The Middle-class man gentleman

the Middle-class man gentleman is a Comedy-ballet in five acts (respectively comprising 2,5,16,5 and 6 scenes) in prose (except the entrée de ballets which are in worms) of Molière, represented for the first time the October 14th 1670, before the court of Louis XIV, with the Château of Chambord by the Troupe of Molière. The music is of Jean-Baptiste Lully, the Ballet S of Pierre Beauchamp, the decorations of Carlo Vigarani and the costumes Turkish of the knight of Arvieux.

A masterpiece of the kind

It incarnates the kind of the comedy-ballet to perfection and remains even one of the only masterpieces of the kind by gathering the best actors and musicians of time. One of the reasons of the success which it gained immediately holds in the fact that it answered the taste of the time for what one called the Turkish scenes , the Ottoman Empire being then a universal subject of concern in the spirits, and which one sought to tame. The origin of work is related to the scandal caused by the Turkish ambassador Soliman Aga which, at the time of its visit at the court of Louis XIV in 1669, had affirmed the superiority of the Othoman court on that of the Sun king.

summary

Act I: Mr. the Jordan, by which the father grew rich by selling cloth, decided to live in " man of " quality;. The act

open on the conversation of the Masters of music and dance which discuss the merits of their art and judge with pity it arrived which pays them. Entry of Mr. the Jordan who immediately shows his ignorance and his self-conceit. Entry of the ballet which form interlude to pass to the second act (II).

Act II: Having delivered his opinion on the music, Mr. the Jordan orders a concert and a ballet for a dinner where he requested

people of quality. He takes a lesson of dance and maintenance. Arrived of the vehement discussion and fencing master enters three professors. The Master of philosophy which occurs is invited to arbitrate the conflict; but it turns the three others against him. Battle and left the combatants. The Master of philosophy returns. Mr. the Jordan wishes to learn " all it that it pourra". But it gives up logic, morals, physics and decides for the orthography. Mr. the Jordan receives its tailor who brings a dress to him. Entrée de ballet by the boys tailors who equip Mr. the Jordan gives rhythm (I, III of them, IV, V).

Act III: Mr. the Jordan, who wants to show with his wife and the maidservant Nicole his knowledge new, makes a success of

only to cover the ridiculous one. Mr. the Jordan reproaches her husband for attending the noble ones, and for not dealing with marriage of his/her daughter. She blames it to receive Gilding; but, in spite of his opinions, Mr. the Jordan lets himself borrow again money by Gilding which was given the responsability to offer a ring to the Dorimène marchioness that Mr. the Jordan courts. It substitute for Mr. the Jordan to offer to Dorimène a dinner and a treat. Nicole warns Mrs. the Jordan that there is " eel under rock ". Scenes of spite in love between Cléonte and Lucile, the girl of Mr. the Jordan, between Nicole and Covielle. Discussions and reconciliations. Me the Jordan invites Cléonte to ask for the hand of Lucile Mr. the Jordan, who refuses because Cléonte is not gentleman. Covielle proposes in Cléonte a stratagem. Arrival of Gilding and of Dorimene which worries about the expenditure made in its honor. Mr. the Jordan returns, reveals his ignorance once more civility and good mannerss. The guests will sit down at table while the cooks make the third interlude of dance (III, IV, X, XII, XVI).

Act IV: The feast draws at its end. Mr. the Jordan addresses to Dorimène awkward compliments when Mrs. the Jordan

occurs, made indignant, which says their fact to Mr. the Jordan, Gilding and Dorimène which wants to leave. The Jordan household continues with to dispute when Covielle appears (disguised in Turkish). He announces with Mr. the Jordan that the son of the Large Turk (Cléonte also disguised in Turkish) Lucile saw, is enthusiast of it and wants to marry it. Covielle, by flattering the claims peerage-books of Mr. the Jordan, who goes high by his future son-in-law to the dignity of " mamamouchi " , an answer favorable obtains to hopes of Cléonte. Gilding, which agreed to support the intrigue, is present. Burlesque ceremony of ennoblement of the middle-class man (I, II, III, IV and Turkish ceremony).

Act V: Mrs. the Jordan finds her affublé husband of the badges of her new dignity, and believes it insane. Arrival of Gilding

with Dorimène which offers to him to marry it. Cléonte and Covielle, in Turkish costume, which come for the contract, are presented to Dorimène and Gilding. Mr. the Jordan wants to impose the son of the Large Turk as husband on Lucile which accepts, in recognizing Cléonte under its disguise. Even stage business with Mrs. the Jordan who grants the marriage. In awaiting the contract, new interlude of songs and dances: Ballet of the nations with six entries (I, III, V, VI). The additions Turkish disappeared in the later representations. In 2004 however, the musician Vincent Dumestre, the director Benjamin Lazar and the choreographer Cécile Roussat proposed an integral version of work, in restored pronunciation, with the ballets of Beauchamp and the music composed by Lully.

Creation, Molière played the part of Mr the Jordan, equipped with bright colors, avoided laces of money and feathers multicoloured, vis-a-vis Hubert, disguised in that of Mrs the Jordan; M {{the}} of Brie was Dorimène, Armande Béjart played Lucile, while the Lully musician was the Mufti during the Turkish ceremony of the 3rd act.

Synopsis

Mr. the Jordan, by which the father grew rich by selling cloth, and who is well denied, intends to acquire the manners of the aristocrats of the court. He decides to order a new dress more appropriate to his new condition of gentleman and launches out in the training of the weapons, the dance, the music and philosophy, as many things which appear essential to him. All these main speaks with contempt about this parvenu.

The remarks of Mrs. the Jordan and their Nicole maidservant do nothing but push Mr. the Jordan with entêter in its dreams of nobility: it binds with the count Gilding who benefits from it to tap money to him, dreams of remarier with the Dorimène marchioness and to marry his Lucile daughter with a gentleman. This one is in love with Cléonte, which in vain makes its proposal before deciding, with the assistance of its Covielle servant, to be made pass for the son of the Large Turk and to assemble a false ceremony. Mr. the Jordan believes himself then parvenu in the nobility while all those which surrounded it arrived to their ends to its costs.

Summary ----

The opening of the part is done on what will constitura its unit: preparation of the ballet to be offered in gift to the Dorimène marchioness. the entertainment gives place to discussions and mockeries of the Master of music and the Master to be danced in connection with M.Jourdain, which remunerates them largely until the presentation of the first interlude (act I, scene 1 and 2).

Popular expression

Beaucoup of people of the field is of the “Sirs the Jordan” of this operation. a sentence which means that many the specialists use naively and without the knowledge a precise operation.

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