L'École Des Maris

by Molière

Dans cette pièce riche, concise et éminemment actuelle, Molière surprend son public autant qu’il le retrouve. Débat sur l’éducation, initiation aux sentiments amoureux, satire de la mode et d’une époque, L’École des Maris fait rire autant qu’elle fait réfléchir. Inscrite dans la tradition farcesque, et influencée par la commedia dell’arte, la pièce, qui mêle situations cocasses et subtils jeux de scènes érige le théâtre en une école de vie où les masques font triompher l’authenticité des sentiments.

Genres: Plays, Classics, France, Drama, French Literature, Fiction, Humor

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1661

About the author

Sophisticated comedies of French playwright Molière, pen name of Jean Baptiste Poquelin, include Tartuffe (1664), The Misanthrope (1666), and The Bourgeois Gentleman (1670).

French literary figures, including Molière and Jean de la Fontaine, gathered at Auteuil, a favorite place.

People know and consider Molière, stage of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also an actor of the greatest masters in western literature. People best know l'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), l'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), and le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) among dramas of Molière.

From a prosperous family, Molière studied at the Jesuit Clermont college (now lycée Louis-le-Grand) and well suited to begin a life in the theater. While 13 years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his abilities, he also began to combine the more refined elements with ccommedia dell'arte.

Through the patronage of the brother of Louis XIV and a few aristocrats, Molière procured a command performance before the king at the Louvre. Molière performed a classic of [authore:Pierre Corneille] and le Docteur amoureux (The Doctor in Love), a farce of his own; people granted him the use of Salle du Petit-Bourbon, a spacious room, appointed for theater at the Louvre. Later, people granted the use of the Palais-Royal to Molière. In both locations, he found success among the Parisians with les Précieuses ridicules (The Affected Ladies), l'École des maris</i> (<i>The School for Husbands</i>), and <i>[book:l'École des femmes (The School for Wives). This royal favor brought a pension and the title "Troupe du Roi" (the troupe of the king). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments.

Molière received the adulation of the court and Parisians, but from moralists and the Church, his satires attracted criticisms. From the Church, his attack on religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations, while people banned performance of Don Juan . From the stage, hard work of Molière in so many theatrical capacities began to take its toll on his health and forced him to take a break before 1667.

From pulmonary tuberculosis, Molière suffered. In 1673 during his final production of le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), a coughing fit and a haemorrhage seized him as Argan, the hypochondriac. He finished the performance but collapsed again quickly and died a few hours later. In time in Paris, Molière completely reformed.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for this play, and 4 stars for the L.A. Theater Works production, the 3rd play in their Moliére Collection. The play is amazingly translated by Richard Wilbur and features the Moliére master Brian Bedford. This is good, don’t get me wrong, but there are better Moliére plays that come later. This 1661 play, School for Husbands, is kind of a first draft to my way of thinking for the better, School for Wives, also clearly about marriage mores, both of which are really about how the wives are smarter than the husbands. Which makes things funny, of course, because, you know, this is 1661, guys are supposed to be in charge, and are clearly not. Women are seen as deserving some kind of self-efficacy?! Huh?

This play tells the story of two brothers and two sisters who will become their wives. However, these sisters are girls, pre-teens! The women’s father, at his death, left each of his daughters to one of the brothers for him to raise and educate and later to marry. As “school” is in the title, there is a little message throughout on how people might best learn. The older brother is a tad more progressive (he’s the one who believes in giving his future wife some freedom of choice), whereas the younger brother is conservative (controlling her every movement, locking her up in the house most of the time). Also, can women choose their future spouses based on love? This is still a debatable question on Earth, 2021.

Early on we see that the liberal guy has the better, more humane approach. But the more repressed sister also has strategies toward liberation! All’s well that ends well! Entertaining!

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

FRANÇAIS: Deux sœurs sont sous la garde de deux frères. L'un d'eux laisse une certaine liberté à sa pupille, car il lui fait confiance. L'autre a la sien sous clé. Un voisin est tombé amoureux de la seconde, et envisage comment il pourrait entrer en contact avec elle. La femme, désireuse d'échapper à la tyrannie de son tuteur, qui projette de l'épouser aussitôt, utilise le tuteur, sans qu'il s'en rende compte, pour contacter son amant et lui faire comprendre qu'elle veut l'épouser, et obtient enfin son but.

