Knowra William Wycherley William Wycherley William Wycherley (c. 1641–1716) was an English dramatist whose Restoration comedies, especially The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer , satirized sexual intrigue and social hypocrisy.
The Country Wife : A Restoration comedy by William Wycherley, first performed in 1675, about sexual deception, reputation, and marriage. Its bawdy plot and double meanings made it Wycherley’s most notorious play.
Restoration comedy : A genre of English comedy that flourished after the theatres reopened in 1660, often featuring witty dialogue and sexual intrigue. Wycherley’s plays are central examples of the genre’s courtship plots and social satire.
Restoration theatre : English professional theatre after Charles II restored the monarchy and reopened the playhouses in 1660. Wycherley wrote for a stage reshaped by royal patronage and the return of public performance.
Thomas Betterton : An English actor and theatre manager who became one of the leading performers of the Restoration stage. Betterton’s company and performances were part of the theatrical world that staged Wycherley’s work.
Restoration comedy of manners : A form of Restoration comedy that satirizes the manners and sexual politics of fashionable society. Wycherley’s work helped establish the form’s reputation for sophisticated, sexually frank satire.
The Plain Dealer : A 1676 comedy by William Wycherley about an abrasive sea captain who exposes hypocrisy and encounters betrayal. Its satirical hero gives Wycherley’s comedy a harsher, more openly moral edge.
Comedy of manners : A comic form that satirizes the behavior and conventions of a particular social class through wit and social intrigue. His characters expose fashionable society by manipulating its codes of honor and desire.
Charles II of England : King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 to 1685, whose restoration brought theatrical performance back to London. The reopening of theatres under his rule created the professional world in which Wycherley wrote.
Elizabeth Barry : An English actress celebrated for her emotional range, especially in tragic roles on the Restoration stage. Barry performed in Restoration theatre as Wycherley’s plays entered the repertory.
The Licensing Act 1737 : A British law that subjected new plays to government licensing and restricted theatrical satire. The law belongs to the later political climate in which Restoration drama was reassessed and regulated.
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