The Country Wife

Play

Writers: William Wycherley

Overview

Show Information

Category
Play
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1675
Genres
Comedy
Time & Place
London, 17th Century
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal for
College/University, Community Theatre, Regional Theatre
Casting Notes

Includes young adult, adult, elderly, mature adult characters

Synopsis

Mr. Horner is the most renowned Ladies Man in town and has ruined his chances of getting close to any more women. He couldn’t possibly give up on his desires, so he decides to get a doctor to spread the rumor in town that he has become a Eunuch and is no longer a threat to men’s wives. The Doctor is sure that this scheme will backfire, but Horner’s plan works and he begins to get access to the wives of the wealthy men in town. A man named Pinchwife, however, who was recently married to a woman from the country, hasn’t heard the rumors of Horner’s impotency and becomes so paranoid and jealous that he keeps his new country wife locked away at home. This jealousy backfires and eventually leads his wife right into the arms of the man he’s scared of: Mr. Horner. Through a series of miscommunications, lies, disguises and more, we watch men filled with jealousy, men duping other men, men oblivious to infidelity, and women just looking for attention while preserving their reputations. It turns out that pleasure isn’t as easy to come by as it seems.

Lead Characters


The Country Wife guide sections