The Country Wife

by

William Wycherley

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Country Wife makes teaching easy.
Pinchwife is Margery’s husband. He is obsessively jealous and is terrified of being made to look foolish and of gaining a reputation as a “cuckold.” He has chosen Margery for a wife because he believes that she is innocent and naïve and therefore easy to control. Pinchwife is bullying and hypocritical in his treatment of Margery. He expects total fidelity from her, suspects her every move, even when she is faithful to him, and resorts to imprisoning and abusing her when his jealousy gets out of control. Pinchwife is a figure of fun throughout the play, even though, at times, his treatment of Margery is genuinely sinister. He is so preoccupied with not seeming foolish that he makes himself appear a fool; he marries a country wife so that she cannot outsmart him and then is easily tricked by her. Similarly, he is so determined to keep Margery away from temptation that he over-compensates, behaves irrationally and, ultimately, leads her to Horner who seduces her. In this sense, Pinchwife is a personification and parody of puritanical impulses in society, which seek to censor and eradicate behaviors they think of as sinful and, by doing so, inadvertently encourage people to rebel and take up the very pastimes they wish to prevent. Pinchwife’s name is significant as it reflects his behavior; he annoys and bullies Margery and is stingy with her, or “pinches” her, when he keeps her locked up. It also suggests that his wife will be “pinched,” or stolen, which is nearly the case in the play.

Pinchwife Quotes in The Country Wife

The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Pinchwife or refer to Pinchwife. 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

Why, ’tis as hard to find an old whoremaster without jealousy and the gout, as a young one without fear or the pox.

As gout in age from pox in youth proceeds,
So wenching past, then jealousy succeeds:
The worst disease that love and wenching breeds.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Pinchwife
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

Pinchwife: Ay, my dear, you must love me only, and not be like the naughty town-women, who only hate their husbands and love every man else; love plays, visits, fine coaches, fine clothes, fiddles, balls, treats, and so lead a wicked town-life.

Margery Pinchwife: Nay, if to enjoy all these things be a town-life, London is not so bad a place, dear.

Pinchwife: How! If you love me, you must hate London.

Alithea: The fool has forbid me discovering to her the pleasures of the town, and he is now setting her agog upon them himself.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife (speaker), Alithea (speaker)
Related Symbols: Blindness
Page Number: 29
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes

Would it not make anyone melancholy, to see you go every day fluttering about abroad, whilst I must stay at home like a poor, lonely, sullen bird in a cage?

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife, Alithea
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:

A mask makes people but the more inquisitive, and is as ridiculous a disguise as a stage beard; her shape, stature, habit will be known. And if we should meet with Horner, he would be sure to take acquaintance with us, must wish her joy, kiss her, talk to her, leer upon her, and the devil and all. No, I’ll not use her to a mask, 'tis dangerous; for masks have made more cuckolds than the best faces that ever were known … No — a woman masked, like a covered dish, gives a man curiosity and appetite, when, it may be, uncovered, ’twould turn his stomach.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Margery Pinchwife, Alithea
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

Margery Pinchwife: I don't know where to put this here, dear bud. You shall eat it. Nay, you shall have part of the fine gentleman’s good things, or treat, as you call it, when we come home.

Pinchwife: Indeed, I deserve it, since I furnished the best part of it. (Strikes away the orange.)

The gallant treats, presents, and gives the ball; But ’tis the absent cuckold, pays for all.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 1 Quotes

So, ’tis plain she loves him, yet she has not love enough to make her conceal it from me. But the sight of him will increase her aversion for me, and love for him, and that love instruct her how to deceive me and satisfy him, all idiot that she is. Love! ’Twas he gave women first their craft, their art of deluding. Out of nature’s hands they came plain, open, silly, and fit for slaves, as she and heaven intended ’em, but damned love –well – I must strangle that little monster whilst I can deal with him.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner, Margery Pinchwife
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 4 Quotes

Well, 'tis e'en so, I have got the London disease they call love; I am sick of my husband, and for my gallant. I have heard this distemper called a fever, but methinks ’tis liker an ague, for when I think of my husband, I tremble and am in a cold sweat, and have inclinations to vomit, but when I think of my gallant, dear Mr. Horner, my hot fit comes and I am all in a fever, indeed, and as in other fevers my own chamber is tedious to me, and I would fain be removed to his, and then methinks I should be well.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner, Pinchwife
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:

Sparkish: Lord, how shy you are of your wife! But let me tell you, brother, we men of wit have amongst us a saying that cuckolding, like the smallpox, comes with a fear, and you may keep your wife as much as you will out of danger of infection, but if her constitution incline her to't, she'll have it sooner or later, by the world, say they.

