Mélite
Encyclopedia
Mélite, or The False Letters, is a comedy
in five acts by Pierre Corneille
. Written in 1625, it is Corneille's first play and debuted on stage in December 1629 in Berthaud’s Jeu de paume
court, and was performed by the acting troupe of Montdory. Mélite represents Corneille’s creation of a new genre, the comedy of manners
, which was a departure from the coarse or buffoonish farce
in vogue at the time.
Éraste is in love with Mélite. When Éraste introduces Mélite to his friend Tircis, Mélite falls in love with Tircis. As a result, Éraste forges some love letters and sends them to Philandre as if they had come from Mélite.
The plan succeeds initially, as Tircis sees Philandre bearing these false letters and believes that Mélite is in love with Philandre. Tircis runs away in despair, and Mélite faints when she hears of this.
Now remorseful, Éraste goes mad and suffers from a delusion that he is in hell. Éraste searches for Mélite until he recovers from his madness. Éraste subsequently recovers and finds that Tircis and Mélite are set on marrying one another. Éraste confesses his acts and seeks pardon, and ultimately marries Cloris, Tircis’ sister.
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...
in five acts by Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
. Written in 1625, it is Corneille's first play and debuted on stage in December 1629 in Berthaud’s Jeu de paume
Jeu de paume
Jeu de paume is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, though these were eventually introduced. It is a former Olympic sport, and has the oldest ongoing annual world championship in sport, first established over 250 years ago...
court, and was performed by the acting troupe of Montdory. Mélite represents Corneille’s creation of a new genre, the comedy of manners
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...
, which was a departure from the coarse or buffoonish farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
in vogue at the time.
Plot
It is said Corneille based his play on an actual event he witnessed. The plot turns on “the misunderstandings of lovers misled by false letters.”Éraste is in love with Mélite. When Éraste introduces Mélite to his friend Tircis, Mélite falls in love with Tircis. As a result, Éraste forges some love letters and sends them to Philandre as if they had come from Mélite.
The plan succeeds initially, as Tircis sees Philandre bearing these false letters and believes that Mélite is in love with Philandre. Tircis runs away in despair, and Mélite faints when she hears of this.
Now remorseful, Éraste goes mad and suffers from a delusion that he is in hell. Éraste searches for Mélite until he recovers from his madness. Éraste subsequently recovers and finds that Tircis and Mélite are set on marrying one another. Éraste confesses his acts and seeks pardon, and ultimately marries Cloris, Tircis’ sister.