ESPAÑOL: Dos hermanos son tutores de dos hermanas. Uno de ellos deja bastante libertad a su pupila, porque confía en ella. El otro tiene a la suya bajo llave y controlada al máximo. Un vecino se ha enamorado de la segunda, y planea cómo podría ponerse en contacto con ella. La mujer, que está deseando escapar de la tiranía de su tutor, que planea casarse con ella en seguida, usa al tutor, sin que este se dé cuenta, para ponerse en contacto con su enamorado y hacerle ver que quiere casarse con él, y al final lo consigue.

ENGLISH: Two sisters are under the guard of two brothers. One of them leaves quite a bit of freedom to his ward, for he trusts her. The other has his ward under lock and key. A neighbor has fallen in love with the second, and plans how he could get in touch with her. The woman, who is eager to escape from the tyranny of her guardian, who plans to marry her at once, uses the guardian, without his realizing it, to contact her lover and make him understand that she wants to marry him, and finally achieves her purpose.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Lustspielen (von Molière) sind es nicht die Diener, welche das Stück mit Witz und Schelm vorantreiben, sondern es konzentriert sich hauptsächlich auf den (heutigen) Macho Sganarell und seine (Nicht-)Verzückte Isabella. Für seine Zeit war Molière sicher sehr modern mit seiner Aussage, man solle den Frauen den Freiraum geben etc, was hoffentlich jeder (Ehe)mann dazumals aus diesem Schulstück als Lehre mit nach Hause trug. Heutzutage zwar noch komisch und lustig, aber wirklich knapp an Handlung und halt einfach nicht mehr so relevant - zum Glück.

[Bogdan Andrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comedia înfățișează doi frați, Sganarel și Arist, iar două fete, Isabela și Leonora, erau sortite să le devină soții. Sganarel este reprezentantul unei ideologii învechite, a concepției antiumane a rigorismului catolic de nuanță jansenistă. Îi supraveghează Isabelei toate mișcările și îi impune acesteia o viață retrasă sub auspiciile lui: „dar… ce face dânsa, e hotărât de mine”. Arist, de partea cealaltă, e propovăduitorul unei morale luminate, bazate pe încredere în excelența firii omenești. Drept urmare acestui bun traiect, îi câștigă inima Leonorei și se căsătorește cu ea. Isabela, plină de restricțiile impozante ale lui Sganarel, primește omagiile oferite de Valeriu. Piesa s-a jucat pentru întâia oară la 24 iunie 1661, pe scena de la Palais-Royal.

«Strădanii de zănatic sunt păzile acestea
Și-i cea mai bună treabă credința în neveste.
Acel ce stă-mpotrivă e mai primejduit,
Căci drumul cinstei noastre de noi se vrea păzit.»

[Jad Wannous · Rating 3 out of 5]

ملهاة " مدرسة الأزواج " احدى النصوص المسرحية التي ستجعل الابتسامة صديقة لك لفترة لا بأس بها، هذه الكوميديا الباردة من موليير، تحسب له في عالم المسرح.
مدرسة الأزواج... وهل الأزواج أو الزواج بحد ذاته يحتاج إلى مدرسة؟؟
الزواج مؤسسة كوميدية، خطيرة، سوداء.
كوميديا الزواج لا يمكن لأي كوميديا أن تنافسها.

هنالك توقعية عالية في المسرحية والتي تتمثل في معرفتك لما سيحدث منذ الصفحة الأولى ولا أعلم ان كانت هذه استراتيجة وتقنية استخدمها موليير لإيضاح روتين وتكرار وبلادة مراحل ارتباط الزوجين وكل شيء متعلق بالزواج دون استثناء.

هل الزواج أمر محتم علينا كأفراد في المجتمع؟
وهل الزواج مؤسسة سعيدة لا بد منها؟
لربما كلمة الزواج لوحدها تختصر كل بلادة وروتين ورعب الأرض.

