The Bores aka The Mad: Les Fâcheux
By Molière
()
About this ebook
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin is better known to us by his stage name of Molière. He was born in Paris, to a prosperous well-to-do family on 15th January 1622.
In 1631, his father purchased from the court of Louis XIII the posts of "valet of the King's chamber and keeper of carpets and upholstery" which Molière assumed in 1641. The benefits included only three months' work per annum for which he was paid 300 livres and also provided a number of lucrative contracts.
However in June 1643, at 21, Molière abandoned this for his first love; a career on the stage. He partnered with the actress Madeleine Béjart, to found the Illustre Théâtre at a cost of 630 livres.
Unfortunately despite their enthusiasm, effort and ambition the troupe went bankrupt in 1645.
Molière and Madeleine now began again and spent the next dozen years touring the provincial circuit. His journey back to the sacred land of Parisian theatres was slow but by 1658 he performed in front of the King at the Louvre.
From this point Molière both wrote and acted in a large number of productions that caused both outrage and applause. His many attacks on social conventions, the church, hypocrisy and other areas whilst also writing a large number of comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets are the stuff of legend.
‘Tartuffe’, ‘The Misanthrope’, ‘The Miser’ and ‘The School for Wives’ are but some of his classics.
His death was as dramatic as his life. Molière suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. One evening he collapsed on stage in a fit of coughing and haemorrhaging while performing in the last play he'd written, in which, ironically, he was playing the hypochondriac Argan, in ‘The Imaginary Invalid’.
Molière insisted on completing his performance.
Afterwards he collapsed again with another, larger haemorrhage and was taken home. Priests were sent for to administer the last rites. Two priests refused to visit. A third arrived too late. On 17th February 1673, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, forever to be known as Molière, was pronounced dead in Paris. He was 51.
Molière
Molière was a French playwright, actor, and poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and universal literature, his extant works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more.
Read more from Molière
Tartuffe or The Hypocrite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don Juan: Comedy in Five Acts, 1665 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope: A Play Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/521 plays by Molière in English translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope (Translated by Henri Van Laun with an Introduction by Eleanor F. Jourdain) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe School for Wives: L'École des Femmes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amphitryon, By Molière Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Wives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTartuffe and Other Plays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Miser and Other Plays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Misanthrope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amphitryon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Husbands Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Tartuffe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Impostures of Scapin: Les Fourberies de Scapin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pretentious Young Ladies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Misanthrope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSganarelle or, The Self-Deceived Husband aka The Imaginary Cuckold: Sganarelle ou Le Cocu Imaginaire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope and Other Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Bores aka The Mad
Related ebooks
The Bores: A Comedy in Three Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe School for Husbands: L'École des Maris Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blunderer or, The Counterplots: L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAffected Young Ladies aka The Pretentious Young Ladies: Les Précieuses Ridicules Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSganarelle or, The Self-Deceived Husband aka The Imaginary Cuckold: Sganarelle ou Le Cocu Imaginaire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon Garcia of Navarre or, The Jealous Prince: Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince Jaloux Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blunderer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe School for Husbands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Love-Tiff: Le Dépit Amoureux Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Self-Deceived Husband Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Provok'd Husband: 'Love, like virtue, is its own reward'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon Garcia of Navarre; Or, the Jealous Prince. A Heroic Comedy in Five Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Plain Dealer: 'Money makes up in a measure all other wants in men'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarriage A La Mode: “Better shun the bait, than struggle in the snare. ” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pretentious Young Ladies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sganarelle, or, the Self-Deceived Husband Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wild Gallant: "He who would search for pearls must dive below." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStudy Guide to The School for Wives and Other Works by Molière Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heroic Prince Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMerope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope: Full Text and Introduction (NHB Drama Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amphitryon or The Two Sosias: "Dancing is the poetry of the foot." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFour Great Restoration Comedies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rival Ladies: "Look around the inhabited world; how few know their own good, or knowing it, pursue." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Assignation: “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Relapse: 'Custom, madam, is the law of fools, but it shall never govern me'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Imposture: “Knaves will thrive when honest plainness knows not how to live” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope, Tartuffe, and Other Plays (with an Introduction by Henry Carrington Lancaster) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Imaginary Invalid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sweet William: A User's Guide to Shakespeare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Performing Arts For You
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romeo and Juliet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Importance of Being Earnest: A Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book: The Script Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Macbeth (new classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hamlet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diamond Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Trial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Town: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Count Of Monte Cristo (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slave Play Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Dolls House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey through the Art and Craft of Humor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStar Wars: Book of Lists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Life in Parts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Bores aka The Mad
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Bores aka The Mad - Molière
The Bores by Molière
aka The Mad
Les Fâcheux
A COMEDY IN THREE ACTS
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin is better known to us by his stage name of Molière. He was born in Paris, to a prosperous well-to-do family on 15th January 1622.
