17c Social Hierarchy and Character Interpretation in the Country Wife

The 20C embraced Restoration comedy as the quintessence of comedy of manners and adored The Country Wife as one of the most brilliantly glittering example of the genre. The definition of that genre, however, arose in the current era, and it has distorted our perspective on this comedy. We must consider the 17C dramatic meaning of manners in order to understand the characters’ back stories, motivations, and social milieu. Such an analysis can guide us in making distinctive, precise interpretive decisions about the characters in this comedy—decisions that are based in the text and in the historical context. These character interpretations can accentuate for a 21C audience the 17C satiric and comedic elements enmeshed within the text of The Country Wife.