Harriet J. Bauman
One of the major themes of
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
is the appearance of the characters and situations and the way things really are. The theme of appearance versus reality is connected to some of the other themes such as masks, ceremony, rituals, costumes, theatricality, and nobility.
In order to demonstrate the evidence of the theme of appearance versus reality, the play will be discussed act by act just as it would be taught. This discussion will familiarize other teachers with one important theme of
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
.
Act I
Act One introduces MoliEre’s major themes of masks, ceremony, rituals, costumes, theatricality, and nobility. It opens with the Dancing Master and the Music Master discussing their jobs working for Monsieur Jourdain,
le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
. M. Jourdain wants to better himself and become a person of “qualité” or nobility, using his newfound wealth as his entry. His status as a
parvenu
(a person who has earned “new money”, as opposed to “old money” which was inherited) allows him the luxury of hiring tutors, tailors, and servants. He is willing to pay very well for the trappings of nobility which include having musical and dance performances as entertainment for guests.
The arts, particularly music, dance, and the theatre, constituted much of the Court’s entertainment. Thus, a person wishing to become part of Louis XIV’s Court needed to be familiar with the amusements of the day.
The debate between the Music Master and the Dancing Master gives a serious tone to the beginning of the play. Their discussion centers around whether it is more important for the audience to understand and appreciate one’s art or to be paid for one’s work.
“Dancing Master: . . . I must confess that what I long for most is applause; it is appreciation I live for. To my way of thinking there is no fate more distressing for an artist than to have to show himself off before fools, to see his work exposed to the criticism of the vulgar and ignorant. . . . There is no joy like that of working for people who have a feeling for the fine points of one’s art, who can appreciate the beauties of a work and repay all one’s trouble by praise which is which is really discerning. . . .
Music Master: I agree. . . . There is nothing more pleasing than the recognition you speak of, but you can’t live on applause. Praise alone doesn’t keep a man going. One needs something more substantial than that, and, to my mind, there’s no praise to beat the sort you can put in your pocket.”
(
The WouldBe Gentleman
, translated by John Wood, Penguin Books, 1953, pp.3Ð4)
The debate concludes with a reconciliation of the two arguments as they pertain to Monsieur Jourdain: “Dancing Master: I still wish that with all his great wealth he had a little more taste. Music Master: So do I, and isn’t that just where we are both trying to help him—so far as we can? In any case, he is giving us a chance to make a name in the world and he will make up for the others by paying while they do the praising.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 4) The appearance of altruism is tempered by the reality of hunger—artistic and real. These Masters are helping themselves while seeming to help M. Jourdain.
The importance of the debate in the play is that it sets the tone of M. Jourdain’s efforts to become noble. Although, in reality, he will never have the grace and innate sensitivity to be truly noble. Nevertheless, M. Jourdain, in good faith, hires teachers to instruct him in the various skills necessary to being noble. He knows how to read and write and compute, but that is not enough for the Society he wishes to enter. It would only be a false nobility at best. He wants to wear the “mask” of nobility by purchasing their customs, entertainment and costumes.
Ceremony and costume as themes of
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
are introduced in Act One in a comical way. M. Jourdain appears in a ridiculous costume which he had been told was what nobles wore in the morning. Obviously, if he wears such clothes, he too will be transformed into “nobility.”
M. Jourdain has two lackeys dressed in livery who answer the door, run errands and who will follow him through the streets if he wishes. He thinks that they are necessary for his station in life.
The music and dances are of the period, very courtly, and superficial. The characters in the song at the end of Act One are shepherds and shepherdesses, which is typical of the period. It was felt that nobles did not make good subjects as it was undignified for them to feel and express strong emotions. The lower classes, on the other hand, could. Their lives were so far removed from the nobles’ that there was no threat to the nobles’ sensibilities. “Mr. Jourdain: But why shepherds again? It always seems to be shepherds. Music Master: Because, if you are to have people discoursing in song, you must for verisimilitude conform to the pastoral convention. Singing has always been associated with shepherds. It would not seem natural for princes or ordinary folk for that matter, to be indulging their passions in song.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 8) Thus it seems that nobles were removed from the ordinary struggles of life, while, in reality, they were engaged in a fierce battle for existence.
