The Learned Women E-Book

Moliere

• Herausgeber: DigiCat
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Molière's 'The Learned Women' is a masterpiece that showcases his genius in the realms of comedy, satire, and social commentary. The play centers around the efforts of a man to rid his house of learned women, who have taken over and turned the household upside down with their desire for knowledge and independence. With its witty dialogue and clever wordplay, the play reflects Molière's astute observations on the changing roles of women in society during the 17th century. 'The Learned Women' is a prime example of Molière's ability to entertain and educate his audience simultaneously. Its timeless appeal lies in its exploration of gender dynamics and intellectual freedom, making it a valuable piece of literature for readers interested in both classic drama and feminist themes. Molière, known for his biting satire and keen insight into human nature, was inspired to write 'The Learned Women' by the cultural shifts occurring in France during his time. His sharp wit and clever storytelling continue to captivate audiences centuries later, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest playwrights in history.

Leseprobe

Molière

The Learned Women

 

EAN 8596547179184

DigiCat, 2022 Contact: [email protected]

Table of Contents

PERSONS REPRESENTED

THE LEARNED WOMEN.

ACT I.

SCENE II.—CLITANDRE, ARMANDE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE III.—CLITANDRE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE IV.—BÉLISE, CLITANDRE.

SCENE V. CLITANDRE (alone)

ACT II.

SCENE II; CHRYSALE, ARISTE.

SCENE III.—BÉLISE (entering softly and listening) , CHRYSALE,. ARISTE.

SCENE IV.—CHRYSALE, ARISTE.

SCENE V.-CHRYSALE, MARTINE.

SCENE VI.—PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, CHRYSALE, MARTINE.

SCENE VII.—PHILAMINTE, CHRYSALE, BÉLISE.

SCENE VIII.—PHILAMINTE, CHRYSALE.

SCENE IX.—ARISTE, CHRYSALE.

ACT III.

SCENE II.—HENRIETTE, PHILAMINTE, ARMANDE, BÉLISE, TRISSOTIN, LÉPINE.

SCENE III—PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, ARMANDE, HENRIETTE, TRISSOTIN, LÉPINE.

SCENE IV.—PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, ARMANDE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE V.—TRISSOTIN, VADIUS, PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, ARMANDE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE VI.—TRISSOTIN, PHILAMINTE, ARMANDE, BÉLISE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE VII.—HENRIETTE, ARMANDE.

SCENE VIII.—CHRYSALE, ARISTE, CLITANDRE, HENRIETTE, ARMANDE.

SCENE IX.—CHRYSALE, ARISTE, HENRIETTE, CLITANDRE.

ACT IV.

SCENE II—ARMANDE, PHILAMINTE, CLITANDRE (entering softly and. listening unseen) .

SCENE III.—TRISSOTIN, PHILAMINTE, ARMANDE, CLITANDRE.

SCENE IV.—TRISSOTIN, PHILAMINTE, CLITANDRE, ARMANDE, JULIAN.

SCENE V.—PHILAMINTE, ARMANDE, CLITANDRE.

SCENE VI.—ARMANDE, CLITANDRE.

SCENE VII.—CHRYSALE, ARISTE, HENRIETTE, CLITANDRE.

SCENE VIII.—HENRIETTE, CLITANDRE.

ACT V.

SCENE II.—CHRYSALE, CLITANDRE, HENRIETTE.

SCENE III.—PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, ARMANDE, TRISSOTIN, A NOTARY,. CHRYSALE, CLITANDRE, HENRIETTE, MARTINE.

SCENE IV.—ARISTE, CHRYSALE, PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, HENRIETTE, ARMANDE,. TRISSOTIN, A NOTARY, CLITANDRE, MARTINE.

SCENE V.—ARISTE, CHRYSALE, PHILAMINTE, BÉLISE, ARMANDE, HENRIETTE,. CLITANDRE, A NOTARY, MARTINE.

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE.

WITH SHORT INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES

BY

CHARLES HERON WALL

The comedy of 'Les Femmes Savantes' was acted on March 11, 1692 (see vol. i. p. 153).

Molière acted the part of Chrysale.

