The Middle-Class Gentleman

by Molière

Downloads: Under 100
First published: 1671
Pages: 63

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About this book

The Middle-Class Gentleman (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme) is a comedy-ballet by Molière in five acts, in Philip Dwight Jones's translation. It was presented at Chambord for the entertainment of the King in October 1670, and given to the public at the Palais-Royal Theater in Paris on 23 November 1670. The cast includes Monsieur Jourdain, Madame Jourdain, their daughter Lucile, the maid Nicole, Cléonte, his valet Covielle, Dorante and Dorimène, with masters of music, dancing, fencing and philosophy and a tailor.

In one scene Monsieur Jourdain keeps the music master and the dancing master waiting while he shows off the robe and clothes his tailor says people of quality wear. In another, Dorante speaks to him about a diamond put into his hands to present to a lady, while Madame Jourdain speaks to Nicole. In a scene with Cléonte and Covielle, Jourdain calls for an interpreter and uses made-up foreign-sounding words.

About the author

Molière

Molière, born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), was the leading comic playwright and actor of the age of Louis XIV. His satires of hypocrisy, pretension, and folly, among them Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Miser, remain cornerstones of the French theatrical tradition.