Master_Of_Disguise__The_Country_Wife

Master Of Disguise: The Country Wife William Wycherley’s The Country Wife overflows with deception, humor and sexual decadence. Throughout the play, the characters, especially the females, cling to the importance of sexual masculinity and its characteristics. In particular, Harry Horner exemplifies all of the qualities of a true “man”. From the beginning of the play, the reader knows of Horner’s phony disease in order to seduce women while their unsuspecting husbands concur. However, the reader does not know the length to which Horner has used his deceit until the end of the play. The ideas of sexual masculinity in society suggest a humorous stereotype while remaining true to an extent. A “ladies man”, such as Horner, concentrates on women, sexuality and the possible ways of obtaining as much sex as possible. In proof, Horner’s latest plan involves tarnishing his public name just to gain sexual encounters. Horner demonstrates he is very determined, cunning, and willing to do anything for sex. Women find him charismatic and very clever, yet they are very naïve to his true intentions. For example, Margery says, “Is this he that was in love horner, women, sexual, sex, play, man, husbands, wife, very, true, reader, love, ladies, however, yet, wives, while, sparkish, seduce, says, possible, masculinity, horner’s, harry, ha, glad, example, end, country, because, wycherley’s, woman, willing, william, welcomed