The Middle Class Gentleman

The Middle Class Gentleman is a play written by the French playwright Jean Baptiste Poquelin, more commonly known as Moliere. The play was first performed in 1670 and is a comedy of manners that satirizes the aspirations and pretensions of the rising middle class in 17th century France.The play revolves around the character of Monsieur Jourdain, a wealthy but uneducated bourgeois who aspires to be a gentleman. Jourdain is obsessed with status and social climbing and is determined to learn the ways of the aristocracy. He hires a series of tutors to teach him fencing, dancing, music, philosophy, and even how to speak in verse.Jourdain's attempts to become a gentleman lead him into a series of comical situations, including a disastrous attempt to woo a noblewoman, a run-in with a group of Turkish diplomats, and a farcical duel with a tailor. Along the way, he is aided and abetted by a cast of colorful characters, including his scheming wife, his conniving servants, and a host of hangers-on and sycophants.The Middle Class Gentleman is a classic example of Moliere's wit and satire, and it remains a popular play to this day. It is often performed in both French and English-speaking countries and is studied in literature and theater classes around the world. The play's themes of social climbing, class conflict, and the absurdity of human vanity continue to resonate with audiences today.DORANTE: Monsieur Jourdain is right, Madame, to speak so, and he obliges me by making you so welcome. I agree with him that the repast is not worthy of you. Since it was I who ordered it, and since I do not have the accomplishments of our friends in this matter, you do not have here a very sophisticated meal, and you will find some incongruities in the combinations and some barbarities of taste.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.