Before describing the summary of “The Tradesman in the Nobility,” let's recall the story of the creation of the work. In November 1669, a delegation of Turks solemnly arrived in Paris. Louis XIV, not sparing his face in the mud, gave them a magnificent reception. However, neither the sparkling of diamonds, nor the iridescent sheen of expensive fabrics, nor the abundance of gold and silver made the slightest impression on the ambassadors. The king, of course, was annoyed by this, but his anger increased a hundred times when it turned out that the head of the delegation was not an ambassador at all, but an ordinary fraudster. The indignant monarch ordered Moliere, who was in good standing with him, a ballet in which the fictitious delegation would be ridiculed. “It will be done, Your Highness,” Moliere replies respectfully. The “tradesman in the nobility”, however, did not appear immediately - in ten days the “Turkish Ceremony” was created, which was shown to the royal court. Having convinced himself of the success of the play, the writer transferred it to the stage of the Palais Royal Theater a month later. In total, during the life of Moliere, 42 performances were played.
"Tradesman in the nobility": a summary
The plot of the comedy is quite simple: the naive and narrow-minded tradesman - Mr. Jourdain - is passionately in love with the refined aristocrat Marquise Dorimen. In an effort to achieve the love of a noble lady, Mr. Jourdain is trying to resemble a representative of the nobility, but due to natural stupidity he does not succeed. Wanting to become a nobleman, the hero refuses Cleont, a contender for the hand of his daughter Lucille, and tries to pass off the girl for the son of the Turkish sultan. The intrigue is that the same disguised Clemont plays the role of a noble husband. Describing the brief content of “The Tradesman in the Nobility”, it should be noted that the plot of the play is simplified, which is generally not characteristic of Moliere’s works. This is due to the fact that the comedy was written to order, with a strictly defined purpose - to shower the Turks with mockery.
Analysis
Most researchers emphasize that The Philistine is not Moliere’s first play in which he allows himself to be ironic over the nobility. Already in his early works, the writer relies on folklore, introduces elements of folk humor. In addition, do not forget about the excellent education received at Clermont College. All this allows Moliere to create a truly sharp and talented satire. Outlining the brief content of “The Tradesman in the Nobility”, I want to emphasize that in this work the author’s merciless ridicule is directed in two directions at once: Jourdain is not so bad at all - he is naive, trusting, and generally friendly. However, his obsessive desire to penetrate an alien estate, according to Moliere, is worthy of severe condemnation. Nothing better than the newly minted nobleman of his teacher: hired to teach the master music, dance and manners, they are the embodiment of rudeness, baseness and vulgarity.
Character system
The summary of “The Tradesman in the Nobility” includes a description of the central characters of the play. In addition to Jourdain and his family, representatives of the common people participate in the action: cunning tailors, pulling money from the owner, a cheerful and witty maid Nicole. In addition, the adventurer Dorant plays an important role, pretending to help Jourdain and forging a relationship with the Marquise behind him.