Hypocrisy And Ignorance

The Country Wife: Hypocrisy and Ignorance
Alike newborn babies first opening their eyes perceiving the world, Mrs. Pinchwife’s first visit to London means her initial experience of the sophisticated city. Wycherley’s The Country Wife (1675) presents the story of a country wife getting to fall in love with one of the appealing London men regardless of her having an extremely jealous husband. The two main triangular relationships introduced in the play, Margery, Pinchwife, Lady Fidget, Sir Jasper and Horner vividly projects the story of both a country wife and a city wife cheating on their husbands. While the central action of the play questions the tenability of marriage during restoration, the contrast between the country and the city plays
As a typical upper class man, Sir Jasper gives limited attention to his wife Lady Fidget. He tries to keep Lady Fidget together with the eunuch, Horner, so as to prevent other men from approaching. Lady fidget, after being aware that Horner’s impotence is a fraud, decides to further an underground relationship with him. While complaining about the frustrations she encounters with her husband Sir Jasper, she mentioned: “Lord, why should you not think that we women make use of our reputation, as you men of yours, only to deceive the world with less suspicion? Our virtue is like … — but to cheat those that trust us.”(251).The dialogue shows explicitly that Lady Fidget is a hypocrite. As a member of the upper class women in the city, Lady Fidget cannot bear the consequence of cheating on her husband openly. Instead, pertaining to the worldliness of the city, she maintains her virtue in the public and does what she wants privately. The problem does not only exist in Lady Fidget. Dainty and Squeamish, who are also having secret relations with Horner; both display the same sign of hypocrisy. Though unwittingly, hypocrisy is developed among citizens. The Country Wife highlights some major events that could potentially occur concerning the prominent effect brought by a sophisticated city. The scenes are not only appropriate as a comedic
As Margery continues her journey in the city, with the aid of Lucy, she starts to recognize different sophisticated patterns that happen in the city. Specifically, Lucy teaches her to lie and make stories. This indeed may be the first step of Margery turning into a hypocrite like Lady Fidget. However, at the end of the play while Lucy is trying to make excuses for her to get away from Pinchwife’s accusation, she unintentionally cracks it and restates her love to Horner in front of Pinchwife (258). In addition, at the end while Pinchwife and Margery are compromising to the story made up by Lucy, the dialogue of Margery shows her ignorance: “Since you’ll have me tell more lies —yes, indeed, bud.”(260). The way Margery compromises to the story shows her obliviousness, being hilarious at the same time. As a result, there is sufficient evidence proving her innocence. Even though she was taught by Lucy and getting to experience life in the city for some time, Margery remains ignorant to the fraudulent elements that persist in the