"Since the purpose of comedy is
to entertain people by correcting them,
I reasoned that by the nature of my occupation
I can't do anything more worthy
than to scourge the vices of my age..."
J.-B. Poquelin
The comedy “Le bougeois gentilhomme” (“The Bourgeois among the Nobility”) is one of Moliere’s later works: it was written in 1670. The main theme of the comedy is the attempt of the bourgeois to leave his class and join the “higher circle”. The hero of the comedy, Mr. Jourdain, admires the nobility, tries to dress up in noble clothes, hires teachers of music, dance, fencing and philosophy and does not want to admit that his father was a merchant. Jourdain makes friends with nobles, trying to play the role of a gallant admirer of an aristocratic lady. The hero's whims threaten his family with troubles: he wants to marry his daughter Lucille to the marquis and refuses the man she loves. Only a witty invention helps lovers overcome this obstacle.
The main character's comedy lies in his ignorance and clumsy imitation of an alien culture. His tasteless outfit, the hat he puts on over his nightcap for dancing, and his naive reasoning during lessons are funny. So, with great surprise, he learns that he has been speaking in prose for forty years. Moliere compares his hero to a crow in peacock feathers. Jourdain's absurd inventions are contrasted with the sobriety and common sense of his wife, Madame Jourdain. However, she herself is far from any cultural interests and is rather rude. Her whole world is closed in the circle of household chores. Her healthy beginning is manifested in her desire to help her daughter’s happiness and in her contact with an intelligent servant.
Cheerful, giggly Nicole, just as critically as Dorina in Tartuffe, is critical of her master’s prejudices. She also seeks to protect his daughter’s love from her father’s tyranny. Important role Two servants play in the play - she and Koviel, a witty, merry fellow, Cleonte's lackey, Lucille's fiancé. They bring a cheerful tone to the comedy. Koviel has an abundance of talent and wit as an improviser, a brilliant talent for turning life into theater, composing alongside ordinary life second, carnival life. It was Koviel, who saw Jourdain’s passion for portraying a noble person, and came up with a funny masquerade with the Turkish Mamamushi, as a result of which the denouement of the comedy received a happy ending, and the action of the comedy-ballet itself turns into carnival fun. Moliere turns the theme of love and quarrels between Nicole and Coviel into a funny parallel to the relationship between their masters. As a denouement, two weddings are planned.
Since the comedy was written within the framework of classicism, it retains the trinity obligatory for a classicist play: the unity of place (Mr. Jourdain’s house), time (the action takes place within 24 hours) and action (the whole play is built around one main idea). Each of the main characters emphasizes one leading trait through satirical exaggeration.
The comedy also has features of the classical comedy of Iatlia - the commedia dell'arte. It is not without reason that one of the heroes, similar to Figaro - the servant Coviel - in one of the productions of the play was dressed up in a traditional servant's jacket from the commedia dell'arte and acted as if on two levels - everyday and theatrical. In addition, the mask is, in fact, worn by another comedy hero - Mr. Jourdain himself. Moliere loved to extract a comic effect from the discrepancy between the mask and human face, which she tries on. In Jourdain, the mask of a nobleman and the essence of a tradesman, despite all the efforts of the hero, do not coincide in any way.
At the same time, the play also shows deviations from the typical classic comedy. Thus, the unity of action is not fully maintained - a sideline of the love of the servants is introduced into the play, and the language approaches the folk language. But, of course, the main difference is the presence of ballet numbers, so organically woven into the plot that Moliere himself called his play a comedy-ballet, where each ballet number is an organic part of the developing comedy action.
Ballet performances not only do not weaken the realism of the plot, but, on the contrary, satirically highlight the characters and action of the play. “The Bourgeois in the Nobility” was written by the author precisely as a comedy-ballet and requires a lightweight genre solution, so it is difficult to find a balance between satire and lightness, and many attempts to stage it led either to overexpression in satirical colors or superficiality. However, the brightness and unusualness of the work makes it one of the most popular on the world stage.
