questionable behaviors. The country wife is also available in the collection restoration comedy. The country wife by william wycherley, 9781854592255, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Jamess park the gentleman dancingmaster the country wife the. Director william gaskill once said about his production of the recruiting officer. It was no doubt intended to register approval of liveliness or resiliency, and i will rely on this usage later. The country wife by william wycherley is a play in the restoration period that certainly develops many themes. A mistress should be like a little country retreat near the town, not to dwell in constantly, but only for a night and away. William wycherleys the country wife essay 1751 words. Look up william in wiktionary, the free dictionary. Pray, sister, where are the best fields and woods to walk in. Preliminaries omitted play details the country wife. Jamess park the gentleman dancingmaster the country wife.
The country wife 1675 a comedy by wycherley, william 16401716 the persons mr. William wycherley four plays contents introduction william wycherley by t. William wycherleys restoration comedy the country wife opens in. Wycherley moved in high society, and conducted several liaisons with aristocratic ladies, including the duchess of c. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. 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. The country wife is particularly famous, or infamous, for the socalled china scene. Often considered the bawdiest of restoration comedies, wycherleys play introduces. The country wife by wycherley william qualified writers. Read the country wife, by william wycherley on bookmate. The theme at the forefront of this play is the idea of marriage. The country wife by wycherley william, coursework download. Popular for its lively characters and its double entendres, the bawdy comedy was occasionally vilified for immorality. See all books authored by william wycherley, including the country wife, and the country wife and other plays.
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. The country wife is a restoration comedy written in 1675 by william wycherley. 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. Page the countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. 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. Poets like cudgeld bullys, never do at first, or second blow, submit to you. Man of business leaves his wife in my lodgings, invites me to his house and wife, who before. William wycherley lived from 1640 to 1715, and earned his reputation as one of the wittiest.
The country wife themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Nick hern books the country wife, by william wycherley. The country wife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Discussion of themes and motifs in william wycherleys the country wife. It takes a lot of planning and hard work to bring a questors production to the stage. It was considered so rude that it wasnt performed from the 18thcentury until the 20thcentury. 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. Free example the country wife by william wycherley essay. Wycherley spends most of the play commenting on marriage and the relationship between men and women. Through a single simple ruse horner helps one woman after another settle accounts with a foolish spouse.
For the basis of his plot, wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of moliere, but. 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. The country wife by william wycherley 970 words bartleby. Download william wycherleys the country wife for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or. 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. The title itself contains a lewd pun with regard to the first syllable of country. The country wife by william wycherley the questors. The country wife by william wycherley, paperback barnes. The following entry presents criticism of wycherleys career published between 1993 and the present. 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. Wycherley has almost certainly indeed put it there. Wycherley spent some three years of his adolescence in.
Wycherley left oxford university and took up residence at the inner temple, but gave little attention to the study of law. William wycherley was a restoration playwright, best known for his comedies the country wife 16723 and the plain dealer 1675. Pinchwife has recently married an innocent country girl, who immediately falls for horner. Yup, the prim n proper reign of the puritans in england was officially over by the time wycherley wrote this bad boy. 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. Vance, william wycherley and the comedy of fear 2000, 83. Librivox recording of the country wife by william wycherley. Front matter indignor quicquam reprehendi, non quia crasse compositum illepideve putetur, sed quia nuper. Critics assert that a comedy of manners and the people who inhabit it represent the. The country wife by william wycherley overdrive rakuten.
William wycherley books list of books by author william. The country wife was written by william wycherley in 1675. 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. One of the best and most vibrant examples of this is william wycherley s play the country wife. Need help on themes in william wycherlys the country wife. William wycherley four plays by william wycherley free ebook. William wycherley, the country wife the open anthology. William wycherley was an english dramatist of the restoration period, best known for the plays the country wife and the plain dealer. 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. Wycherley, william, in dictionary of national biography, london. The plyant discourse of wycherleys the country wife.
The play fits perfectly into greenwalds definition of a comedy of manners. The resourceful hero of the country wife is horner, the scourge of stupid husbands and the hope of unhappy wives. The country wife is a set text for aqa english literature aas level and for wjec drama and theatre arts aas level. The country wife william wycherley download free ebook. 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. The regents restoration drama text is based on the first. One of the best and most vibrant examples of this is william wycherleys play the country wife. Margery, the country wife, upsets his plans when she learns the manners of the city and begins to apply them herself.
Discover book depositorys huge selection of william wycherley books online. The country wife is a classically bawdy restoration comedy. The aptly named horner is pretending to be a eunuch in order to gain access to women under their husbands noses. I want to make use of drydens term plyant in a couple of different ways. Download william wycherley s the country wife for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. The countrywife, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal. Marriage vs a libertine philosophy in wycherleys the.
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