The Miserly one or the School of the lie

See also: Miserly the

the Miserly one or the School of the lie is a comedy of Molière in 5 acts (respectively comprising 5,5,9,7 and 6 scenes) and in prose, created with the Théâtre of the Palais Royal the September 9th 1668. The subject is strongly inspired by a part of Plaute, Aulularia ( the Pot ).

Distribution

Summary

  • Act I - the intrigue occurs to Paris. The rich person and miserly Harpagon have two children: Elects which is in love with Valère, a Neapolitan gentleman with the service of his father in the capacity as intendant, and Cléante who wishes to marry Mariane, an orphan young person without fortune. It does not support that the avarice of his/her father opposes his projects in love. Harpagon is terrified by an obsessing fear: it dissimulated in the garden, a cassette which contains ten thousand ecus of gold, it is afraid that it is discovered it and that one flies to him. Suspicieux, it is wary of everyone, even of its children, it goes until returning the Arrow, the servant of Cléante. Finally, it reveals its intentions to them: it will marry Mariane, Élise is promised (without contribution of dowry) in Anselme, an old man, and Cléante is intended for a widow. The young girl refuses vigorously, her father asks Valère to convince it.

  • Act II - Cléante, which cannot count on his/her father, has an urgent need of fifteen thousand francs. The Arrow, its servant, is given the responsability to find a praetor to him, an intermediary informs it of the conditions which concern the most outrageous wear. Revolted, it ends up discovering that the usurer is not other than his father; a violent argument opposes them. The intrigante Frosine enters in scene, she persuades Harpagon that Mariane is a woman who prefers the old men and whom she would be laid out to marry with him. The miserly one is annoyed by the lack of fortune of the young woman, but Frosine convinces it that a poor person who is unaware of the expenditure, can to only agree him. The intrigante wants to be made pay its services, but Harpagon eludes and from goes away.

  • Act III - At the time of the signature of the marriage contract, Harpagon invited Mariane to dine. It sermonizes its domesticity and in particular Maître Jacques, so that the expenditure is limited. The cook protests, the Valère intendant supports the miserly one and preaches the economy; sharp a algarade follows during which Maître Jacques receives blows of stick, and consequently any more but does not think of being avenged. Sometimes happen Frosine which introduces Mariane into the house, nervous with the idea to meet its engaged couple. When this one appears, it is disgusted by its physique, it is at this time that Cléante arrives, it recognizes the young man who is the object of his thoughts. A conversation between in love ones follows, in which with buckled words they acknowledge their reciprocal feelings. Cléante withdraws a ring of great value of the finger of his/her father, and offers it in its proper name to that which he likes. Harpagon truly did not include/understand the situation.
  • Acte IV - the two young people in love request Frosine so that it intervenes with the greybeard, and that he gives up his foolish marriage. Harpagon surprises his/her son spirit of kissing the hand of Mariane, and immediately conceives suspicions of which he wants to ensure himself. In order to probe his son and to know his hopes, he claims to have changed his projects and to have given up the marriage. The naive son said all to his father, his love for the young girl and her desire to marry it; furious Harpagon resists badly an access of violence and curses it. Maître Jacques intervenes to separate them and mend them: in aside, it makes them accept each one that the other gave up the part. The reconciliation is of short duration, the algarade begins again of more beautiful and ceases only on arrival of the Arrow, with the cassette of the ten thousand ecus gold, which it itself concealed. Harpagon promises to find the culprit and to punish it as it should be.
  • Act V - Harpagon mande a police superintendent in order to inquire into the flight of the cassette and, in its is delirious the avaricious one, it wants to make question all the Parisian ones. By revenge, Maître Jacques indicates Valère which arrives at this time. One summons it to be explained and recognize his fixed price. Misunderstanding, thinking that its feelings for Elects are known, it admits that it its is secretly promised in marriage. Once more Harpagon includes/understands with delay and the fury takes it again. Anselme, which must marry Élise, enters in scene whereas Valère began the account of its history. The old man understands that Valère and Mariane are his/her children, it was persuaded that they had perished in a shipwreck, strong a long time ago. Cléante will marry Mariane and Valère Élise. As for Harpagon, there remains alone… with its cassette.

Comments

Harpagon is omnipresent in this comedy which covers subjects which are hardly amusing: avarice initially, but also domestic tyranny, selfishness and what today one names the sexism. The middle-class man who succeeded in the money businesses, thinks of being able to buy a marital softness for his old days, with the contempt of the desires of the ones and others, even of his own children. At the price of a molièresque dramatic turn of events , its projects are ruined and the only consolation which him remainder is locked up in a cassette. It should be noted that in Greek, harpago means “hook” or “hook” and arpax want to say “raptor”.

Famous counterparts

  • Without dowry! The means of resisting a reason like that one? (Valère, act I, scene V)
  • To give is a word for which it has such an amount of aversion, that it never says: “I give you”, but “I lend the hello to you”. (the Arrow, act II, scene IV)
  • When there is to eat for eight, there is well for ten. (Harpagon, act III, scene I)
  • It is necessary to eat to live, and not to live to eat. (Valère, act III, scene I)
  • Alas! my poor money, my poor money, my dear friend! One deprived to me of you; and since you are removed to me, I lost my support, my consolation, my joy; all is finished for me, and I do not have any more but to make in the world! Without you, it is impossible for me to live. (Harpagon, act IV, scene 7)

Film adaptation

Actors having played the role of Harpagon

Actors having played the role of Cléante

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