Anna Rastatter

ENG 221
Final Paper
Satire on Societys Stereotypes
When considering the purpose of The Country Wife, by William Wycherley, it is supposed
that the play is a satire on lust, honor, or society. In the time period that the play was written and
performed, risqu, racy plays were gaining popularity. These plays, known as sexual comedies,
pushed the boundaries of standard conventions abided by within society. The evidence to suggest
that the play offers definitive moral instruction by satirizing honor or lust is too feeble to validate
an argument. In my opinion, the play makes a mockery of both honor and lust to parody society.
The sexual mockery is evident in every aspect of the play from the character names to the
dialogue. The humor works at the expense of humanity as a whole. Wycherley uses his dynamic
characters to teach lessons to different members of society.
In the case of the character that gives title to the play, Mrs. Pinchwife is a country girl
living in the pastoral mode. Her character, like the others, is exaggerated for the purpose of
satire. For the most part, she is oblivious to the cynical humor and actions taking place around
her. Mrs. Pinchwife uses childish language such as bud and player-men (II.i. 34, 71). Until
she is pushed to the brink by her overbearing husband, Mrs. Pinchwife is the most innocent
character within The Country Wife. At first, she is so callow she seems brainless. Mrs. Pinchwife
depicts the demoralization that takes place when exposed to the city. Her candor contrasts with
the fast-paced corruption of the Londoners enticing her. In the end, her capabilities of deception

prove impressive as she begins to grasp the actions of society. Even as the nave country girl,
Wycherley does not make Mrs. Pinchwife out to be the heroine of the play.
Every ridiculous attempt Pinchwife makes to control his wife backfires. Acting out of
jealousy, Pinchwife tries to constain Mrs. Pinchwife, regardless of the fact that she has given him
no reason to doubt her loyalty. The most absurd example of this is when Pinchwife disguises her
as a man before he allows her to visit town. In Pinchwifes character, Wycherley is amplifying
the insecurities of husbands in society. All sympathy the audience might have had for Pinchwife
is lost as he continuously smothers his wifes innocent endeavors to see town. His wife then
becomes deceitful because she has no other choice. Because Pinchwife shelters his wife, it is no
wonder that she seeks different means of affection. He is so domineering that he locks her away
if company calls. This makes him unlikeable. The more control Pinchwife takes over his wife,
the farther away it distances her from him. In magnifying the actions of Pinchwife to a
preposterous level, Wycherleys directs this lesson to the overprotective members of society.
The character of Lady Fidget and her gang of virtuous women serve to parody those
overly honorable members of society. In my opinion, Wycherley meant to exaggerate their
ironically unethical actions. While claiming to be pure, in actuality the women play into the
deceitful and immoral behavior with Horner. Lady Fidget and her virtuous gang are called out by
Horner for making a performance of honor merely for the benefit of their reputation within
society. Wycherley is illustrating that everyone has faults within society, even honorable women.
To look down their noses at the actions of others, these women never consider condemning their
own. The virtuous gang gossip freely about honor. They hypocritically claim that if
misdemeanors are kept a secret, honor is preserved untarnished. This hypocrisy serves as a

lesson for such women to teach in society to become introspective. Wycherley satirizes the
actions of pretentiously honorable women in society.
Horner is over exaggerated beyond that of any other character in The Country Wife.
Constantly making sexual innuendoes and double entendres, Horner is flamboyant and
outlandish. Every interaction he has with a female character is one meant to coax them into
deception. It is my opinion that Wycherley created Horner in such a way that he serves two
purposes: Firstly to expose the destructive nature of human behavior and selfishness. Horner
finds no qualms in undermining relationship. Horner deceives everyone into thinking that he is a
eunuch. He takes advantage of the trust Sir Jasper places in him regarding his wife. He even
entices the innocent and nave Mrs. Pinchwife into infidelity. Overall the play unabashedly
addresses lust. The Country Wife must have pushed the envelope of sexual comedy for its time.
The second purpose of Horners character was to be shocking. The lewd puns would have been
appalling to those members of society who attempt to stifle the lustful side of human nature.
Wycherleys intent with Horner was to satirize deception as a part of human nature and shock
society as a whole.
Some of the most supportive evidence of The County Wife being a controversial satire on
society comes in the resolution. Defying comedic conventions common in plays, the story ends
in a celebratory dance rather than marriage. In The Country Wife there is no movement from
chaos to order, or separation to reunion that is normal in comedic plays. On the other hand, the
play ends with the laughable dance of the cuckolds. Pinchwife and Sir Jasper remain oblivious to
their cheating spouses. Horner does not pay for coaxing women into infidelity. The unfaithful
women do not experience any moral epiphany. These loose ends remain at the conclusion of the
play. The footnote on page 190 suggests that the husbands would have worn horns characterizing

a cuckold during the dance to complete the comedic effect. Certainly, this would have appeared
ludicrous to spectators. The finally dance does not convey the proper harmony traditionally
found in conventional comedy. There is no definitive protagonist and antagonist apparent within
the play. In my opinion, this indicates that each character has positive and negative features.
None are worthy of a happy ending commonplace in comedic plays. The characters are meant to
be an exaggerated representation of different stereotypes within society.
In The Country Wife, no one is completely innocent. The play is simply meant to be
humorous and ironic. The comedy is meant to exaggerate specific traits of members of society.
The Country Wife satirizes the faults of humanity and London culture. In making the play a
cutting edge form of entertainment, it would have captivated the attentions of all playgoers. The
sexual comedy is so blunt and unreserved that it would have first received the necessary attention
to accomplish Wycherleys goal. All characters serve to teach a lesson to respective members of
culture.