The Imaginary Invalid
By Molière
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Molière
Molière was a French playwright, actor, and poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and universal literature, his extant works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more.
Read more from Molière
The Misanthrope: A Play Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don Juan: Comedy in Five Acts, 1665 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope And Tartuffe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/521 plays by Molière in English translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmphitryon, By Molière Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Misanthrope (Translated by Henri Van Laun with an Introduction by Eleanor F. Jourdain) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe or The Hypocrite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Miser and Other Plays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe and Other Plays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tartuffe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Misanthrope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amphitryon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Misanthrope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Wives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Impostures of Scapin: Les Fourberies de Scapin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Physican in Spite of Himself aka A Doctor Despite Himself: Le Médecin Malgré Lui Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe School for Wives: L'École des Femmes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Misanthrope and Other Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTartuffe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Imaginary Invalid
Titles in the series (100)
The Deluge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSchiller's Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSentimental Education Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSchiller's Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems by Emily Dickinson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlappers and Philosophers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems by Emily Dickinson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSchiller's Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSentimental Education Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBobok Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales From The Jazz Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems by Emily Dickinson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe King in Yellow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Insulted and Humiliated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of the Unknown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon Quixote Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ligeia and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSylvia's Marriage: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales of Dostoyevsky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Black Cat and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Deluge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Side of Paradise Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories of Leo Tolstoy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tell-Tale Heart and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frau Bovary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDemons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gold-Bug and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beautiful and Damned Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSamuel the Seeker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Moneychangers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
The Real & Imagined History of the Elephant Man (NHB Modern Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFiona Shaw on Katherine (Shakespeare On Stage) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirecting Adaptations: Nikolai Foster on Great Expectations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThousands of Noras: Short Plays by Women, 1875-1920 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Study Guide for Henrik Ibsen's "The Wild Duck" Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Issues: A Resource of Play Scripts and Activities for Teachers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDisparate Voices: Spectral Sisters Productions Short Play Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Father (NHB Classic Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirecting Theater Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe (Almost) True Story of Hope Winter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPirandello's Henry IV Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Beginning: B.C. 4004 (In the Garden of Eden) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsText and Context: The Operative Word Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwelfth Night: A User's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenrik Ibsen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDrinks With Dead Poets: A Season of Poe, Whitman, Byron, and the Brontes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5small (NHB Modern Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Sisters (NHB Classic Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll the Lights On: Reimagining Theater with Ten Thousand Things Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeith? or Moliere Rewired Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPinter in the Theatre Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEducation, Education, Education (NHB Modern Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Study Guide for Richard Brinsley Sheridan's "School for Scandal" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDurban Dialogues, Then and Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJean-Claude Grumberg: Three Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFour Plays Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Read-Aloud Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTip of the Tongue: Reflections on Language and Meaning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhite Lead (NHB Modern Plays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Study Guide for Herb Gardner's "I'm Not Rappaport" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Performing Arts For You
Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Macbeth (new classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bell Jar: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diamond Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Town: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Importance of Being Earnest: A Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coreyography: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: An Oprah's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book: The Script Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hollywood's Dark History: Silver Screen Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romeo and Juliet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey through the Art and Craft of Humor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHamlet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Midsummer Night's Dream, with line numbers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Imaginary Invalid
165 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Argan is the epitome of the fool - he is so concerned with himself and is pleased to be the center of attention by way of his poor health. There is the requisite romantic couple who look to be thwarted because of this man's foolishness. But with the help of the impudent maid, everything is put to rights, though nothing can make Argan a rational creature!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a very funny play in the Folio 2 euros series, much cheaper than Argan's pills and potions - involving a hypochondriac, mistaken identities, clever servants and satire on the medical profession - Thomas Diafoirus, described by W.G.Moore, as the embodiment of crass stupidity.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the story of Argan, a hypochrondriac that wants to marry his daughter to a doctor in order to have one in the family. It is a typical comedy, with people is disguise, and various alliances among characters, and misunderstandings that lead to absurdity.This play is also an attack on the medical profession, with their self-interest in keeping patients sick in order to sell cures and bill for their services.Entertaining, quick read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sehr nett. Entwickelt sich in eine seltsame Richtung, nimmt Bezug auf Moliere, der Argan spielte. Größe Verwirrung.
Book preview
The Imaginary Invalid - Molière
Molière
Molière
The Imaginary Invalid
New Edition
URBAN ROMANTICS
LONDON ∙ NEW YORK ∙ TORONTO ∙ SAO PAULO ∙ MOSCOW
PARIS ∙ MADRID ∙ BERLIN ∙ ROME ∙ MEXICO CITY ∙ MUMBAI ∙ SEOUL ∙ DOHA
TOKYO ∙ SYDNEY ∙ CAPE TOWN ∙ AUCKLAND ∙ BEIJING
New Edition
Published by Urban Romantics
www.urban-romantics.com
This Edition
First published in 2016
Copyright © 2016 Urban Romantics
All Rights Reserved.
ISBN: 9781911495482
Contents
PERSONS REPRESENTED
ACT I.
