In Wycherley’s The Country Wife, jealousy is a major theme; it is defined and portrayed differently through each character. However, jealousy has a common sinister outcome. In this paper, I will argue that jealousy, in Wycherley’s The Country Wife, is the agent that drives archetypal characters such as Pinchwife, Horner, Sparkish and Harcourt, to act in a gendered stereotypical manner which emphasizes the sinister aspects of this restoration comedy.
Pinchwife is portrayed as a typical jealous husband; he acts in ways that restrict his wife, Margaret Pinchwife, from leaving him or being cuckolded. Wycherley makes it clear that Pinchwife had chosen Margaret as his wife because she is from the country. He manipulates Margaret through her ignorance …show more content…
Horner has an exaggerated obsession with cuckoldry, but only with married women. Horner claims, “women of quality are so civil, you can hardly distinguish love from good breeding (p.173-174).” This insinuates that he believes that women are manipulative, especially with women of “quality,” referring to their nobility and high social rank. Moreover, the term “civil” may refer to one who is educated and well-bred. He then states that “good breeding,” signifying good manners and courtesy of a woman, can be mistaken for their love. This may imply his belief that women are trained and taught to be well-mannered but also to manipulate men and trick men into falling in love. For Horner, his jealousy is defined by “anxiety for the preservation or well-being of something; vigilance in guarding a possession from loss or damage,” as defined by the OED. This suggests that his jealousy has caused him to put up a defense mechanism (i.e. cuckoldry) to shield his feelings and himself from damage. This illustrates the idea that his pleasure from cuckolding derives from an internal jealousy of other men and their relationships with women. His jealousy motivates his actions to cuckold in order to show dominance over other men (which is a desired male-gender characteristic), to make them look a fool, and as well as to outwit women, and show superiority. Although …show more content…
However, although, Pinchwife and Horner are portrayed as different characters, their jealousy and fears derive from the similar places but for different reason. Both characters have deep, personal insecurities which lead to their jealous nature. For Horner, his insecurities with his relationship to other women derive from his mistrust of women, and drive his jealousy to protect himself from hurt. For Pinchwife, his fear of cuckoldry drives his jealousy and restrictive actions towards his wife, but peaks her curiosity for other men, which inadvertently leads to his own cuckoldry. On the other hand, Sparkish desires jealousy and envy from his peers. This affect his actions and attitude towards Alethea and ultimately leads to Harcourt’s desire for his fiancé, Alethea, and his friendship
Pinchwife is portrayed as a typical jealous husband; he acts in ways that restrict his wife, Margaret Pinchwife, from leaving him or being cuckolded. Wycherley makes it clear that Pinchwife had chosen Margaret as his wife because she is from the country. He manipulates Margaret through her ignorance …show more content…
Horner has an exaggerated obsession with cuckoldry, but only with married women. Horner claims, “women of quality are so civil, you can hardly distinguish love from good breeding (p.173-174).” This insinuates that he believes that women are manipulative, especially with women of “quality,” referring to their nobility and high social rank. Moreover, the term “civil” may refer to one who is educated and well-bred. He then states that “good breeding,” signifying good manners and courtesy of a woman, can be mistaken for their love. This may imply his belief that women are trained and taught to be well-mannered but also to manipulate men and trick men into falling in love. For Horner, his jealousy is defined by “anxiety for the preservation or well-being of something; vigilance in guarding a possession from loss or damage,” as defined by the OED. This suggests that his jealousy has caused him to put up a defense mechanism (i.e. cuckoldry) to shield his feelings and himself from damage. This illustrates the idea that his pleasure from cuckolding derives from an internal jealousy of other men and their relationships with women. His jealousy motivates his actions to cuckold in order to show dominance over other men (which is a desired male-gender characteristic), to make them look a fool, and as well as to outwit women, and show superiority. Although …show more content…
However, although, Pinchwife and Horner are portrayed as different characters, their jealousy and fears derive from the similar places but for different reason. Both characters have deep, personal insecurities which lead to their jealous nature. For Horner, his insecurities with his relationship to other women derive from his mistrust of women, and drive his jealousy to protect himself from hurt. For Pinchwife, his fear of cuckoldry drives his jealousy and restrictive actions towards his wife, but peaks her curiosity for other men, which inadvertently leads to his own cuckoldry. On the other hand, Sparkish desires jealousy and envy from his peers. This affect his actions and attitude towards Alethea and ultimately leads to Harcourt’s desire for his fiancé, Alethea, and his friendship