The Country Wife

by

William Wycherley

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Harcourt Character Analysis

Harcourt is the companion of Horner and Dorilant and the lover of Alithea, whom he tries to persuade to leave her fiancé, Sparkish. Harcourt begins the play as one of Horner’s “rakish” companions but is converted by his love for Alithea and is truly attached to her by the end of the play. Harcourt and Alithea represent the lovers in the play and are the only respite from the cynical machinations and hypocritical schemes of the other characters. Still, their love is not pure and socially sanctioned, and Harcourt must steal Alithea from under her fiancé’s nose before they can be together. Harcourt shows no loyalty to Sparkish, who thinks Harcourt is his friend, and is merciless in his attempts to undermine Sparkish and woo Alithea. At first, Harcourt is so brazen that Alithea is put off by his attempts and tries to warn Sparkish. However, although this behavior seems questionable by modern standards, Harcourt’s behavior reflects the literary and theatrical tradition of courtly love, which believes that adulterous love is more pure than marital love and that it is a “gallant’s” job to court ladies, even if they are married to his friends. A famous example of this style of love is the adulterous love between Lancelot and Guinevere, who is married to King Arthur, in the Arthur legends. The “court” in Harcourt’s name reflects his role and personality in the play.

Harcourt Quotes in The Country Wife

The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Harcourt or refer to Harcourt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Reputation, Appearance, and Hypocrisy  Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Horner: A pox upon ’em, and all that force nature, and would be still what she forbids ’em! Affectation is her greatest monster.

Harcourt: Most men are the contraries to that they would seem. Your bully, you see, is a coward with a long sword; the little, humbly fawning physician with his ebony cane is he that destroys men.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

Harcourt: Truly, madam, I never was an enemy to marriage till now, because marriage was never an enemy to me before.

Alithea: But why, sir, is marriage an enemy to you now? Because it robs you of your friend here? For you look upon a friend married as one gone into a monastery, that is dead to the world.

Related Characters: Alithea (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

Because I do hate 'em and would hate ’em yet more. I’ll frequent ’em. You may see by marriage, nothing makes a man hate a woman more than her constant conversation. In short, I converse with ’em, as you do with rich fools, to laugh at ’em and use ’em ill.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt, Dorilant
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:

Horner: No, a foolish rival and a jealous husband assist their rival's designs; for they are sure to make their women hate them, which is the first step to their love for another man.

Harcourt: But I cannot come near his mistress but in his company.

Horner: Still the better for you, for fools are most easily cheated when they themselves are accessories; and he is to be bubbled of his mistress, as of his money, the common mistress, by keeping him company.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:

Harcourt: I see all women are like these of the Exchange, who, to enhance the price of their commodities, report to their fond customers offers which were never made ’em.

Horner: Ay women are as apt to tell before the intrigue as men after it, and so show themselves the vainer sex.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:

So we are hard put to’t, when we make our rival our procurer; but neither she nor her brother would let me come near her now. When all’s done, a rival is the best cloak to steal to a mistress under, without suspicion; and when we have once got to her as we desire, we throw him off like other cloaks.

Related Characters: Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
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Harcourt Quotes in The Country Wife

The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Harcourt or refer to Harcourt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Reputation, Appearance, and Hypocrisy  Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Horner: A pox upon ’em, and all that force nature, and would be still what she forbids ’em! Affectation is her greatest monster.

Harcourt: Most men are the contraries to that they would seem. Your bully, you see, is a coward with a long sword; the little, humbly fawning physician with his ebony cane is he that destroys men.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

Harcourt: Truly, madam, I never was an enemy to marriage till now, because marriage was never an enemy to me before.

Alithea: But why, sir, is marriage an enemy to you now? Because it robs you of your friend here? For you look upon a friend married as one gone into a monastery, that is dead to the world.

Related Characters: Alithea (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

Because I do hate 'em and would hate ’em yet more. I’ll frequent ’em. You may see by marriage, nothing makes a man hate a woman more than her constant conversation. In short, I converse with ’em, as you do with rich fools, to laugh at ’em and use ’em ill.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt, Dorilant
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:

Horner: No, a foolish rival and a jealous husband assist their rival's designs; for they are sure to make their women hate them, which is the first step to their love for another man.

Harcourt: But I cannot come near his mistress but in his company.

Horner: Still the better for you, for fools are most easily cheated when they themselves are accessories; and he is to be bubbled of his mistress, as of his money, the common mistress, by keeping him company.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:

Harcourt: I see all women are like these of the Exchange, who, to enhance the price of their commodities, report to their fond customers offers which were never made ’em.

Horner: Ay women are as apt to tell before the intrigue as men after it, and so show themselves the vainer sex.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:

So we are hard put to’t, when we make our rival our procurer; but neither she nor her brother would let me come near her now. When all’s done, a rival is the best cloak to steal to a mistress under, without suspicion; and when we have once got to her as we desire, we throw him off like other cloaks.

Related Characters: Harcourt (speaker), Sparkish, Alithea
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis: