The Country Wife's big players

Horner: "giving husbands the horns"

• Very promiscuous: a rake 
• Likes to make cuckolds out of married men
• Likes to manipulate people into getting what he wants
• Doesn't care what others think of him as long as he gets off

We still see these character types but they have been used more as the villain rather than the hero of our story. This is because our society views this type much different than when the country wife was written.

Pinchwife: "Pinching his wife, his wife is getting pinched"

• Very prideful, jealous.
• Nervous about his wife being seduced, so he keeps her from the wealthy people and locks her away.
• His image is very important to him and doesn't want it scarred.
• Controlling but doesn't realize he isn't in control
• Really mean to his wife.

These character types are still used today. They are used for a comedies showing a patriarch that thinks he is control of his family but his wife and kids run the show. The comedy comes less from that he is the patriarch and more that he believes he is control.

Mrs. Pinchwife:

• Young and attractive
• She is curious and naive in the beginning about city life since she comes from the country
• Hates being controlled by her husband
• Figures out how to be cunning and slip out of her husbands control
• Probably the character that changes the most

She is portrayed by her husband and other characters as a naive young girl but she ends up being just a mischievous as Horner, she can lie and sneak around to get what she wants. But ultimately she is fooled by falling in love with Horner.