Act II
Act Two’s purpose is to further clarify Monsieur Jourdain’s character. He doesn’t understand music and he has a tin ear. His favorite instrument is a marine trumpet (a onestringed instrument) which, of course, is limited in its range! He doesn’t appreciate the beauty of the music nor the skill of the dancers and singers whose talent he has purchased. He is mainly concerned with its seeming appropriateness for entertaining his noble guests.
M. Jourdain hired four teachers—music, dance, philosophy, and fencing. Regarding his teachers, he is deferential to them but not fawning. He has paid for their services. He knows he needs their knowledge, and he is appreciative of their efforts.
The four masters wear “masks” because they are working for the money and fame, not for the love of their craft. They flatter M. Jourdain unnecessarily. When they are teaching him they present the lesson in such a way that he has difficulty grasping the point either with prowess (fencing) or with acuity (philosophy). The lessons are reduced to the most elementary level (the sounds of vowels, or the difference between prose and verse) where M. Jourdain is stunned by what he doesn’t know. The reality is that even with the aid of the masters, M. Jourdain will never learn enough to attain a noble’s education. In time, he might grasp the essentials of such knowledge so that he will appear to have attained “nobility.”
The arguments among the masters as to which “art” is more important, underline comically the great debates of the century, in particular whether arms or letters is the most important art. MoliEre doesn’t attempt to resolve the question except to show that all the arguments are meaningless. The result is a physical fight, which doesn’t resolve anything.
While M. Jourdain defers to his teachers, his attitude toward his tailor is different. He has been waiting for the tailor to bring his new outfit, while he has had his lessons from his teachers. He is indignant that he has been kept waiting by an inferior. When the tailor finally arrives, he is wearing an outfit made out of the material of Monsieur Jourdain’s last costume. M. Jourdain recognizes it and reprimands the tailor. It is highly possible that the outfit was part of the material paid for by M. Jourdain. He doesn’t see this possibility, however. He has been easily duped.
M. Jourdain is naive and gullible in that instance, and at the end of the Act, when the tailor’s boys flatter a tip out of him. Every time they address him using a term such as “My Lord,” M. Jourdain gives them more money. It thrills him to be addressed by noble titles. Another mask!
The ridiculous outfit M. Jourdain has received from his tailor is an exaggerated copy of Court dress. Assured that this costume is the newest style, he intends to promenade through the streets, wearing the outfit, and followed by his two lackeys in a parody of noble processions. M. Jourdain will be laughed at and will be made fun of, but he will not be cognizant of the ridicule. He will be delighted that people are noticing him in his noble clothes.
Acts One and Two form a unit. They introduce the main character and the major themes of the play. They could almost stand alone as commentary on the hopes and desires of the bourgeoisie, without the other three. MoliEre’s mastery of his craft is such that what remains of the play is the fun in unmasking M. Jourdain’s vanity and folly.
Act III
Act Three is the literary climax of the play. The tone turns more serious. It is the longest act as well. Several important, new characters are introduced: Nicole, the maid; Madame Jourdain; Dorante, the nobleman who borrows money from M. Jourdain; DorimEne, the noblewoman whom M. Jourdain is wooing; Cléonte, suitor to M. and Mme. Jourdain’s daughter Lucile; Covielle, Cléonte’s servant; and Lucile Jourdain.
Mme. Jourdain, a typical bourgeoise, tries to talk some sense into her husband. She is down to earth and has no illusions about life and her place in society. She tells him that he is what he is and should not hope for better. She wants him to realize that his pretensions have made him an object of ridicule. “Mrs. Jourdain: What new nonsense is it this time? What are you doing in that getup, man? Whatever are you thinking about to get yourself rigged out like that! Do you want to have everybody laughing at you? Mr. Jourdain: My good woman, only the fools will laugh at me, Mrs. Jourdain: Well, it isn’t as if folk have not done it before! Your goings on have long been a laughingstock for most people.” (
Ibid
. Wood, pp. 2324)
Monsieur Jourdain refuses to listen to his wife’s admonitions about his lessons, his lending of money to Dorante, and his daughter’s future, among other things. M. Jourdain sees things as he wishes them to be, not as they really are.
