The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman E-Book

Moliere

• Herausgeber: DigiCat
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

In "The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman," Molière crafts a brilliant comedy that satirizes social pretensions and the absurdities of class ambition. The play unfolds the story of Monsieur Jourdain, a bourgeois shopkeeper who aspires to ascend the social ladder by adopting the manners of the nobility. Molière employs sharp wit and intricate dialogue, interspersed with farcical elements, to expose the folly of those who seek to reinvent themselves without the requisite understanding of the culture they wish to join. The work is steeped in the rich context of 17th-century France, where the rise of the bourgeois class was met with both admiration and ridicule, illustrating the tensions between social mobility and established aristocratic norms. Molière, born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in 1622, was a pioneering figure in French theatre known for his incisive critiques of contemporary society. His own experiences in the world of theater and his observations of social dynamics profoundly influenced his writing. "The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman" reflects Molière's disdain for the superficiality of social climbers, likely inspired by his encounters with the complexities of class distinctions in his own life. This timeless comedy is highly recommended for readers interested in the intersection of humor and social commentary. Molière's masterful observation of human folly and desire for acceptance makes this work resonate even today, inviting reflection on our own societal constructs and the masks we wear. Dive into this delightful narrative and relish Molière's enduring wit and wisdom.

Leseprobe

Molière

The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman

 

EAN 8596547226710

DigiCat, 2022 Contact: [email protected]

Table of Contents

THE SHOPKEEPER TURNED GENTLEMAN. (LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME.)

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

SCENE I.—MUSIC MASTER, DANCING MASTER, THREE SINGERS, TWO VIOLIN. PLAYERS, FOUR DANCERS.

SCENE II.—MR. JOURDAIN (in a dressing-gown and night-cap) , THE. MUSIC MASTER, THE DANCING MASTER, THE PUPIL OF THE MUSIC MASTER, A. LADY SINGER, TWO MEN SINGERS, DANCERS, TWO SERVANTS.

ACT II.

SCENE II.—MR. JOURDAIN, MUSIC MASTER, DANCING MASTER, A SERVANT.

SCENE III.—MR. JOURDAIN, FENCING MASTER, MUSIC MASTER, DANCING. MASTER, A SERVANT holding two foils .

SCENE IV.—PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, MR. JOURDAIN, MUSIC MASTER,. DANCING MASTER, FENCING MASTER, A SERVANT.

SCENE V.—MR. JOURDAIN, A SERVANT.

SCENE VI.—PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, MR. JOURDAIN, A SERVANT.

SCENE VII.—MR. JOURDAIN, A SERVANT.

SCENE VIII.—MR. JOURDAIN, THE MASTER TAILOR, AN ASSISTANT TAILOR. (bringing a suit of clothes for MR. JOURDAIN) , A SERVANT.

SCENE IX.—MR. JOURDAIN, MASTER TAILOR, ASSISTANT TAILORS. (dancing) , A SERVANT.

ACT III.

SCENE II.—MR. JOURDAIN, NICOLE, TWO LACKEYS.

SCENE III.—MRS. JOURDAIN, MR. JOURDAIN, NICOLE, TWO SERVANTS.

SCENE IV.—DORANTE, MR. JOURDAIN, MRS. JOURDAIN, NICOLE.

SCENE V.—DORANTE, MRS. JOURDAIN, NICOLE.

SCENE VI.—MR. JOURDAIN, MRS. JOURDAIN, DORANTE, NICOLE.

SCENE VII.—MRS. JOURDAIN, NICOLE.

SCENE VIII.—NICOLE, CLÉONTE, COVIELLE.

SCENE IX.—CLÉONTE, COVIELLE.

SCENE X.—LUCILE, CLÉONTE, COVIELLE, NICOLE.

SCENE XI.—MRS. JOURDAIN, CLÉONTE, LUCILE, COVIELLE, NICOLE.

SCENE XII.—CLÉONTE, MR. JOURDAIN, MRS. JOURDAIN, LUCILE, COVIELLE,. NICOLE.

SCENE XIII.—MRS. JOURDAIN, LUCILE, CLÉONTE, NICOLE, COVIELLE.

SCENE XIV.—CLÉONTE, COVIELLE.

SCENE XV.—MR. JOURDAIN (alone) .

SCENE XVI.—MR. JOURDAIN, A SERVANT.

SCENE XVII—DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, A SERVANT.

SCENE XVIII.—DORIMÈNE, DORANTE.

SCENE XIX.—MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE.

SCENE XX.—MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, A SERVANT.

SCENE XXI.— Entry of the BALLET.

ACT IV.

SCENE II.—MRS. JOURDAIN, MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, SINGERS,. SERVANTS.

SCENE III.—MRS. JOURDAIN, MR. JOURDAIN, A SERVANT.

SCENE IV.—MR. JOURDAIN (alone) .

SCENE V.—MR. JOURDAIN, COVIELLE (disguised) .

SCENE VI.—CLÉONTE (dressed as a Turk) , THREE PAGES. (carrying the vest of CLÉONTE) , MR. JOURDAIN, COVIELLE.

SCENE VII.—COVIELLE (alone) .

SCENE VIII.—DORANTE, COVIELLE.

SCENE X.—THE MUFTI, DERVISH, TURKISH SINGERS and DANCERS. MR.. JOURDAIN, dressed like a Turk, his head shaved, without any turban. or sword .

SCENE XI.—THE MUFTI, DERVISHES, TURKS, singing and dancing .

