The Country Wife Dramaturgical File
Program Materials
The following pieces of text and interactive games will be included in the program for The Country Wife.
Welcome to Villanova University’s production of The Country Wife by William Wycherley! We hope you enjoy the show.
CONTENT WARNING: This play contains themes of adultery, sex, and domestic abuse/violence towards women. It is for mature audiences only.
If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic abuse, please see the following resources:
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor
Free 24/7 support at your fingertips. US and Canada: text 741741 UK: text 85258 Ireland: text 50808
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides 24/7 crisis intervention, safety planning and information on domestic violence (800-799-7233)
What is the Restoration Era?
The Restoration Era details a time in 1660s England, Scotland, and Ireland when Charles II returns as King. He was initially removed by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans (a radical sect of protestants) who executed his father King Charles I and established the “Commonwealth of England”.
Charles I had gartered disgust by the English protestants for marrying a French Catholic princess, Henrietta Maria, and the Puritans strongly opposed this marriage and the King’s Catholic ties. A struggle broke out between Parliament and King Charles I which led to the English Civil War. After a decade of fighting, Cromwell and the Puritans got the upper hand on the King and he lost his head and the Commonwealth of England was born. Initially, Cromwell was very popular with his English subjects, however over the years his people began to see him as a military dictator imposing martial law on them. When Cromwell died in 1658 and power passed on to his son Richard, who lacked all political skills completely, many English people began to see another monarchy forming. Once they gartered enough support, they asked the exiled son of Charles I, Charles II, to be king.
The term “Restoration era” is often used to describe the restoration itself but also the whole reign of Charles II and his younger brother, James II. The Restoration era saw a burst of literature that centered around the celebration of Charless II as under Cromwell, public stage performance was banned for almost 20 years. The type of literature that was released during this era was far and wide, hitting every extreme such as the bawdy comedies known as Restoration comedy. King Charles II enjoyed theatre, especially raunchy comedies, and as did his court who encouraged them. He saw The Country Wife three separate times with members of his court!
Marriage in 17th Century England
"’Tis my maxim: he’s a fool that marries, but he’s a greater fool that does not marry a fool. What is wit in a wife good for, but to make a man a cuckold?” – Mr. Pinchwife, Act 1 Scene 1
In 17th century England, marriage and honor played a significantly more important role than in present day. During the Stuart dynasty, a husband’s rule and dominance over his family was seen as an analogy to the King’s reign over his subjects, and a manifestation of the hierarchy that God ordained. A female-identifying person was seen to be vastly inferior to a male-identifying one, and therefore the man had a right to assert his dominance over her.
Men benefitted from the marriage not only because they would be master of a household and take control of his partner's finances, but he would also become eligible for offices such as a jury member, constable of a Parish, or warden. Marriage of fertile, sexually active women meant immediate motherhood and losing all rights and lands in exchange for a better social stance. A married woman was also allowed to watch other married women’s births. The main purpose of marriage was to have children. Some people due to STIs or other biological reasons would be barren and could not have children but could still marry.
Women were allowed to marry at 12, and men were allowed to marry at 14, but they could both get engaged as early as 7. . Upper-class women were encouraged to remain a virgin until marriage, otherwise she would be deemed ‘ruined’. After getting married, women's lives were very controlled: everything that they owned was their husbands. However, as the Restoration period continued and English people distanced themselves from Puritanism, practicing adultery in secret became fashionable among the upper-class. This practice was particularly popular among people in cities such as London, and in the country, Puritan values still remained. This practice allowed women to regain some control in their lives through duping their husbands and choosing different sexual partners.
Learn Another Language: Fan Language, That Is!
Fan language emerged through Europe during the Elizabethan period but became most popular in performance during the Restoration period. Fan language was used in performance, mainly by women, to represent a form of “secret language”. It is a primary tool and on occasion a weapon for them. The fan is seen as an extension of a woman, especially as their clothing was very restricted through their corsets and as they are expected to have very good posture and small gestures.
Robert Barton, a historian of the Elizabethan and Restoration era, argued that “Movement in the restoration era is like a sentence, and stopping movement is like punctuation, with each stop as different as a comma from a question mark.” (Style for Acting, Second Edition, page 183)
You will see fan language in our performance of The Country Wife. Take a guess on what each of the fan language "phrases" below means. We provided some for you to start with!
We will be providing the answers to this puzzle at the end of the performance! The audience members with the most correct will win a prop fan and a signed program.
If you would like to practice the fan language, feel free to step into the lobby and test out your skills with our practice fans!
Take-Home Puzzle: Discover the Characters!
Test your knowledge of The Country Wife characters with this take-home crossword puzzle! Answers provided on the back of the program.
ACROSS
4. the French fop who loses Alithea.
5. wants to marry Alithea.
7. the sister of Pinchwife
9. the country wife herself!
11. Alithea's maid who saves the day
DOWN
1. notorious London rake who fakes a botched surgery
2. the leader of "The Honorable Ladies"
3. the man who is terrified of becoming a cuckold.
6. the husband of Lady Fidget
8. a member of the "honorable ladies" who sleeps with Horner
10. the doctor who helps spread rumors
Synopsis of The Country Wife
When a 17th century rake, Master Horner, falsely ruins his reputation by pretending to be a eunuch, he sets himself up as a man who can never cuckold others. Horner's sinister plan allows him to sleep as many women as he likes, as often as he likes, without fear of being killed or punished. He sleeps with many women, including the "honorable" Lady Fidget and her friends Dainty and Squeamish, right under their husbands’ noses.
Master Horner manages to make one of his friend’s wives, Margery Pinchwife, an innocent naïve woman from the country, fall in love with him. This enrages her jealous and fearful husband, Mr. Pinchwife, who is unaware of Master Horner’s lie. Margery writes secret letters to Master Horner, declaring her love to him.
One of Master Horner's friends, Harcourt, begins courting Mr. Pinchwife's sister Alithea despite her betrothal to the local rich fop, Master Sparkish. Despite Alithea's repeated attempts to call Sparkish's attention to Harcourt trying to court her, he refuses to see the light, believing that Harcourt only means to befriend Alithea.
Master Horner's relationship with Margery almost ruins his secret and nearly destroys the reputation of the Lady Fidget, her friends, and their husbands. Moments before the truth is revealed, Alithia's maid Lucy spins a final web of lies to protect everyone’s reputations and save the reputations of all characters. Mr. Pinchwife allows Harcourt to marry Alithea, the honorable women's reputations are protected, Master Horner is still believed to be a eunuch, and nobody but Master Horner knows who is a cuckold and who is not.
The characters watch performers dance together, living ignorant of the truth.