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    The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui
    The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui
    The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui
    Ebook89 pages1 hour

    The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui

    By Molière

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    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStage Door
    Release dateJul 21, 2018
    ISBN9781787800991
    The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui
    Author

    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

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      Book preview

      The Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself - Molière

      The Physician in Spite of Himself by Molière

      aka A Doctor Despite Himself

      Le Médecin Malgré Lui

      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

      DRAMATIS PERSONAE

      SCENE: A Forest

      THE PHYSICIAN IN SPITE OF HIMSELF aka A DOCTOR DESPITE HIMSELF (Le Médecin Malgré Lui)

      ACT I

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      SCENE IV

      SCENE V

      SCENE VI

      ACT II (A Room in Géronte’s House)

      SCENE I

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      SCENE IV

      SCENE V

      SCENE VI

      SCENE VII

      SCENE VIII

      SCENE IX

      ACT III (A Spot Near Géronte’s House)

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      SCENE IV

      SCENE V

      SCENE VI

      SCENE VII

      SCENE VIII

      SCENE IX

      SCENE X

      SCENE XI

      MOLIÈRE – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

      MOLIÈRE – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

      DRAMATIS PERSONAE

      Géronte, father to Lucinde.

      Léandre, Lucinde’s lover.

      Sganarelle, husband to Martine.

      M. Robert, Sganarelle’s neighbour.

      Lucas, husband to Jacqueline.

      Valère, Géronte’s servant.

      Thibaut, peasants

      Perrin, his son, peasants,

      Lucinde, Géronte’s daughter.

      Martine, Sganarelle’s wife.

      Jacqueline, nurse at Géronte’s, and Lucas’ wife.

      SCENE: A Forest

      ACT I

      SCENE I

      SGANARELLE, MARTINE. Appearing on the stage, quarrelling.

      SGANARELLE

      No; I tell you that I will do nothing of the kind, and that it is for me to speak, and to be master.

      MARTINE

      And I tell you that I will have you live as I like, and that I am not married to you to put up with your vagaries.

      SGANARELLE

      Oh! what a nuisance it is to have a wife! and Aristotle is perfectly right in saying that a woman is worse than a demon.

      MARTINE

      Look at Master Clever, with his silly Aristotle!

      SGANARELLE

      Yes, Master Clever. Find me another faggot-binder who can argue upon things as I can, who has served a famous physician for six years, and who, when only a boy, knew his grammar by heart!

      MARTINE

      Plague on the arrant fool.

      SGANARELLE

      Plague on the slut!

      MARTINE

      Cursed be the hour and the day when I took it into my head to say yes.

      SGANARELLE

      Cursed be the cuckold of a notary that made me sign my own ruination.

      MARTINE

      Certainly it well becomes you to complain

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