All the heroes of this Moliere play, due to the genre, are endowed with artistry. For example, the scene of the quarrel and reconciliation of Cleonte and Lucille is subordinated to the dance rhythm, the shading background of which is the reprises of the servants Koviel and Nicole, repeating the words of their masters in a different speech style - everyday. In time with the text, the heroes either move away from each other in anger, then rush one after another, then circle, running away, or, on the contrary, approach. The play itself dictates a kind of dance to the characters.
Mr. Jourdain appears before us as a child whose eyes sparkle with the opportunity to learn something new, who is truly delighted by the surrounding innovations, for example, by the fact that he now knows that he has spoken in prose all his life. And his passion for the nobility appears not as a calculation of a practical bourgeois, but as a harmless love of a simpleton for everything shiny and catchy. Jourdain’s commitment to the “sciences” pleases his pride, gives him the opportunity to go beyond the confines of bourgeois life and be among noble people.
This simple-minded man really had a fantasy. That is why Mr. Jourdain, a respectable bourgeois and the head of the family, so easily enters into the last, buffoonish act of the comedy and acts so freely in the bizarre masquerade of his initiation into the rank of Mamamushi. The hero easily crossed the line separating real action from a conventional masquerade, and thus the genre unity of the performance was fully achieved.
The heroes of the play are endowed with such characteristic features, which can easily be classified as heroes endowed with negative traits and described satirically, or positive, which are themselves witty.
Thus, teachers are satirically described who, at first glance, are sincerely devoted to their work: fencing teacher Henri Rolland, endowed with military courage sufficient to crush an entire army of enemies; philosophy teacher Georges Chamar, a sage and stoic, fearlessly rushing to attack his rivals, defending philosophy, teachers of fine arts - Robert Manuel and Jacques Charon. In the end, it turns out that all devotion is a thirst to get a few extra coins from a careless and incapable student, hypocritical praise for Jourdain, and a fierce defense of one’s own profession, largely at the expense of belittling someone else’s.
The features of Dorant and Dorimena are harshly satirically described. The author contrasts the simple-minded, but sincere and decent, Jourdain, with those whom he so passionately wants to be like: high society, refined in appearance, but unprincipled, greedy, deceitful, not above low flattery and outright lies in order to get money. Using the example of these gentlemen, Moliere condemns Jourdain for his blindness by the fake splendor of the nobility, the loss of common sense, for his break with the social mass that will form into the famous French “third estate.”
The remarks exchanged between the participants in the play are witty, especially in those scenes where Jourdain performs. Many of these remarks entered everyday speech and became catchphrases. Moliere's depiction of the bourgeois received its further development in that deep and complete depiction of bourgeois types that can be found among the realists of the 19th century, especially in Balzac.
Being a play of an unusual genre, despite its apparent familiarity, the play is difficult to stage. Translated into the plane of everyday and psychological comedy, it cannot stand comparison with plays written on similar themes by realist playwrights, be it Balzac or Ostrovsky. When trying to enhance the satire, the incomparable intonations of Moliere the comedian are lost. Moliere began as an improviser, and the ballet play itself turns out to be more of a flying improvisation than a menacing denunciation, like Tartuffe. Thus, only through the disclosure of Moliere's style of presenting the genre can Moliere's satire be fully revealed.
“The Bourgeois in the Nobility” is a comedy-ballet created by the great Molière in 1670. This is a classic work, complemented by elements of folk farce, features of ancient comedy and satirical compositions of the Renaissance.
History of creation
In the autumn of 1669, ambassadors from the Ottoman Sultan visited Paris. The Turks were greeted with particular pomp. But the decorations, spectacular meeting and luxurious apartments did not surprise the guests. Moreover, the delegation stated that the reception was sparse. It soon turned out that it was not ambassadors who visited the palace, but impostors.
However, the offended King Louis nevertheless demanded that Moliere create a work that would ridicule the pompous Turkish customs and specific morals of Eastern culture. It took only 10 rehearsals and the play “Turkish Ceremony” was demonstrated to the king. A month later in 1670, at the end of November, the performance was presented at the Palais Royal.
