The Miser

"L'Avare" is a 1668 five-act satirical comedy by French playwright Molière. Its title is usually translated as "The Miser" when the play is performed in English.

The play was first performed in 1668 at the Palais Royal in a period when Molière's company was, on the one hand, under considerable establishment pressure to modify its output, but on the other hand, under the protection of Louis XIV himself. Little is known about the original performance, although it is said that Molière himself played Harpagon, utilising his by this point chronic cough and gait to humorous effect. ^{[http://www.theatrehistory.com/french/miser001.html]}

Plot summary

The Miser's plot, involving a rich money-lender called Harpagon, whose feisty children long to escape from his penny-pinching household and marry their respective lovers, is a comedy of manners to which the 17th-century French upper classes presumably objected. It is less savage, however, and somewhat less realistic than Molière's earlier play, Tartuffe, which attracted a storm of criticism on its first performance.

The play is also notable for the way in which it sends up certain theatrical conventions. Many comedies from the Elizabethan period and onwards contain asides which are delivered by characters to the audience and which the other actors ignore. In L'Avare, however, characters generally demand to know who exactly these asides are being delivered to.

The play's ending is also self-consciously ridiculous, mocking the French idea of comedy to better the comical effect of the play and its parts, while still taking in hand the tragedy of Harpagon and his life. Fortunately this joke is preserved for modern audiences of a certain age because the conclusion of the play is now rather reminiscent of the emotional climax of the Star Wars trilogy, namely that an unexpected character turns out to be everyone's father.

Roles

* Harpagon, father of Cléante and Elise, in love with Marianne.
* Cléante, Harpagon's son, lover to Marianne.
* Valère, son to Anselme, and lover to Élise.
* Anselme, father of Valère and Marianne.
* Master Simon, broker .
* Master Jacques, cook and coachman to Harpagon.
* La Flèche, valet to Cléante.
* Brindavoine, and La Merluche, lackeys to Harpagon.
* A policeman and his clerk.
* Élise, daughter to Harpagon.
* Marianne, daughter to Anselme.
* Frosine, an intriguing woman, the matchmaker .
* Mistress Claude, servant to Harpagon.

External links

* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6923 eText of "The Miser", in English]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6318 eText of "L'Avare", the original French]
* [http://www.ciudadseva.com/textos/teatro/moliere/avaro.htm eText of "El avaro", in Spanish]
* [http://www.biblioweb.org/L-avare.html Plot overview] (in French)