سغاناريل: -- إنه ليبدو لي، وأقول ذلك بصوت عال،
اني اتحدث كما يجب في موضوع كهذا.
إنك تتحمل أن تكون فتاتك خفيفة رشيقة،
وأن يكون لها خادم و وصيفة: أنا أقبل ذلك؛
وأن تجري على حب حياة البطالة: أوافق على ذلك؛
وأن تكون طليقة وعرضة لغزل الشبان الماجنين:
وأنا راض بذلك كل الرضى... ولكنني أريد
أن تحيا فتاتي على هواي لا كما تهوى هي،
وأن تكون ملابسها صوفية محتشمة،
ولا تلبس الأسود إلا في أيام الأعياد فقط،
وأن تكون حبيسة بيت، شأن امرأة عاقلة،
وتنصرف لشؤونه كل الانصراف
فتخيط ثيابي في ساعات الفراغ،
أو تتسلى بنسج بعض الجوارب،
وأن تصم أذنها عن أحاديث الشبان
ولاتخرج أبدا إلا مصحوبة برقيب.
وأخيرا فالطبيعة البشرية ضعيفة، وأنا أسمع كل ما يقال،
ولا أريد أن أحمل قرونا ما دمت أستطيع ذلك؛
وما دام حظها يدعوها إلى الزواج مني
فأنا صاحب الحق والسلطان عليها.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for the L.A. Theater Works full cast recording, the 3rd play in their "The Moliére Collection".

[Alin Andronic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asta este o piesă de teatru dedicată tuturor băieților care cred în siluirea voinței partenerului pentru a își atinge ei propriile interese de natură sexuală, socială, echilibru psihologic etc.Gândirea asta mi se pare tot mai întâlnită în tagma masculină și îmi provoacă greață. Dacă vreți să deveniți bărbați din băieți isterizați de orice face o fată care, în definitiv nu este proprietatea voastră, atunci urmați sfaturile lui Arist.

Molière este unul dintre cei mai plăcuți autori de teatru, o făclie aprinsă într-o epocă întunecată și cazonă. O viziune diferită față de concepțiile vremii, dar care își arată valoarea prin perenitatea și valabilitatea ideilor. O încântare fiecare piesă scrisă de el. Ridică unele dintre temele pentru care se militează la rang de artă. Așa ar și trebui să fie ambalate ideile, nu în tweet-uri, postări de facebook, hastagh-uri, slogane limitate...

[Ana Enriques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy divertida e ingeniosa. Creo que la obra ofrece una interesante reflexión sobre las creencias de esa época (y por desgracia, muy vigentes aún) en relación con la mujer, el honor y el amor porque, no solo critica la postura tiránica y vigilante del hombre sobre la mujer, sino que también propone la posibilidad de construir relaciones basadas en el respeto y la libertad. Va más allá de la mera ridiculización del marido déspota que acaba siendo burlado.

[Salvatore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy grata sorpresa me he llevado al descubrir entre las divertidas y aberrantes situaciones planteadas por este genio del teatro clásico francés y ciertas reflexiones de sus personajes lo que interpreto como una incipiente expresión de la equidad de género. La lectura, en general, un placer, como es natural también en el resto de sus obras, con ganas de verla representada.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free project gutenberg play which I downloaded on my kindle, and can be read in under an hour.

I do enjoy reading plays yet rarely do so, and this one was a simple play to read. The play tells the humorous tale of a young woman duping her older fiance in order to marry her secret lover. This play has many twists and turns, and saw the feisty Isabella's cunning get the better of her patriarchal match.

I'm not sure about this translation as some of the phrases seemed very modern, such as 'ogling' someone, but the footnotes were interesting ~ I love that people used to send love letters folded into the shape of a chicken!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

What I liked: This play represents a very progressive (for its time) view of women. It makes clear that they should be allowed to make their own choices, be treated as adults, be trusted and loved.

What I didn't like: The poor old man was really mistreated. Now granted, for the time this woman would have had no choice but to do what she did, but I still ended up feeling sorry for the old fool.

[Ala'a · Rating 4 out of 5]

كالعادة، لايوجد أفضل من مولير في عصره عندما يتعلق الأمر بالكوميديا ونقد الأوضاع الإجتماعية.
يعجبني التنوع في التركيز على شخصياته، لدينا الأخوان المتناقضان، الفتاة الذكية الداهية وكالعادة العاشق الولهان وغيرهم.
والتناقض مع جهل الشخصية الرئيسية هما ما يجعلاني انفجر بالضحك رغماً ��ني xD
كوميديته لاتموت ولاتذبل مع الأيام ❤️

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun little play and I'm just about to start rehearsals for a production of this at the Village Players, a local theatre group. I'm so excited!