SCENE XI.—TURKS, singing and dancing . Second entry of. the BALLET.

SCENE XIII.—THE MUFTI, DERVISHES, MR. JOURDAIN, TURKS, singing and. dancing .

ACT V.

SCENE II.—DORANTE, DORIMÈNE.

SCENE III.—MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE.

SCENE IV.—MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, CLÉONTE (dressed as a. Turk) .

SCENE V.—MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, CLÉONTE (dressed as a. Turk) ; COVIELLE (disguised) .

SCENE VI.—LUCILE, CLÉONTE, MR. JOURDAIN, DORIMÈNE, DORANTE, COVIELLE.

SCENE VII.—MRS. JOURDAIN. CLÉONTE, MR. JOURDAIN, LUCILE, DORANTE,. DORIMÈNE, COVIELLE.

THE SHOPKEEPER TURNED GENTLEMAN. (LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME.)

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BY

MOLIÈRE,

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE.

WITH SHORT INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.

BY

CHARLES HERON WALL.

'Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme' was acted before the King for the first time at Chambord, on October 14, 1670, and on November 28 at the Palais Royal. After the second representation, Louis XIV. said to Molière, "You have never written anything which amused me more, and your play is excellent." But it obtained a still greater success in Paris, where the bourgeois willingly and good-humouredly laughed at what they deemed their neighbours' weaknesses. The three first acts are the best; Louis XIV. hurried Molière so with the last that they degenerated into burlesque.

Molière acted the part of the Bourgeois.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

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MR. JOURDAIN.

CLÉONTE, in love with LUCILE.

DORANTE, a count, in love with DORIMÈNE.

COVIELLE, servant to CLÉONTE.

A MUSIC MASTER, ETC.

A DANCING MASTER, ETC.

A FENCING MASTER.

A PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY.

A MASTER TAILOR.

ASSISTANT TAILORS.

TWO LACKEYS.

MRS. JOURDAIN.

LUCILE, daughter to MR. JOURDAIN.

DORIMÈNE, a marchioness.

NICOLE, maid-servant to MR. JOURDAIN.

The scene is in PARIS, in MR. JOURDAIN'S house.

THE SHOPKEEPER TURNED GENTLEMAN.

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ACT I.

The overture is played by a great many instruments; and in the middle of the stage the PUPIL of the MUSIC MASTER is seated at a table composing a serenade which MR. JOURDAIN has asked for.

SCENE I.—MUSIC MASTER, DANCING MASTER, THREE SINGERS, TWO VIOLIN PLAYERS, FOUR DANCERS.

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MUS. MAS. (to the MUSICIANS). Come into this room, and rest till he comes.

DAN. MAS. (to the DANCERS). Come also, on this side.

MUS. MAS. (to his PUPIL). Have you finished?

PUP. Yes.

MUS. MAS. Let me see. Very good.

DAN. MAS. Is it anything new?

MUS. MAS. Yes; it is an air for a serenade that I made him compose while we are waiting for our gentleman to wake up.

DAN. MAS. Will you allow me to see what it is?

MUS. MAS. You shall hear it, as well as the dialogue, when he comes; he won't be long.

DAN. MAS. We both have plenty to do now; have we not?

MUS. MAS. Indeed we have. We have found the very man we both wanted. He brings us in a comfortable little income, with his notions of gentility and gallantry which he has taken into his head; and it would be well for your dancing and my music if everybody were like him.

DAN. MAS. No; not altogether. I wish, for his sake, that he would appreciate better than he does the things we give him.

MUS. MAS. He certainly understands them but little; but he pays well, and that is nowadays what our arts require above all things.

DAN. MAS. I must confess, for my part, that I rather hunger after glory. Applause finds a very ready answer in my heart, and I think it mortifying enough that in the fine arts we should have to exhibit ourselves before fools, and submit our compositions to the vulgar taste of an ass. No! say what you will, there is a real pleasure in working for people who are able to appreciate the refinements of an art; who know how to yield a kind recognition to the beauties of a work, and who, by felicitous approbations, reward you for your labour. Yes! the most charming recompense one can receive for the things which one does is to see them understood, and to have them received with the applause that honours. Nothing, in my opinion, can repay us better than this for all our fatigues; and the praises of the enlightened are a true delight to me.

MUS. MAS. I grant it; and I relish them as much as you do. There is certainly nothing more refreshing than the applause you speak of; still we cannot live on this flattering acknowledgment of our talent. Undiluted praise does not give competence to a man; we must have something more solid to fall back upon, and the best praise is the praise of the pocket. Our man, it is true, is a man of very limited capacity, who speaks at random upon all things, and only gives applause in the wrong place; but his money makes up for the errors of his judgment. He keeps his discernment in his purse, and his praises are golden. This ignorant, commonplace citizen is, as you see, better to us than that clever nobleman who introduced us here.

DAN. MAS. There is some truth in what you say; still I think that you set a little too much value on money, and that it is in itself something so base that he who respects himself should never make a display of his love for it.

MUS. MAS. Yet you receive readily enough the money our man gives you.

DAN. MAS. Certainly; but my whole happiness does not depend upon it; and I can still wish that with all his wealth he had good taste.

MUS. MAS. I wish it as much as you do; and we are both working as hard as we can towards that end. But at the same time he gives us the opportunity of making ourselves known. He shall pay for others, and others shall praise for him.

DAN. MAS. Here he comes.