Summary “Miserable” by Moliere
The daughter of Harpagon, Eliza and Valer, had long been in love with each other. Their first meeting was very romantic: the ship on which they were both began to sink, and Valer rescued Eliza from a terrible death. Valer fell in love with Eliza so much that he moved to Paris and settled himself as a butler in the house of his beloved father. They dreamed of getting married, but between them was Eliza’s greedy and vain father. He would never give his daughter for someone who does not have a penny. Valery spent whole days indulging the caper’s whims, hoping to win his favor.
Brother Eliza, Cleant, fell in love with a new neighbor, Marian. Her family was also poor, and Cleant feared his father’s anger.
Garpagon believed money was the main thing in life, he was infinitely stingy and infinitely suspicious: he believed that everyone. beginning from the servants and ending with his own children, they want to rob him. When the events described in the comedy happened,
Eliza and Kleant, enlisting the support of each other, decided to talk with his father about the fact that they are both in love and present him their chosen ones. To everyone’s surprise, Gargapon approved of Cleant’s choice – well, that she was poor, but otherwise – the woman at least where! He allows his son to marry her. Cleante, who is not ready for such a turn, becomes ill.
Elise Garpagon found a suitable husband: a wealthy and sedate Mr. Anselm. He is a man in the prime of his life – he is only fifty; – and he agrees to take over the wife of a stranger Eliza. Eliza shows firmness of character and tells her father that she will commit suicide if he is going to give it to this old man.
Cleant lacks money critically – the stingy father does not even give him money
Gargapon drives Cleant and meets with matchmaker Frozina. Frosin on the move showered the old man with compliments: that he was sixty years old not inferior to a twenty-year-old boy, he would live another hundred years and be able to bury his children and grandchildren. Matchmaker switches to the bride: Mariana – a beauty at least where the absence of her dowry does not take away from her natural modesty and unpretentiousness; keep it – it’s a pleasure: look how little she eats! And she is not interested in young, she likes sixty, and with glasses and a beard.
Gargapon remains extremely satisfied, but still does not give Frozine a penny. Matchmaker is not very upset: she will still achieve her, not so, so in a different way.
Gargapon arranges an unprecedented event – a dinner party, and invites the bridegroom Elisa, old Anselm with Mariana. However, even here Harpagon displays skuperdyaystvo, giving the cook (who is actually a coachman) order to cook a cheap and delicious dinner. Valer echoed the master, and he endlessly rants about saving to please Harpagon. Jacques disgusted to look at how Valer out of the skin is climbing, to once again podlizatsya. Jacques sincerely lays out the whole truth to the owner: about how the whole city judges his incredible greed. First the servant beats Harpagon himself, and then his butler. As for the beating of the owner, he says nothing, but Valera promises to take revenge.
As it was discussed earlier, Mariana and Frosin come to Garpagone in the afternoon. The girl is shocked at what her mother is forcing her to marry. Frozin comforts her by the fact that Harpagon, although rich, but will soon die. Only on a visit to Mariana finds out that her beloved Cleante is the son of this vile old man. But even with Harpagon, who was, in general, stupid, the young ones manage to talk on their subjects – Cleant spoke allegedly on behalf of his father, and Mariana allegedly talked with Garpagon when in fact she turned to his son. Seeing that the trick was rolling, Kleant gives Mariana a ring with a diamond, removing it directly from his father’s finger. He was furious, but said nothing to the wretch.
When Harpagon had to go on important matters, Cleant, Mariana and Eliza talked about relationships. Frozina, who listened to them, understood how desperate they all were, and sincerely sympathized with them. She asked them not to despair and promised to somehow resolve the current situation.
Returning, Harpagon sees the son kissing the hand of his future stepmother, and immediately became suspicious: but do not deceive him. He began to question Kleant how he liked his future stepmother. Cleant to calm his troubled father, says that near it is not so good: very mediocre appearance, deceitful behavior, and she does not shine with the mind. Then Garpagon decided to cheat and expresses sympathy for the fact that Mariana did not like his son: after all, he was going to cancel his marriage and give way to his son. Cleant falls for this trick and admits that he fervently loves Mariana. This was exactly what Harpagon wanted.
The father and son begin to quarrel and do not go to the fight only thanks to the timely appearance of Jacques. He took on the role of mediator, conveying the words of the father to his son and vice versa. It seemed to him that he had eliminated the conflict, and the servant had left. As soon as the door closed behind him, the swearing of strength revived again. During the quarrel Harpagon refuses his son, deprives him of his inheritance, curses and orders to get out.
While Cleant was busy clarifying his relationship with his father, his servant, Lafleche unearthed the box of Harpagon in the garden and stole it. When he discovers the loss of the treasure, he falls into hysterics: he curses and blames everyone, even himself.
He rushes to the police with all his might and explains to the commissioner that any of the domestic people, even more – any of the inhabitants of the whole city, can be a thief, but what is there, in general, any person. He asks to interrogate everyone. Interrogation of the police begins with Jacques. He sees in this case a revenge on Valer for beatings and points to him.
Valera is accused of “kidnapping the most expensive that was at Harpagon”: Valer decides that they have learned about their relationship with Eliza, and confesses everything. He also says that everything he did was done for good. Despite the butler’s talk about Elise, about love and about virtue, Harpagon went on to assume that Valer speaks of the casket. He understands what happens only when Valer mentions a marriage contract with Eliza.
When Mr. Anselm comes to dinner, Harpagon continues to rave. In a few minutes, it suddenly turns out that Valer and Mariana are each other’s brother and sister. Both of them are the children of rich Don Tomaso, who currently lives in Paris, called Mr. Anselm. Sixteen years before, when Don Tomaso and his family fled their hometown, their ship drowned during a storm. The crash divided the surviving family: everyone believed that no one survived except him. Mr. Anselm did not want to die alone and decided to have a family. How good that everything was resolved in time!
Garpagon finally allowed Valera to marry Eliza, and Cleante to Mariana, if they return the box to him. He also demanded that Mr. Anselm finance both weddings and sew a new suit for him, Garpagon.
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