These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Country Wife by William Wycherly. ... One way in which Wycherley achieves this is through the “china” scene, where Horner and Lady Fidget carry out their affair through double entendre without making Fidget’s husband or the grandmother of Mrs. Squeamish aware of their sexual escapades in the china closet. SCENE 1. La. When Horner takes Margery aside in Covent Garden, stealing her away under Pinchwife ’s nose, he gives her some “China oranges” which she proudly takes back and presents to her husband. Fid. As the great ones; nay, as their own Husbands. The SCENE London. She plays the demimonde Valerie Marneffe. A Pox on him and his Simile. Consider the importance, to the plot and themes of the whole play of any, or all, of the following scenes: 3.2 (the breeches part); 4.1 ("Ned" Harcourt); 4.3 (the "china" scene); 5.4 (the resolution of the play). Pshaw, that's all one, that grave circumspection in marrying / [375] a Country Wife, is like refusing a deceitful pamper'd / Smithfield Jade, to go and be cheated by a Friend in the / Country. The Country Wife: study guide. A notorious seducer pretends to be impotent in order to lull husbands who fear to be made cuckolds. Your stingy country Coxcomb keeps his wife from his friends as he does his little Firkin of Ale for his own drinking. But she is determined to become experienced. / Mr. Pin. An acquaintance has wed a simple country girl in the hope she will not be tempted to betray him. Consider the play as a debate about love and marriage. "The only thing original about Wycherley, the only thing which he could furnish from his own mind in inexhaustible abundance, was profligacy. China is Australia's largest source of overseas students. This study guide is intended for students taking examinations in English literature, drama or theatre arts at GCE Advanced (A2) and Advanced Supplementary (AS) level. It is classified in English literature as a Restoration comedy. The Country Wife by William Wycherley was published in 1675. Helen Mirren is the perfect Country Wife. The Country Wife study guide contains a biography of William Wycherly, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Country Wife (1675) A COMEDY by Wycherley, William (1640-1716) The Persons Mr. Horner, a gentleman Mr. Harcourt, his acquaintance, enamored of Alithea Mr. Dorilant, friend to Mr. Harcourt Mr. Pinchwife, a newlywed gentleman Mr. Sparkish, engaged to Alithea Sir Jaspar Fidget, a noble gentleman Mrs. Margery Pinchwife, a newlywed country lass [Aside. In THE COUNTRY WIFE, Horner allows society to believe he is impotent, and as such husbands entrust him with their wives. She is just inexperienced. You should also check her out in the BBC television production of Balzac's Cousin Bette from 1971. In 2019 more than 203,000 Chinese students studied in Australia, with the number of enrolments by Chinese students growing 5 per cent since 2018. The Country Wife differs from many romantic comedies in its cynicism about marriage and an ending in which the protagonist does not wed his beloved or even receive punishment for duplicitousness but instead continues his rakish behavior. He is a latent tyrant, potentially violent. China is used to symbolize sex throughout the play and Horner and his lovers use it as a code word. (Act I, Scene I) Basic set up: This is the beginning of Wycherley's The Country Wife, which is about a trickster (Horner) out … He is a middle aged man newly married to the country wife Margery. It is curious to observe how everything that he touched, however pure and noble, took in an instant the colour of his own mind. [Page 1] Main text ACT 1. There is nothing dumb about this country girl. She is hot. The Country Wife is an example of Restoration comedy, or a Comedy of Manners. In the other direction, China is a key destination for Australia's New Colombo Plan. The Country-Wife, A comedy, Acted at the Theatre Royal. But Horner is anything but impotent, and before long he is bedding a host of bored, foolish, and incredibly horny women--including the young, silly Margery, an ignorant country girl recently wed to an elderly man. Enter Lady Fidget with a piece of China in her hand, and Horner following. Anthony Andrews is just the man. Sparkish: No gad, he'll never let her come amongst us good fellows. A rake before his marriage, he is now the archetypal jealous husband: he lives in fear of being cuckolded, not because he loves his wife but because he believes that he owns her. 21 March 2014 | by captmark97 – See all my reviews. The Country Wife by William Wycherley Directed by Glyn Dearman Lady Fidget's song composed by Terence Allbright BBC Radio 3 - 22/12/1985 Length 1hr 57mins A Restoration Comedy, London 1675 Plot Edit. Mirren is wonderful. The term Restoration Comedy refers to comedies produced during the reign of Charles II, from 1660 to 1685.