ACT II.
ACT III.
NOTES
PERSONS REPRESENTED
Argan, an imaginary invalid.
Béline, second wife to Argan.
Angélique, daughter to Argan, in love with Cléante.
Louison, Argan’s young daughter, sister to Angélique.
Béralde, brother to Argan.
Cléante, lover to Angélique.
Mr. Diafoirus, a physician.
Thomas Diafoirus, his son, in love with Angélique.
Mr. Purgon, physician to Argan.
Mr. Fleurant, an apothecary.
Mr. de Bonnefoi, a notary.
Toinette, maid-servant to Argan.
ACT I.
SCENE I.——ARGAN (sitting at a table, adding up his apothecary’s bill with counters).
Arg. Three and two make five, and five make ten, and ten make twenty. Item, on the 24th, a small, insinuative clyster, preparative and gentle, to soften, moisten, and refresh the bowels of Mr. Argan.
What I like about Mr. Fleurant, my apothecary, is that his bills are always civil. The bowels of Mr. Argan.
All the same, Mr. Fleurant, it is not enough to be civil, you must also be reasonable, and not plunder sick people. Thirty sous for a clyster! I have already told you, with all due respect to you, that elsewhere you have only charged me twenty sous; and twenty sous, in the language of apothecaries, means only ten sous. Here they are, these ten sous. Item, on the said day, a good detergent clyster, compounded of double catholicon rhubarb, honey of roses, and other ingredients, according to the prescription, to scour, work, and clear out the bowels of Mr. Argan, thirty sons.
With your leave, ten sous. Item, on the said day, in the evening, a julep, hepatic, soporiferous, and somniferous, intended to promote the sleep of Mr. Argan, thirty-five sous.
I do not complain of that, for it made me sleep very well. Ten, fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen sous six deniers. Item, on the 25th, a good purgative and corroborative mixture, composed of fresh cassia with Levantine senna and other ingredients, according to the prescription of Mr. Purgon, to expel Mr. Argan’s bile, four francs.
You are joking, Mr. Fleurant; you must learn to be reasonable with patients; Mr. Purgon never ordered you to put four francs. Tut! put three francs, if you please. Twenty; thirty sous.1 Item, on the said day, a dose, anodyne and astringent, to make Mr. Argan sleep, thirty sous.
Ten sous, Mr. Fleurant. Item, on the 26th, a carminative clyster to cure the flatulence of Mr. Argan, thirty sous.
Item, the clyster repeated in the evening, as above, thirty sous.
Ten sous, Mr. Fleurant. Item, on the 27th, a good mixture composed for the purpose of driving out the bad humours of Mr. Argan, three francs.
Good; twenty and thirty sous; I am glad that you are reasonable. Item, on the 28th, a dose of clarified and edulcorated whey, to soften, lenify, temper, and refresh the blood of Mr. Argan, twenty sous.
Good; ten sous. Item, a potion, cordial and preservative, composed of twelve grains of bezoar, syrup of citrons and pomegranates, and other ingredients, according to the prescription, five francs.
Ah! Mr. Fleurant, gently, if you please; if you go on like that, no one will wish to be unwell. Be satisfied with four francs. Twenty, forty sous. Three and two are five, and five are ten, and ten are twenty. Sixty-three francs four sous six deniers. So that during this month I have taken one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight mixtures, and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve clysters; and last month there were twelve mixtures and twenty clysters. I am not astonished, therefore, that I am not so well this month as last. I shall speak to Mr. Purgon about it, so that he may set the matter right. Come, let all this be taken away. (He sees that no one comes, and that he is alone.) Nobody. It’s no use, I am always left alone; there’s no way of keeping them here. (He rings a hand-bell.) They don’t hear, and my bell doesn’t make enough noise. (He rings again.) No one. (He rings again.) Toinette! (He rings again.) It’s just as if I didn’t ring at all. You hussy! you jade! (He rings again.) Confound it all! (He rings and shouts.) Deuce take you, you wretch!
SCENE II.——ARGAN, TOINETTE.
Toi. Coming, coming.
Arg. Ah! you jade, you wretch!
Toi. (pretending to have knocked her head). Bother your impatience! You hurry me so much that I have knocked my head against the window-shutter.
Arg. (angry). You vixen!
Toi. (interrupting Argan). Oh!
Arg. There is …
Toi. Oh!
Arg. For the last hour I …
Toi. Oh!
Arg. You have left me …
Toi. Oh!
Arg. Be silent! you baggage, and let me scold you.
Toi. Well! that’s too bad after what I have done to myself.
Arg. You make me bawl till my throat is sore, you jade!
Toi. And you, you made me break my head open; one is just as bad as the other; so, with your leave, we are quits.
Arg. What! you hussy….
Toi. If you go on scolding me, I shall cry.
Arg. To leave me, you …
Toi. (again interrupting Argan.) Oh!
Arg. You would …
Toi. (still interrupting him). Oh!
Arg. What! shall I have also to give up the pleasure of scolding her?
Toi. Well, scold as much