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Cuckold is an old-fashioned term that describes a man whose wife is unfaithful. It usually refers to a man who is unaware of his wife’s infidelity and who is viewed as naïve or gullible because of this. Cuckolds are often assumed to unknowingly raise and support other men’s children, which their wives claim are their own. The term was commonly used in medieval and Renaissance literature and derives from a reference to cuckoo birds, which are known to lay eggs in the nests of other birds. The metaphorical idea that cuckolds have horns was widely accepted and is believed to have originated from the mating rituals of stags; when one stag beats another in competition over females, the victorious stag takes the herd and offspring of the loser. The term was widely known in common dialect and would have been familiar to Restoration audiences. In The Country Wife, Horner’s name reflects his status as a “cuckold maker,” as he gives men horns, or makes them cuckolds, when he sleeps with their wives. Sir Jasper, in contrast, is the quintessential naïve cuckold who is oblivious to his wife’s deceptions.
Cuckold Quotes in The Country Wife
The The Country Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Cuckold or refer to Cuckold. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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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.
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Horner and his friends tease Pinchwife about the fact that he is married and suggest that soon they expect him to be made a “cuckold.” Pinchwife is extremely jealous and paranoid that his wife will cheat on him and he becomes enraged by this. Horner chalks this anger up to Pinchwife’s past, in which he was extremely promiscuous. Horner’s comment implies that Pinchwife was a womanizer, or “whoremaster,” in his youth. This demonstrates that Pinchwife is a hypocrite because he expects total fidelity and sexual purity from his wife, but he did not live this way himself. This also suggests Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. To
Act 2 Quotes
Mrs. Squeamish: ’Tis true, nobody takes notice of a private man, and therefore with him ’tis more secret, and the crime’s the less when ’tis not known.
Lady Fidget: You say true; i’faith, I think you are in the right on’t. ’Tis not an injury to a husband till it be an injury to our honors; so that a woman of honor loses no honor with a private person; and to say truth.
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Mrs. Squeamish, Lady Fidget and Mrs. Dainty Fidget discuss the question of promiscuity. Mrs. Squeamish and Lady Fidget assert that it is not being promiscuous which is dishonorable but, rather, getting caught. Mrs. Squeamish suggests that it is better to have an affair with a “private” man because nobody “takes notice” of him. This implies that a man who keeps his affairs to himself is not of any interest to Restoration society, which is primarily interested in gossip and public scandal. Mrs. Squeamish also believes that being unfaithful or promiscuous is “less” immoral if no one knows about it. Restoration Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et u
Act 3, Scene 1 Quotes
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.
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Margery demands that Pinchwife take her into town, but Pinchwife will not let her go unless her identity is hidden. He does not want men to see her and find her attractive. Alithea suggests that Margery wear a mask, but Pinchwife feels that a mask makes women more attractive to men. Pinchwife is a parody of puritanical impulses to censor society and he mimics the Puritans’ decision to close all the theatres under the governance of Oliver Cromwell, prior to the Restoration of Charles II. Pinchwife’s objection to the theatrical device of a mask parodies the Puritans’ belief that the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium i
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.
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Pinchwife reluctantly takes Margery into town where, to his dismay, they encounter Horner and his friends. Pinchwife has dressed Margery as a boy so Horner will not recognize her, but Horner is not fooled. While Pinchwife’s back is turned, Horner takes Margery to his house and gives her some fruit, which she offers to share with Pinchwife when she returns. Although Margery is not stupid, as Pinchwife believes, she is innocent in some ways and lacks life experience because she is young and has grown up in the country. The behavior of city men and “rakes” like Horner is new Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et u
Act 4, Scene 4 Quotes
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.
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Sparkish is surprised by Pinchwife’s jealousy and thinks that Pinchwife’s concerns are excessive. Pinchwife warns Sparkish that, when he is married, if he does not take measures to prevent his wife’s infidelity, then he will regret it. Sparkish claims that “cuckolding, like smallpox, comes with a fear.” This suggests that, the more paranoid someone is that they will be cheated on, the more likely they are to drive their partner to cheat. Although Sparkish is usually a foolish character, he is proved right on this occasion. This suggests that, while Sparkish is a fool, an excessively jealous husband is the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempor
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