PERSONS REPRESENTED

Table of Contents

CHRYSALE, an honest bourgeois

PHILAMINTE, wife to CHRYSALE

ARMANDE & HENRIETTE, their daughters

ARISTE, brother to CHRYSALE

BÉLISE, his sister

CLITANDRE, lover to HENRIETTE

TRISSOTIN, a wit

VADIUS, a learned man

MARTINE, a kitchen-maid

LÉPINE, servant to CHRYSALE

JULIEN, servant to VADIUS

A NOTARY.

THE LEARNED WOMEN.

Table of Contents

ACT I.

Table of Contents

SCENE I.—ARMANDE, HENRIETTE.

ARM. What! Sister, you will give up the sweet and enchanting title of maiden? You can entertain thoughts of marrying! This vulgar wish can enter your head!

HEN. Yes, sister.

ARM. Ah! Who can bear that "yes"? Can anyone hear it without feelings of disgust?

HEN. What is there in marriage which can oblige you, sister, to….

ARM. Ah! Fie!

HEN. What?

ARM. Fie! I tell you. Can you not conceive what offence the very mention of such a word presents to the imagination, and what a repulsive image it offers to the thoughts? Do you not shudder before it? And can you bring yourself to accept all the consequences which this word implies?

HEN. When I consider all the consequences which this word implies, I only have offered to my thoughts a husband, children, and a home; and I see nothing in all this to defile the imagination, or to make one shudder.

ARM. O heavens! Can such ties have charms for you?

HEN. And what at my age can I do better than take a husband who loves me, and whom I love, and through such a tender union secure the delights of an innocent life? If there be conformity of tastes, do you see no attraction in such a bond?

ARM. Ah! heavens! What a grovelling disposition! What a poor part you act in the world, to confine yourself to family affairs, and to think of no more soul-stirring pleasures than those offered by an idol of a husband and by brats of children! Leave these base pleasures to the low and vulgar. Raise your thoughts to more exalted objects; endeavour to cultivate a taste for nobler pursuits; and treating sense and matter with contempt, give yourself, as we do, wholly to the cultivation of your mind. You have for an example our mother, who is everywhere honoured with the name of learned. Try, as we do, to prove yourself her daughter; aspire to the enlightened intellectuality which is found in our family, and acquire a taste for the rapturous pleasures which the love of study brings to the heart and mind. Instead of being in bondage to the will of a man, marry yourself, sister, to philosophy, for it alone raises you above the rest of mankind, gives sovereign empire to reason, and submits to its laws the animal part, with those grovelling desires which lower us to the level of the brute. These are the gentle flames, the sweet ties, which should fill every moment of life. And the cares to which I see so many women given up, appear to me pitiable frivolities.

HEN. Heaven, whose will is supreme, forms us at our birth to fill different spheres; and it is not every mind which is composed of materials fit to make a philosopher. If your mind is created to soar to those heights which are attained by the speculations of learned men, mine is fitted, sister, to take a meaner flight and to centre its weakness on the petty cares of the world. Let us not interfere with the just decrees of Heaven; but let each of us follow our different instincts. You, borne on the wings of a great and noble genius, will inhabit the lofty regions of philosophy; I, remaining here below, will taste the terrestrial charms of matrimony. Thus, in our several paths, we shall still imitate our mother: you, in her mind and its noble longings; I, in her grosser senses and coarser pleasures; you, in the productions of genius and light, and I, sister, in productions more material.

ARM. When we wish to take a person for a model, it is the nobler side we should imitate; and it is not taking our mother for a model, sister, to cough and spit like her.

HEN. But you would not have been what you boast yourself to be if our mother had had only her nobler qualities; and well it is for you that her lofty genius did not always devote itself to philosophy. Pray, leave me to those littlenesses to which you owe life, and do not, by wishing me to imitate you, deny some little savant entrance into the world.

ARM. I see that you cannot be cured of the foolish infatuation of taking a husband to yourself. But, pray, let us know whom you intend to marry; I suppose that you do not aim at Clitandre?

HEN. And why should I not? Does he lack merit? Is it a low choice I have made?

ARM. Certainly not; but it would not be honest to take away the conquest of another; and it is a fact not unknown to the world that Clitandre has publicly sighed for me.