Les Précieuses ridicules
Encyclopedia
Les Précieuses ridicules (le pʁesjøz ʁidikyl, The Ridiculous Précieuses
) is a one-act satire
by Molière
in prose
. It takes aim at the précieuses
, the ultra-witty ladies who indulged in lively conversations, word game
s and, in a word, préciosité (preciousness).
Les Précieuses ridicules is a biting comedy of manners
that brought Molière and his company to the attention of Parisians, after they had toured the provinces for years. The play received its Paris
premiere on 18 November 1659 at the Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon. It seems not to have been staged before that in the provinces. It was highly successful and attracted the patronage of Louis XIV
to Molière and company. Les Précieuses ridicules still plays well today.
Gorgibus, the father of Magdelon and uncle of Cathos, decides they should marry a pair of eminently eligible young men but the two women find the men unrefined and ridicule them. The men vow to take revenge on les précieuses.
On stage comes Mascarille, a young man who pretends to be a sophisticated man of the world. Magdelon falls in love with him. Next on stage comes another young man, Jodelet, with whom Cathos falls in love.
It is revealed that these two men, Mascarille and Jodelet, are impostor
s whose real identities are as the valets of the first two men who were scorned and rejected.
As the curtain falls, Gorgibus and les précieuses are ashamed at having fallen for the trick. In the provinces, the young ladies' Parisian pretensions merited mockery
, while in Paris, their puffed-up provincial naiveté and self-esteem
proved laughable.
The role of the Marquis de Mascarille was originally played by Molière himself while the role of Magdelon was first played by Madeleine Béjart
.
Précieuses
The French literary style called préciosité arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of les précieuses , the witty and educated intellectual ladies who frequented the salon of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet; her Chambre bleue offered a...
) is a one-act satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
by Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
in prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
. It takes aim at the précieuses
Précieuses
The French literary style called préciosité arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of les précieuses , the witty and educated intellectual ladies who frequented the salon of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet; her Chambre bleue offered a...
, the ultra-witty ladies who indulged in lively conversations, word game
Word game
Word games and puzzles are spoken or board games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties.Word games are generally engaged as a source of entertainment, but have been found to serve an educational purpose as well...
s and, in a word, préciosité (preciousness).
Comedy of manners
The comedy of manners is a genre of play/television/film which satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young...
that brought Molière and his company to the attention of Parisians, after they had toured the provinces for years. The play received its 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...
premiere on 18 November 1659 at the Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon. It seems not to have been staged before that in the provinces. It was highly successful and attracted the patronage of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
to Molière and company. Les Précieuses ridicules still plays well today.
Plot
Les précieuses are Magdelon and Cathos, two young women from the provinces who have come to Paris in search of love and jeux d'esprit.Gorgibus, the father of Magdelon and uncle of Cathos, decides they should marry a pair of eminently eligible young men but the two women find the men unrefined and ridicule them. The men vow to take revenge on les précieuses.
On stage comes Mascarille, a young man who pretends to be a sophisticated man of the world. Magdelon falls in love with him. Next on stage comes another young man, Jodelet, with whom Cathos falls in love.
It is revealed that these two men, Mascarille and Jodelet, are impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
s whose real identities are as the valets of the first two men who were scorned and rejected.
As the curtain falls, Gorgibus and les précieuses are ashamed at having fallen for the trick. In the provinces, the young ladies' Parisian pretensions merited mockery
Mockery
Mockery is an American film about the Russian Revolution. It was the second film made in Hollywood by Danish director Benjamin Christensen and starred Lon Chaney, Sr...
, while in Paris, their puffed-up provincial naiveté and self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
proved laughable.
Cast
- La GrangeLa Grange (actor)La Grange , whose real name was Charles Varlet, was a French actor and a member of the troupe of Molière.-Early life:Charles Varlet was the son of Hector Varlet and Marie de La Grange...
-- one of the rejected suitors - Du Croisy -- the other rejected suitor
- Gorgibus -- a good bourgeois man
- Magdelon -- daughter of Gorgibus and one of the précieuse ridicules
- Cathos -- niece of Gorgibus and the other of the précieuse ridicules
- Marotte -- servant of the précieuses ridicules
- Almanzor -- lackey of the précieuses ridicules
- Marquis de Mascarille -- the valet of La Grange
- Vicomte de Jodelet -- the valet of Du Croisy
- Two chair porters
- Neighbors
The role of the Marquis de Mascarille was originally played by Molière himself while the role of Magdelon was first played by Madeleine Béjart
Madeleine Béjart
Madeleine Béjart , was a French actress and theatre director, one of the most famous French stage actors of the 17th-century. She belonged to the Béjart family, a famous theatre family in 17th-century France. Madeleine was the second child of Joseph and Marie-Herve Bejart...
.
External links
- Les Précieuses ridicules, the original French text of the play by Molière.
- The Pretentious Young Ladies, English translation of Les Précieuses ridicules by Henri Van Laun published in 1880 by R. Worthington, New York.