Lucile, Monsieur and Madame Jourdain’s daughter, is in love with Cléonte, but because he is not a nobleman, her father refuses to consider him as a potential husband for her. Mme. Jourdain, on the other hand, is for the match as they are wellsuited to each other, particularly in terms of social class. “Marrying above one’s station always brings trouble. I don’t want a soninlaw who’ll look down on my daughter because of her parentage, and I don’t want her children to be ashamed to call me their grandmother neither, . . .” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 41)
In desperation, Cléonte and Covielle hatch a plot to trick M. Jourdain into giving his approval to Cléonte’s and Lucile’s marriage. They plan that Cléonte will impersonate the son of the Grand Turk and, Covielle, in disguise, will approach M. Jourdain for Lucile’s hand.
Nicole and Covielle are servants with an important role to play. They have a great deal of common sense, and see things as they really are. They act as confidantes of Mme. Jourdain and Cléonte, respectively. They are also smarter than their bosses (M. Jourdain and Cléonte, respectively), and understand them very well. They are clever and use their intelligence to manipulate events. Nicole and Madame Jourdain share the same views on life, Covielle and Cléonte act more like friends than servant and master.
Dorante, the nobleman, also appears in this act for the first time. He greets M. Jourdain as if they are equals. M. Jourdain takes off his hat in deference to Dorante’s rank. Dorante expects M. Jourdain to act as his equal. That is to say, He allows M. Jourdain certain liberties which M. Jourdain could not normally presume to take in other circumstances:
Dorante: Come put on your hat!
Jourdain: Sir, I know the respect I owe to you.
Dorante: Please put on your hat. No ceremony between us, I beg you.
Jourdain: Sir-
Dorante: Do put on your hat, Mr. Jourdain. You are my friend.
Jourdain: Sir, I’m your very humble servant.
Dorante: But I cannot put on my own hat unless you put on yours.
Jourdain: (putting on his hat) I’ll forego my manners rather than be a nuisance. . . . (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 28)
Monsieur Jourdain feels inferior despite Dorante’s efforts to make him feel equal; both are fooling themselves. Dorante is being sycophantic, M. Jourdain coy.
There is a purpose for Dorante’s visit: he wants to borrow more money from M. Jourdain. Dorante owes him a considerable sum of money but, most likely, will never repay any of it. M. Jourdain sees none of this; he only sees Dorante’s “nobility.”
Some of Dorante’s time is spent in dressing and going to his plumemaker, his tailor, his saddler, and other tradesmen. The rest of his time is spent at Court, in the “Royal Presence,” at ballets, or “Royal Entertainments,” and dining. Thus he represents the empty pomposity of the nobility. He has no real power because he has no money; all is faCade.
Dorante has agreed, in principle, to help M. Jourdain attain DorimEne’s favor. He has acted as a liaison, bringing her flowers and a very large diamond, staging fireworks displays, and asking her to dine at M. Jourdain’s house. Dorante told M. Jourdain that he is pleading his case with DorimEne, when, in reality, he has let DorimEne think that he, Dorante, is wooing her for himself. His power with DorimEne is falsity, based only on appearances.
DorimEne is a wealthy widow whom Dorante wants to marry, probably because she is rich, and whom M. Jourdain wants as his entrée into Society. She seems intelligent, and has been resisting Dorante’s advances to a degree. She scolds him gently about giving her extravagant gifts: “. . . firstly, they commit me further than I would wish, and secondly, I feel sure, if I may say so, that you are spending more than you can afford—and that I don’t in the least want.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 43) She, at least, attempts to see through the false faCade.
