Plot OverviewThe Country Wife by William Wycherly

Act I

Horner rumour that he is sexually impotent

Sir Jasper Fidget enters Becomes sure the rumour is true Entrusts Lady Fidget to Horner

Jack Pinchwife enters He fears Horner will cuckold him Becomes obvious his attitude towards women He learns Horner saw his wife at the theather Becomes distressed and leaves

Act 2 Margery and Alethea speak

Margery complains Her husband’s jealousy and how she admired the actors

Pinchwife enters, tells her sombody liked her Margery is delighted Pinchwife locks her in a room

Sparkish and Harcourt enter Sparkish shows off his wife Harcourt falls in love with her and starts flirting with

her Sparkish cannot realize this despite the efforts of

Alethea

Act 2 Fidgets enter to see Margery

Pinchwife invents excuses to avoid Fidgets leave discussing jealous husbands and mistreted

women They conclude adultery is acceptable as long as it is

secret • Sir Jasper and Horner arrive▪ Horner is assigned to escort the ladies ▪ They refuse▪ In private Horner tells Lady Fidget that he is not impotent▪ Lady fidget is delighted and they make an implicit plan to

be together

Act 3 Margery and Alethea talks about Pinchwife Pinchwife enters, wants to get rid of them Margery protests and convinces him to go out in the city

in disguise as a young boy New Exchange Theater :

Harcourt tells his friend he is in love with Alethea, wants to avoid her marriage

Horner advises him to use Sparkish to approach her In the next scene, Horner, Harcourt, and Dorilant stand bantering in the New Exchange. Harcourt confesses that he is in love with Alethea and needs a way of preventing her marriage to Sparkish. Horner advises him to use Sparkish himself as a cover for making advances to Alethea. Sparkish himself then approaches, and soon Pinchwife enters with Alethea and the disguised Margery.

Act 3 Pinchwife, Margery and Alethea enter

Horner recognizes Margery and approaches her Pinchwife cannot intervene in order to not to blow her cover Harcourt expresses his love to Alethea in front of Sparkish Alethea goes mad because her prospective husband is not

aware of that Pinchwife turns his back and Horner takes Margery

away Pinchwife searches for her She returs with gifts from Horner He suspects he has been cuckolded Sir Jasper enters to unite Lady Fidget with Horner

Act 4 Lucy is dressing Alethea for wedding, but she disapproves the

wedding She favours Harcourt for her mistress They discuss about honor

Sparkish and Harcourt enter Harcourt is in disguise as a parson Alethea notices, wants Sparkish to know She fails, eventually the wedding takes place

Pinchwife and Margery talk about her relationship with Horner He realizes he is not cuckolded Wants to take further precautions Forces Margery to write a letter about how much she hates Horner But Margery changes the letter quickly, sends a love letter instead

Act 4 Lady Fidget enters for a sexual encounter with

Horner Sir Jasper catches them Lady Fidget convinces her husband that she was just

making sure if Horner was “ticklish” Sir Jasper still objects since she should be shopping

for china Lady Fidget again convinces her husband that

Horner is an expert on china She moves into another room Horner follows her pretending he wants to protect

his china collection

Act 4 Pinchwife enters

Gives Margery’s letter to Horner Horner pretends to read a letter of Hatred Pinchwife warns him not to cuckold him

Pinchwife re-enters with Sparkish They discuss the invalidity of Sparkish’s marriage Horner is disappointed for the sake of Harcourt Then he is invited for a dinner by Sparkish He accepts on condition that Margery will be

there

Act 5 Pinchwife catches Margery writing a love letter to Horner

She finishes it in Alethea’s name to save herself She makes a plan to meet Horner Goes in disguise as Alethea to Horner’s place, wearing a mask

In Covent Garden Pinchwife informs Sparkish about the letter Sparkish is insulted and insults Alethea Alethea concludes she was deceived all the time for having a

good nature. Horner’s place

Fidgets arrive Margery is in the other room Lady Fidget tells the others about her affair with Horner They accept sharing him

Act 5 Pinchwife, Alethea, Harcourt, Sparkish, Luch and

a Parson enter They want Horner to admit his affair with Alethea Horner admits, to protect Margery Harcourt wants Horner to tell the truth because

Alethea is offended. Margery says the parson should marry her and

Horner Pinchwife draws his sword but restrained by Harcourt Sir Jasper enters, amused by Horner’s cuckolding

everyone

Act 5 The quack enters

Again says Horner is impotent Sir Jasper accepts Pinchwife is suspicious Margery objects, other ladies cool her down

Final Part : Harcourt is impatient to be a husband Both Pinchwives express distaste for marriage Lucy expresses Margery’s for Horner was just to

anger Pinchwife Margery unwillingly accepts this