However, after some time, the talented playwright radically transformed the original play. In addition to satire on Turkish customs, he supplemented the work with reflections on the topic of modern mores of the nobles.
Analysis of the work
Plot
Mister Jourdain has money, a family and good house, but he wants to become a true aristocrat. He pays barbers, tailors and teachers to make him a respectable nobleman. The more his servants praised him, the more he paid them. Any whims of the gentleman were embodied in reality, while those around him generously praised the naive Jourdain.
The dance teacher taught the minuet and the art of bowing correctly. This was important for Jourdain, who was in love with a marquise. The fencing teacher told me how to strike correctly. He was taught spelling, philosophy, and learned the intricacies of prose and poetry.
Dressed in new suit, Jourdain decided to take a walk around the city. Madame Jourdain and the maid Nicole told the man that he looked like a buffoon and everyone was rushing around with him only because of his generosity and wealth. A quarrel ensues. Count Dorant appears and asks Jourdain to lend him some more money, despite the fact that the amount of debt is already quite substantial.
A young man named Cleon loves Lucille, who reciprocates his feelings. Madame Jourdain agrees to her daughter's marriage to her lover. Mr. Jourdain, having learned that Cleont is not of noble origin, sharply refuses. At this moment Count Dorant and Dorimena appear. An enterprising adventurer courtes the marquise, transferring gifts from the naive Jourdain in his own name.
The owner of the house invites everyone to the table. The Marquise is enjoying delicious treats when suddenly Jourdain’s wife appears, who was sent to her sister. She understands what is happening and causes a scandal. The Count and the Marquise leave the house.
Koviel immediately appears. He introduces himself as a friend of Jourdain's father and a real nobleman. He talks about how the Turkish heir to the throne arrived in the city, madly in love with the daughter of Mr. Jourdain.
To become related, Jourdain needs to undergo a rite of passage into mamamushi. Then the Sultan himself appears - Cleont in disguise. He speaks in a fictitious language, and Koviel translates. This is followed by a mixed initiation ceremony, complete with ridiculous rituals.
Characteristics of the main characters
Jourdain - main character comedy, bourgeois who wants to become a nobleman. He is naive and spontaneous, generous and reckless. Goes ahead towards his dream. He'll be happy to lend you money. If you make him angry, he instantly flares up and starts screaming and making trouble.
He believes in the omnipotence of money, so he uses the services of the most expensive tailors, hoping that their clothes will “do the trick.” He is fooled by everyone: from servants to close relatives and false friends. Rudeness and bad manners, ignorance and vulgarity contrast very noticeably with claims to noble gloss and grace.
Jourdain's wife
The wife of a tyrant and false nobleman is contrasted with her husband in the work. She is well-mannered and full of common sense. A practical and sophisticated lady always behaves with dignity. The wife tries to direct her husband to the “path of truth”, explaining to him that everyone is using him.
She is not interested in titles of nobility and is not obsessed with status. Madame Jourdain even wants to marry her beloved daughter to a person of equal status and intelligence, so that she can feel comfortable and good.
Dorant
Count Dorant represents the noble class. He is aristocratic and vain. He makes friends with Jourdain solely for selfish reasons.
The man's entrepreneurial spirit is manifested in the way he cleverly appropriates the gifts of the lover Jourdain, presented to the Marquise, as his own. He even passes off a given diamond as his own gift.
Knowing about Koviel's prank, he is in no hurry to warn his friend about the insidious plans of the scoffers. Rather, on the contrary, the count himself has plenty of fun with the stupid Jourdain.
Marquise
Marquise Dorimena is a widow and represents a noble noble family. For her sake, Jourdain studies all sciences, spends incredible amounts of money on expensive gifts and organizing social events.
She is full of hypocrisy and vanity. In the eyes of the owner of the house, she says that he has wasted so much on the reception, but at the same time enjoys the delicacies with pleasure. The marquise is not averse to accepting expensive gifts, but at the sight of her suitor’s wife, she pretends to be embarrassed and even offended.