DorimEne knows that M. Jourdain is foolish, but she condescends to dine with him and Dorante. She uses the royal “we” which supposedly puts her above her dining companions: “We are most admirably entertained.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 46) She too, is wearing a mask of gentility, perhaps to gain a new husband who will give her presents and amusements like those she has accepted from Dorante. In reality, she is out for what she can get. Her nobility is false.
Act Three concludes with Monsieur Jourdain, Dorante, and DorimEne preparing to dine on a sumptuous meal prepared especially for the occasion. While they are dining musicians entertain them. M. Jourdain has let no detail of noble dinner parties escape his attention. However, it is still a bourgeois home pretending to be noble. It is a successful attempt to entertain nobles in the manner to which they are accustomed.
Act IV
In Act Four Madame Jourdain returns earlier than expected, and is quite indignant to find M. Jourdain entertaining guests. She thinks that her husband is being unfaithful to her, which he is, in a sense. He would like to get rid of his wife and all things which keep him in his place. Dorante comes to M. Jourdain’s rescue by telling Mme. Jourdain that it is his party, and M. Jourdain is graciously allowing him to use his home for it. Mme. Jourdain isn’t fooled by the explanation: “And it’s downright wicked of a fine gentleman like you to encourage my husband’s tomfoolery. As for you, madam, it ill becomes a fine lady to be causing trouble in a decent family and letting my husband think he’s in love with you.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 48)
Covielle’s plan is put into motion. He appears, disguised, and meets M. Jourdain. He pretends to have known M. Jourdain when he was a little boy. “You were the prettiest child I ever saw. All the ladies were for ever picking you up and cuddling you. . . . You see I was a great friend of the late gentleman, your father.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 49) M. Jourdain is delighted to find out that his father was a “gentleman.” He wants to know if his father was “in trade.” Covielle says: “In trade! Sheer slander! Never in his life! It was just that he was obliging, anxious to be helpful, and as he knew all about cloth he would go round and select samples, have them brought to his house and give them to his friends—for a consideration.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p.30) M. Jourdain takes this statement to mean that his father was noble. Covielle, making a pun about the word “gentleman,” lets him believe it. His description of M. Jourdain’s father’s “pastime” is an exact description of his very real work of selling cloth!
Covielle convinces M. Jourdain that the son of the Grand Turk (Cléonte in disguise) wants to marry Lucile. M.Jourdain agrees to the marriage, and to becoming a
mamamouchi
(which means “good for nothing” borrowed from the Arabic
mˆ menou schi
) a socalled noble title from Turkey, because he would be “on an equality with the greatest of noblemen.” (
Ibid
. Wood, p. 51) He is impressed with the son of the Grand Turk and the “Turkish language.” M. Jourdain is a willing dupe, and everything procedes according to plan.
The elaborate ceremony is composed of madeup language and rituals designed to impress Monsieur Jourdain and entertain the audience. It is a colorful ceremony composed of dancing, music and chanting. M. Jourdain is dressed in a Turkish costume which is completed at certain points during the ceremony. A turban and a saber become part of his costume. At the end of the ceremony, the Mufti and other Turks hit M. Jourdain with their scimitars. For M. Jourdain, this ceremony marks the culmination of his dreams. He is carried off in triumph at the end of the act. Nothing in the behavior of the participants nor in the words of the invocations or chants is real. The nonsensical activity serves to unmask M. Jourdain, finally.
Act V
Act Five ties up loose ends. Little by little all the characters except M. Jourdain are let in on the secret that the son of the Grand Turk is really Cléonte. DorimEne and Dorante have come, ostensibly to celebrate Lucile’s marriage to Cléonte, but really to see M. Jourdain in his fantastic costume. DorimEne has decided to marry Dorante to stop his “extravagances.” M. Jourdain says that Nicole may marry the interpreter (Covielle); and that he will give his wife to anyone who wants her! He is not aware of the elaborate joke that has been played on him, nor will he ever realize the extent of it.
It is this kind of analysis, act by act, that the students will engage in to gain a basic grasp of the issues and the movement of the play. Such a plot analysis will help them understand what the play is really about, why the characters are who they are, and why MoliEre chose the plot actions he did.