An Exploration of the Stylistic Devices of Restoration Comedy, as Seen in “the Country Wife”

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An exploration of the stylistic devices of Restoration Comedy, as seen in “The Country Wife” Restoration comedy is a style of drama that flourished from 1660 to 1710 upon the return of Charles II from France. Prior to the Restoration Era, the Puritan regime, which dominated England for 18 years, prohibited public stage performances. But in 1660, with the return of the new king, England saw a renaissance of English Drama, with women playing their own sex for the first time in history. This and many other stylistic devices gave the Restoration Comedies a new twist, one that the audience had not been exposed to yet. In this essay I will explore the stylistic devices that define a Restoration Comedy, but especially focusing on the ones that can be found in the play “The Country Wife” by William Wycherley. “The Country Wife” is split into three related plots, each containing the vital elements and stylistic devices of the comedies of that time. The first subplot focuses on Horner, who pretends to be eunuch (impotent), fooling Sir Jasper Fidget and having sexual liaisons with the “virtuous gang” consisting of three pompous women; Lady Fidget, Mrs Dainty Fidget and Mrs Squeamish. In the second plot, the country wife Margery Pinchwife comes to towns and wants to enjoy all the pleasures it has to offer, especially Horner. The third plot, on the other hand circles more about love and less about sexual adventures. Horner’s friend Harcourt successfully woos Pinchwife’s sister Alithea away from her proposed husband, Sparkish. A feature of “The Country Wife” is its conformation to a classical Greek structure and features. In a classical Greek play the events would occur in a very short period of time, for example in “The Country Wife” the events are spread out in the course of two days in real life and several hours in the theatre. Furthermore the first long three
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