In 1631, his father purchased from the court of Louis XIII the posts of valet of the King's chamber and keeper of carpets and upholstery
which Molière assumed in 1641. The benefits included only three months' work per annum for which he was paid 300 livres and also provided a number of lucrative contracts.
However in June 1643, at 21, Molière abandoned this for his first love; a career on the stage. He partnered with the actress Madeleine Béjart, to found the Illustre Théâtre at a cost of 630 livres.
Unfortunately despite their enthusiasm, effort and ambition the troupe went bankrupt in 1645.
Molière and Madeleine now began again and spent the next dozen years touring the provincial circuit. His journey back to the sacred land of Parisian theatres was slow but by 1658 he performed in front of the King at the Louvre.
From this point Molière both wrote and acted in a large number of productions that caused both outrage and applause. His many attacks on social conventions, the church, hypocrisy and other areas whilst also writing a large number of comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets are the stuff of legend.
‘Tartuffe’, ‘The Misanthrope’, ‘The Miser’ and ‘The School for Wives’ are but some of his classics.
His death was as dramatic as his life. Molière suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. One evening he collapsed on stage in a fit of coughing and haemorrhaging while performing in the last play he'd written, in which, ironically, he was playing the hypochondriac Argan, in ‘The Imaginary Invalid’.
Molière insisted on completing his performance.
Afterwards he collapsed again with another, larger haemorrhage and was taken home. Priests were sent for to administer the last rites. Two priests refused to visit. A third arrived too late. On 17th February 1673, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, forever to be known as Molière, was pronounced dead in Paris. He was 51.
Index of Contents
INTRODUCTORY NOTES
PREFACE
PROLOGUE
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
SCENE:― PARIS
THE BORES aka THE MAD (LES FÁCHEUX)
ACT I
SCENE I
SCENE II
SCENE III
SCENE IV
SCENE V
SCENE VI
SCENE VII
SCENE VIII
SCENE XI
BALLET TO ACT I
ACT II
SCENE I
SCENE II
SCENE III
SCENE IV
SCENE V
SCENE VI
SCENE VII
BALLET TO ACT II
ACT III
SCENE I
SCENE II
SCENE III
SCENE IV
SCENE V
SCENE VI
SCENE VII
BALLET TO ACT III
MOLIÈRE – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
MOLIÈRE – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRPAHY
INTRODUCTORY NOTES
The Bores is a character-comedy; but the peculiarities taken as the text of the play, instead of being confined to one or two of the leading personages, are exhibited in different forms by a succession of characters, introduced one after the other in rapid course, and disappearing after the brief performance of their rôles. We do not find an evolution of natural situations, proceeding from the harmonious conduct of two or three individuals, but rather a disjointed series of tableaux―little more than a collection of monologues strung together on a weak thread of explanatory comments, enunciated by an unwilling listener.
The method is less artistic, if not less natural; less productive of situations, if capable of greater variety of illustrations. The circumstances under which Molière undertook to compose the play explain his resort to the weaker manner of analysis. The Superintendent-General of finance, I find: Still further to centralize the fiscal economy of France, Philippe le Bel created a new ministry. At the head of it he placed an officer of high rank, entitled the Superintendent-General of Finance, and, in subordination to him, he appointed other officers designated as Treasurers.
] Nicolas Fouquet desiring to entertain the King, Queen, and court at his mansion of Vaux-le-Vicomte, asked for a comedy at the hands of the Palais-Royal company, who had discovered the secret of pleasing the Grand Monarque. Molière had but a fortnight's notice; and he was expected, moreover, to accommodate his muse to various prescribed styles of entertainment.
Fouquet wanted a cue for a dance by Beauchamp, for a picture by Lebrun, for stage devices by Torelli. Molière was equal to the emergency. Never, perhaps, was a literary work written to order so worthy of being preserved for future generations. Not only were the intermediate ballets made sufficiently elastic to give scope for the ingenuity of the poet's auxiliaries, but the written scenes themselves were admirably contrived to display all the varied talent of his troupe.
The success of the piece on its first representation, which took place on the