France - the ancestor of not only high fashion, but also many beginnings in the field of art. In the distant 17th century, the son of the court clerk Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known to the whole world under the name of Moliere, composed a witty, brilliant comedy, combining in one two such genres as dramatic theater and ballet. And now for the fourth century it does not come off the scenes of the capital and provincial theaters, it is studied in schools, and the heroes of the work have long ago become personalities.
The discovery of the genre
Of course, we are talking about the great comedy of Moliere "The Bourgeois in the Nobility". New in the work was everything: and a pronounced mockery of the mores and habits of the upper world, and realistically portrayed ignorant rudeness, ignorance, greed and stupidity of the bourgeoisie, who are striving to divide power and privileges in the country with the poor nobility, and the author's apparent sympathy for the common man, Representative of the so-called third estate. This is as far as the problems and the author's position. A spectacular production, colorful costumes, musical numbers ... Louis the 14th, ardent fan of music, dancing, especially ballet, loved a variety of enchanting productions. But before Moliere so skillfully combine the stage action, dance numbers and ballet dramatists could not. In this regard, "The philistine in the nobility" may well be considered the forerunner of the modern musical. Comedy-ballet - this is a kind of genre of the work of the great Moliere.
History of the creation of comedy
The event, thanks to which the comedy was born, is also not quite ordinary. When in 1669 the sun king, as Ludovic was nicknamed for his fondness for dresses, jewels, exterior glamor and brilliance, it became known that the sultan of the empire of the Great Ottomans (ie Turkey) sends an embassy delegation to him, the ruler of France decided to surpass him Parts of luxury. The glittering of jewels, the abundance of gold and silver, precious materials, luxuries had to overshadow the eyes of the ambassadors, accustomed to such abundance in the East, and spread throughout the world the glory of the riches and grandeur of the French court and its ruler. But the king's plan failed: he was a victim of hoax and deception. Enraged, Louis instructed Moliere to write a comedy in which the Turkish mentality would be derided along with their delegation. Thus was born "The philistine in the nobility," whose first performance before the king and nobility was given in mid-October 1670, and the official one, for the Parisian public, in November 1670. From the very day (November 28) on the stage of the main theater in Paris - Palais Royal - during the author's lifetime the play was staged more than 42 times, and this apart from other performances in smaller theaters! And about a century later the first professional translation of the comedy into Russian appeared. In Russia, "The Bourgeois in the Nobility" was adopted "with a bang," and his victorious procession continues to this day.
Content and heroes
The plot of the work is simple, the main intrigue of the comedy lies not in the conflict, but in the characters. Jourdain, of a respectable age is a petty bourgeois, very wealthy, but close, rude, and at times frankly stupid, ignorant, with all his might wants to join in the nobility of refinement, elegance, chivalry and external brilliance. The ultimate goal of all his tricks is the Marquise of Dorimen, a cute aristocrat, accustomed to assessing people by the severity of their purse and the loudness of the title. The ruined Count Dorant, the dodger and the deceiver, safely drives Jourdain by his nose, promising to help him get closer to Dorimen and, in general, to introduce his "friend" into the upper Parisian light. By nature, far from being a fool, Mr. Jourdain is blinded by the brilliance of the nobility and does not notice at all that he has long been a "dairy cow" for such passhod-aristocrats. He takes them huge sums of money, without demanding a return. He hires a host of teachers, tailors, so that they can form and shape it. There is no sense in this, but gold coins flow out of the river. In fact, "The Philistine in the Nobility", whose brief content consists in ridiculing and criticizing the ruling class of the nobles and the bourgeoisie that is coming to replace it, is a remarkable parody of that monarchist absolutist system that was formed in France at the end of the 17th century. The comedy clearly emphasized that the future is not for the cadets and drivers, but for such honest, active, enterprising and viable types and characters as Cleonte, the groom of Jourdain's daughter, Kovelier's servant, and all those who are used to trying to get everything in Thanks to his own mind and powers. In this respect, the book "The Bourgeois in the Nobility" could become a table and for the Russian nobility. However, close to the point of view and the author's characteristics of Moliere was the comedy of the remarkable Russian playwright Fonvizin "Nedorosl". Both of them are included in the golden fund of world literature.
Pattern Nomadism
Needless to say, many expressions of comedy became aphorisms, and its protagonist symbolizes human coarseness and lack of education, lack of taste and sense of proportion! "Jourdain with papillot" - we are talking about this, and that's it!