Le Bon Père
Encyclopedia
Le Bon Père is a one act comedy
by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian
. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1784
. Le Bon Père is the last of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children. The other two plays in the series are Les Deux Billets
and Le Bon Ménage
.
. His wife and two sons have died, and he now lives alone with a daughter in a fine apartment in Paris
, having inherited a large sum of money from a certain Count de Valcour.
The play opens with Cléante and Nérine. Cléante is a soldier who fell in love with Arlequin's daughter, Nisida, and was hired on as Arlequin's secretary to be near her. Arlequin betrothes his daughter to the Marquis of Yrville, but she refuses since she is in love with Cléante. Coming from a simple background himself, Arlequin is sympathetic to the young lovers, but he feels that they cannot marry due to the differences in their social status.
Arlequin asks Cléante to leave his household, and Cléante reveals that he is the son of a man of wealth: the Count de Valcour. Arlequin decides to give his fortune over to Cléante, since it is rightfully his. Cléante and Nisida are free to marry, and Cléante accepts Arlequin as father.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian
Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian
Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian was a French poet and romance writer.-Life:...
. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1784
1784 in literature
-Events:* The founding of the Methodist Church by John Wesley* Gottlieb Jakob Planck becomes professor of theology at Göttingen-New books:* Thomas Astle - The Origin and Progress of Writing* George Berkeley - Works...
. Le Bon Père is the last of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children. The other two plays in the series are Les Deux Billets
Les Deux Billets
Les Deux Billets is a one act comedy by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1779. Les Deux Billets is the first of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children...
and Le Bon Ménage
Le Bon Ménage
Le Bon Ménage is a one act comedy by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1782. Le Bon ménage is the second of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children...
.
Plot summary
Several years have passed since Arlequin's adventures in Le Bon MénageLe Bon Ménage
Le Bon Ménage is a one act comedy by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1782. Le Bon ménage is the second of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children...
. His wife and two sons have died, and he now lives alone with a daughter in a fine apartment in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, having inherited a large sum of money from a certain Count de Valcour.
The play opens with Cléante and Nérine. Cléante is a soldier who fell in love with Arlequin's daughter, Nisida, and was hired on as Arlequin's secretary to be near her. Arlequin betrothes his daughter to the Marquis of Yrville, but she refuses since she is in love with Cléante. Coming from a simple background himself, Arlequin is sympathetic to the young lovers, but he feels that they cannot marry due to the differences in their social status.
Arlequin asks Cléante to leave his household, and Cléante reveals that he is the son of a man of wealth: the Count de Valcour. Arlequin decides to give his fortune over to Cléante, since it is rightfully his. Cléante and Nisida are free to marry, and Cléante accepts Arlequin as father.
Characters
- Arlequin, a wealthy man
- Nisida, his daughter
- Nérine, Nisida's servant
- Cléante, in love with Nisida
External links
- Les Arlequinades, including Le Bon Père, at Gallica