[Tomq · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Read in the original/my native French)

This 1661 play tells the tale of two brothers and the two sisters who are destined to become their wives. In an arrangement that is hard to imagine nowadays in the west, the father of the women, at his death, left each of his daughters to one the brothers, for him to raise and educate her and later to marry her. The older brother is liberal minded (he believes in giving his future wife freedom of choice with respect to nearly all aspects of her life, including who she hangs out with, who she will marry, etc.), whereas the younger brother is conservative (he believes in controlling her every movement and decision, locking her up in the house most of the time).

The story begins as the girls have just reached marriage age. The question is: which future husband will be cuckholded? Very early it is obvious that the liberal attitude is better; but how will a secluded woman succeed in avoiding her controlling future husband and tutor? As it turns out, through a succession of clever, imaginative, and hilarious stratagems, at the expense of the duped young conservative husband.

Overall, a very entertaining comedy, written in a fluid, flowing language, which can be read in an hour or two. It reflects a society where women have much fewer rights than nowadays in the west; but a similar story could still occur even today in many countries, and thus retains both historical interest and contemporary significance... On top of being funny.

[Ahmed Gamal Shafik · Rating 5 out of 5]

مسرحيتيين يتخذ منهما موليير نوعين متناقضين من التربية بالنسبة لفتاتين صغيرتين شاء لهما القدر أن تضع احداهما تحت وصاية سجاناريل و اسمها ايزابل و أن تقع الاخرى تحت وصاية أربست و اسمها ليونور .. أما سجاناريل فيمارس نوعا من الشدة و القسوة و التحفظ و التزمت في تربيته لايزابل و يكون رد الفعل بالنسبة لها أن تبغض وصيها و تنفر من قربه و تتمرد علي هذه التربية و تتمرد و تعمل جاهدة علي أن يختطفها من بين يديه شابا تبادله الحب و تدخره لمستقبلها يسمي فالير و أما أربست فانه يمارس نوعا من اللين و اللطف و الحرية و التسامح في تربيته لليونور و يكون من جانبه أن تشعر بالود نحوه و أن ترتبط به روحيا و تشق بمبادئه العقلية و تحبه من قلبها ثم ترضي به زوجا لها .. أما الشخصيات بالتفصيل هما سجاناريل وهو الوصي علي إيزابل و نرى فيها شخصية غريبة متغطرسة لا تقيم وزنا للأحاسيس الإنسانية ثانيا أربست وهو الأخ الأكبر لسجارنايل و الوصي بدوره علي ليونور اخت ايزابيل ثالثا ايزابيل وهى الفتاة التي كانت تحت وصاية سجاناريل و تصور شخصية قد يتردد الكثير في الحكم عليها رابعا ليونور و هي الفتاة التي كانت تحت وصاية آربست و تصور شخصية الفتاة المترفة المدللة التي تنعم بكل ما تنعم بكل ما تحلم به الفتاة من أمور مادية وروحية و المؤلف يعتمد علي ما يعرف بنظرية التقابل بين مبدأين مختلفين ... مبدأ الخير و الشر, اللين و العنف و من خلال هذا التقابل يتضح المنهج السوى و الطريق المعقول كما أنها تجسم المبدأ الفلسفي في نظرية التربية الذى جعل منه موليير الهدف من تأليفه لمدرسة الأزواج (less)

