The Country Wife: Act 5, Scene 1 Summary & Analysis

Later that night, in Pinchwife’s house, Pinchwife corners Margery and demands that she finish writing the letter to Horner; he wants to see how she intends to conclude it. Margery resignedly agrees and Pinchwife is shocked when she signs the letter from Alithea. Pinchwife is amazed and Margery tells him that Alithea had Margery write the letter for her so that, if Horner tried to use it to shame her, it would not be in her handwriting.

Pinchwife believes that Margery is telling the truth because he does not believe that she could concoct a story like this. He believes now that Horner is the “rival” that was mentioned to Sparkish and that Alithea has thrown off her marriage because she is in love with him, too. Pinchwife asks where Alithea is and Margery says that she has been crying upstairs all day.

Pinchwife wants to go and speak with Alithea but Margery stops him and says that she had better go instead. As she leaves the room, Margery wonders how she will get out of this confusing web of lies. While she is gone, Pinchwife thinks happily that he will let Horner marry Alithea because then he will not be interested in Margery, as she will be his sister-in-law.

Margery returns and says that Alithea wants to be taken to Horner’s house so that she can decide the matter with him first. She is so ashamed, Margery says, that she will only come if she is allowed not to speak and to wear a mask and if all the lights are put out. Pinchwife hastily agrees and blows out the candle.

Margery slips out again and comes back masked and dressed as Alithea. Pinchwife goes to lock Margery back in her room and, in the dark, she steals behind him so that he thinks he has locked her in when, in fact, he has not. He then takes Margery by the hand and leads her away to Horner’s.