Beloved
Lucille and Cleonte are people of a new generation. They are well-educated, smart and resourceful. Lucille loves Cleontes, so when she learns that she will be married off to someone else, she sincerely resists.
The young man really has something to love. He is intelligent, noble in manners, honest, kind and loving. He is not ashamed of his relatives, does not chase illusory statuses, openly declares his feelings and desires.
The comedy has a particularly thoughtful and clear structure: 5 acts, as required by the canons of classicism. One action is not interrupted by secondary lines. Moliere introduces ballet into a dramatic work. This violates the requirements of classicism.
The theme is Mr. Jourdain's obsession with noble titles and nobility. The author criticizes in his work the aristocratic mood, the humiliation of the bourgeoisie before the class that supposedly dominates.
/ / / Analysis of Moliere’s comedy “The Bourgeois in the Nobility”
The comedy "The Bourgeois in the Nobility", written in 1670, is a later work of Moliere. The main theme of the plot of this work is the desire of the bourgeois to break out of the class circle to which he belongs from birth and enter high society.
The main character of the comedy is Mr. His admiration for the nobility is so strong that he tries to imitate them in everything: he dresses up in the same clothes, hires teachers to become more educated in the field of dancing, music, fencing, philosophy, and becomes a gallant admirer of one aristocratic lady. Mr. Jourdain, even at gunpoint, will not admit that his father is an ordinary merchant.
And in all of this he is insanely funny. How clumsy all these attempts to follow someone else's culture and customs look! His outfit is ridiculous: to dance classes he wears a hat right over his nightcap. And how absurd all his reasoning sounds! What makes me smile is Jourdain’s discovery that he, it turns out, speaks in prose. How accurately Moliere compares his hero, calling him a crow in peacock feathers.
Against the background of the eccentric Jourdain with his ridiculous inventions, the wife looks like a lady with a sober mind. She's even a little rude. She has no time for culture and is completely absorbed in household chores.
His family does not like this behavior of the hero: he finds a marquis groom for his daughter Lucille, completely disregarding the fact that she loves another person. But the mother stands for the happiness of the lovers, and an ingenious solution to the problem allows them to bypass the obstacle in the form of a father obsessed with the nobility.
Two servants, Koviel and Nicole, are of great importance in the play “The Bourgeois in the Nobility”. These cheerful characters bring gaiety and wit to the text. The maid critically looks at all the prejudices of her master. Koviel, Lucille’s groom’s lackey, is talented, loves to improvise and turn life into a theatrical scene. It is thanks to him that the entire action of the play resembles carnival fun. The relationship between young masters and their servants, love and quarrels, develops in parallel. The denouement involves two weddings.
Moliere's comedy corresponds to the trinity in it: place (the action takes place in the house of Mr. Jourdain), time (all events take one day) and action (in the center there is one event around which everything moves). And each of the characters is the bearer of one trait in its satirical reinterpretation.
But still, deviations from the classics can also be found. The unity of action is not maintained so clearly: love theme, which becomes peripheral, but no less interesting. The language of comedy is also noteworthy; it is close to folk. And the main difference is the ballet numbers. Moliere himself designated the genre of his work as comedy-ballet. Moreover, these numbers do not in any way affect the realism of the entire plot. They even emphasize it. All the characters in the play are artistic; in time with the text, they either approach each other, then move away and disperse. different angles rooms, as if performing some unusual dance.
So, the play “The Bourgeois in the Nobility” by Moliere is an unusual work that goes beyond the usual canons. And its production is difficult. Although it is based household plan, but the comedy is difficult to compare with the plays of realist authors Ostrovsky and Balzac, even if written on similar topics. “A Philistine among the Nobility” is more reminiscent of improvisation than an exposure of vices. And when pressed on satire, all the incomparable notes of Moliere are lost. It is possible to reveal its great idea only by fully conveying the author’s unique style.