[Karine Darnessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il y a bien longtemps que je n'ai pas posé les yeux sur une pièce de théâtre et en particulier une de Molière. Cela me rappelle des souvenirs du collège avec les Fourberies de Scapin et bien d'autres.
Je dois dire que l'école des maris m'était totalement inconnue jusqu'à ce que je tombe dessus pas hasard. On retrouve le fameux Sganarelle, jamais bien loin dans les pièces de Molière, un personnage qui est à la fois drôle et horripilant par ses actions.
Dans cette pièce, notre personnage se met en tête qu'Isabelle sa pupille sera sa femme alors que celle-ci ne l'aime absolument pas et espère enfin être libre du joug de ce rabat-joie. Elle a la chance d'être aimé par un jeune homme Valère qui espère que ses sentiments envers la jeune femme sont réciproques.
Je ne sais pourquoi, j'ai trouvé cette pièce moins enthousiasmante que celles de mon souvenir. A part le passage dans la dernière partie de la pièce qui apporte un peu plus de dynamisme et d'intrigue, le reste est assez plat. Beaucoup de paroles et peu d'actes.
Malgré tout, j'ai pris plaisir à lire cette pièce. Et a retrouvé un langage à la fois familier et perdu dans les limbes de l'histoire. Cela fait un bien fou de changer de registre de temps en temps.
https://la-bibliotheque-du-labyrinthe...

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The School for Husbands by Moliere shows its age the most of the plays by him I've come across. The overall message - trust your spouse and they will be inclined to be loyal to you, attempt to control them and you invite cheating and betrayal - was perhaps a powerful move in the right direction half a century ago, and is still generally good advice. However, the satire involves an old man practically owning a young woman to be his wife, forcing her to adopt ever increasingly dire straits to avoid marriage with a man she hates, but otherwise cannot act against except by deception. And, of course, to avoid marriage with the one, she must take on another. Even more than The Bungler this is a period piece, and its more than a little worse for it as the story is less amusing. Still, its not bad, and as far as historical plays are concerned there are far worse out there.

Score?

74/100 | C

[Selim Ben Said · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two brothers, Ariste and Sganarelle have been the guardians of two sisters Léonor and Isabelle whom they have raised using opposite approaches. While Ariste is liberal and flexible in his education of Léonor, Sganarelle on the other hand, is strict and authoritarian. Having reached their maturity, Léonor and Isabelle are soon to be wedded to the two brothers. However, in a twist of fate, Isabelle who has been raised by a strict Sganarelle becomes infatuated with Valère, a much younger suitor. The farcical plot spans from Sganarelle’s self-righteousness and arrogance. In the final denouement, Isabelle and Valère are married by Sganarelle himself who believes he is marrying his brother’s bride to his archrival.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the other Richard Wilbur translations of Moliere, I liked the School for Husbands the least. Much of that might've been due to the fact that it was an early play by Moliere and doesn't have the wit and sophistication of the later School for Wives. However, it is slightly similar to the latter play in the examination of social mores regarding marriage circa 17th century. The translation is straight forward and enjoyable though.

[Teresita Méndez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encanto, aunque siento que es más como los personajes dándole un sermón al publico pero aún así me gustó el mensaje (me enamore de el) de que mientras más posesiva sea la pareja peor será el resultado.
Osea, yo comparto la misma filosofía que muestra juliette en el libro (¿era juliette?) Antes de leerlo y pareciera que el libro me encontró.

Spoiler:

La astucia de doña rosa no tiene límites, aun si tiene que manchar el nombre de su hermana. Pero que ternura el tutor/prometido de Leonor.

[Mashika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this play cuz it has a lesson to be learned from it. if you want to have a sound relationship you shouldn't be constricting your mate. Marriage couples should be the bestest of friends and you should be lenient and not betray cause if ones honor. Display didn't have as much comedy as as others would, but it's still all right

[Paky · Rating 4 out of 5]

La escuela de los maridos es una obra muy entretenida, divertida, un buen reflejo de los modos de vida y pensamientos de la sociedad del siglo XVII, aunque, con ligeros matices, podemos también ver reflejada una parte de los maridos y mujeres actuales.

[Yusuf Fouad · Rating 3 out of 5]

حبكتها نهايتها كوميديتها عظام

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely funny.

[Jessica Whittemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

How fun! What clever lovers and a dolt-y dolt! How often were father figures allowed or, even worse, expected to marry their wards? Yuck!

[Dave Logghe]

I laughed out loud. And it’s all written in rhyme, that’s just damn impressive.

[Birsilah Bakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mischievous, elegant, and witty :)

[Cosima Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed actually

[David Massey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a so-so play. Not bad, not great, just OK.

[cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

LA theatre works production in their molière collection goes so hard