Abstract
Abstract: Margery Pinchwife's cross-dressed appearance at the New Exchange in the third act of The Country Wife serves as a crucial turning point for the play's titular character, exposing her to queer pleasures and possibilities. By considering her within the context of the career and reputation of Elizabeth Boutell, who originated the role in 1675, and the ways in which breeches roles were constructed on the Restoration stage, Wycherley's naïve heroine proves to be a model of genderqueer embodiment, even as she is used as a pawn in the games of male homosociality that drive many queer readings of the play. A careful examination of the gender collages that Margery produces over the course of the play highlights her genderqueer potential, running counter to the commonly held view of her as little more than the silly, sheltered wife of a jealous and abusive husband. Rather, Margery stretches the boundaries of gender-sexuality despite the patriarchal hierarchies that try to contain her, illustrating the potential agency granted by gender non-conformity.
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