Synopsis
The Middle Class Gentleman is a play written by the famous French playwright Moliere, whose real name was Jean Baptiste Poquelin. The play was first performed in 1670 and is a satire on the rising middle class of the time. The story revolves around a wealthy businessman named Monsieur Jourdain, who aspires to become a gentleman and gain social status. He hires various teachers to teach him music, dance, fencing, and philosophy, but his lack of understanding in these areas leads to comical situations. Meanwhile, his daughter Lucille falls in love with a young man named Cleonte, who is not of noble birth. Monsieur Jourdain is against the match, but with the help of the clever servants and a scheming count, the lovers are able to overcome the obstacles and marry. The play is a witty critique of social climbing and the obsession with status and class in 17th century French society.DORANTE: Monsieur Jourdain is right, Madame, to speak so, and he obliges me by making you so welcome. I agree with him that the repast is not worthy of you. Since it was I who ordered it, and since I do not have the accomplishments of our friends in this matter, you do not have here a very sophisticated meal, and you will find some incongruities in the combinations and some barbarities of taste.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
Présentation de l'éditeur
The Middle-Class Aristocrat, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, The Bourgeois Gentleman, The Middle-Class Aristocrat or The Would-Be Noble is a five-act comédie-ballet—a play intermingled with music, dance and singing—written by Molière, first presented on 14 October 1670 before the court of Louis XIV at the Château of Chambord by Molière's troupe of actors. Subsequent public performances were given at the theatre of the Palais-Royal beginning on 23 November 1670. The music was composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, the choreography was by Pierre Beauchamp, the sets were by Carlo Vigarani and the costumes were done by the chevalier d’Arvieux. Le Bourgeois gentilhomme satirizes attempts at social climbing and the bourgeois personality, poking fun both at the vulgar, pretentious middle-class and the vain, snobbish aristocracy. The title is meant as an oxymoron: in Molière's France, a "gentleman" was by definition nobly born, and thus there could be no such thing as a bourgeois gentleman. The play is in prose (except for the ballet openings which are in verse).
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