Pinchwife: What a thing is a cuckold, that every fool can make him ridiculous! – Well sir – but let me advise you, now you are come to be concerned, because you suspect the danger, not to neglect the means to prevent it, especially when the greatest share of the malady will light upon your own head, for

Hows’e’er the kind wife’s belly comes to swell
The husband breeds for her, and first is ill.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Sparkish (speaker), Margery Pinchwife
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Country Wife LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Country Wife PDF

Pinchwife Quotes in The Country Wife

The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Pinchwife or refer to Pinchwife. 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

Why, ’tis as hard to find an old whoremaster without jealousy and the gout, as a young one without fear or the pox.

As gout in age from pox in youth proceeds,
So wenching past, then jealousy succeeds:
The worst disease that love and wenching breeds.

Related Characters: Harry Horner (speaker), Pinchwife
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2 Quotes

Pinchwife: Ay, my dear, you must love me only, and not be like the naughty town-women, who only hate their husbands and love every man else; love plays, visits, fine coaches, fine clothes, fiddles, balls, treats, and so lead a wicked town-life.

Margery Pinchwife: Nay, if to enjoy all these things be a town-life, London is not so bad a place, dear.

Pinchwife: How! If you love me, you must hate London.

Alithea: The fool has forbid me discovering to her the pleasures of the town, and he is now setting her agog upon them himself.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife (speaker), Alithea (speaker)
Related Symbols: Blindness
Page Number: 29
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes

Would it not make anyone melancholy, to see you go every day fluttering about abroad, whilst I must stay at home like a poor, lonely, sullen bird in a cage?

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife, Alithea
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:

A mask makes people but the more inquisitive, and is as ridiculous a disguise as a stage beard; her shape, stature, habit will be known. And if we should meet with Horner, he would be sure to take acquaintance with us, must wish her joy, kiss her, talk to her, leer upon her, and the devil and all. No, I’ll not use her to a mask, 'tis dangerous; for masks have made more cuckolds than the best faces that ever were known … No — a woman masked, like a covered dish, gives a man curiosity and appetite, when, it may be, uncovered, ’twould turn his stomach.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Margery Pinchwife, Alithea
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Scene 2 Quotes

Margery Pinchwife: I don't know where to put this here, dear bud. You shall eat it. Nay, you shall have part of the fine gentleman’s good things, or treat, as you call it, when we come home.

Pinchwife: Indeed, I deserve it, since I furnished the best part of it. (Strikes away the orange.)

The gallant treats, presents, and gives the ball; But ’tis the absent cuckold, pays for all.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 1 Quotes

So, ’tis plain she loves him, yet she has not love enough to make her conceal it from me. But the sight of him will increase her aversion for me, and love for him, and that love instruct her how to deceive me and satisfy him, all idiot that she is. Love! ’Twas he gave women first their craft, their art of deluding. Out of nature’s hands they came plain, open, silly, and fit for slaves, as she and heaven intended ’em, but damned love –well – I must strangle that little monster whilst I can deal with him.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner, Margery Pinchwife
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 4 Quotes

Well, 'tis e'en so, I have got the London disease they call love; I am sick of my husband, and for my gallant. I have heard this distemper called a fever, but methinks ’tis liker an ague, for when I think of my husband, I tremble and am in a cold sweat, and have inclinations to vomit, but when I think of my gallant, dear Mr. Horner, my hot fit comes and I am all in a fever, indeed, and as in other fevers my own chamber is tedious to me, and I would fain be removed to his, and then methinks I should be well.

Related Characters: Margery Pinchwife (speaker), Harry Horner, Pinchwife
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:

Sparkish: Lord, how shy you are of your wife! But let me tell you, brother, we men of wit have amongst us a saying that cuckolding, like the smallpox, comes with a fear, and you may keep your wife as much as you will out of danger of infection, but if her constitution incline her to't, she'll have it sooner or later, by the world, say they.

Pinchwife: What a thing is a cuckold, that every fool can make him ridiculous! – Well sir – but let me advise you, now you are come to be concerned, because you suspect the danger, not to neglect the means to prevent it, especially when the greatest share of the malady will light upon your own head, for

Hows’e’er the kind wife’s belly comes to swell
The husband breeds for her, and first is ill.

Related Characters: Pinchwife (speaker), Sparkish (speaker), Margery Pinchwife
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis: