See Also: Wycherley, William(dictionary)
Wycherley, William(encyclopedia)
William I(encyclopedia)
Pym, Sir William(medicine)
Tell, William(encyclopedia)
William(dictionary)
Little, William(medicine)
Tell, William(dictionary)
Lee, William(encyclopedia)
William II(encyclopedia)

Wycherley, William (sh)




born 1640, Clive, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Eng.
died Jan. 1, 1716, London

English dramatist.

After attending Oxford and studying law, Wycherley became a man-about-town with an interest in theatre. Within the framework of the comedy of manners, he attempted to reconcile a deep-seated puritanism with his ardent physical nature. Love in a Wood (1671) first won him favour in the Restoration court, and The Plain-Dealer (1676) satirized rapacious greed. In The Country-Wife (1675), perhaps his best work, a satirical comment on excessive jealousy and complacency is blended with a richly comic and bawdy presentation. He eventually lost favour at court and spent seven years in debtor's prison until he was rescued by James II.