THE MISER PLAY ANALYSIS
1. How are the era’s cultural, political, economic and moral orientations handled in The Miser?
Molière’s The Miser is a play from a period when Classicism dominated France. Therefore it is best to begin with Classicism. Classicism is the result of certain political, artistic and intellectual developments of the 17th century. During this era the monarchy’s support for the arts was considerable. The greatest example of this support is the establishment of the French Academy. With the founding of the academy, strict rules in form and style were set in playwriting. These rules were created by taking into account the works of Ancient Greek authors and the views of theorists such as Aristotle and later Horace. The theorists of the era who adopted these rules were also influenced by France’s cultural, social and economic conditions. The dominance of philosophy and science in France brought rationalism, and how a theatrical work should be was determined according to rationalism. Growing confidence in human reason also paved the way for strict rules in theatre. In short, the view prevailed that if there is order in the universe, there must also be order in plays.
The Classical movement, which is based on reason, order and moderation, developed during the years when monarchical authority grew stronger in France and England. These monarchies were economically well off. Agriculture and colonial trade were two important pillars of this prosperity. Success in agriculture and colonialism ensured wealth and authority. In those years theatre was under the support and control of the monarchy, which had secured its authority. French kings in particular gave great support to theatre and led other European countries.
The price of the court’s support for theatre was control. In this period theatre’s duty was to protect and exalt order. Theatre was responsible for upholding society’s values, being instructive and observing social benefit. While doing so, a meticulous form and style had to be followed. Some examples of how form should be: purity, a certain length, organic unity, consistency, the three unities, five acts, no more than three people speaking on stage and not showing bloody events. The Miser is a play that adheres to the rule of the three unities. Its language is plain.
To sum up, a simple theatrical understanding was defined in France that sided with the established order, was morally instructive, had refined expression, was meticulous about language and had strict rules of form. This understanding of theatre did not dwell on profound ideas and limited itself to punishing extremes in the play.
Molière wrote The Miser under these conditions. Of course, as a writer of comedy he was not as favored and supported as other court artists. Indeed many of his plays were criticized. However, Molière’s comedies had a certain inclusiveness. He had plays that appealed to both the common people and the upper classes. For this reason he was disliked by some figures of the elite, like Racine.
In The Miser a strong critique is present. It is no surprise that this play, which plainly reveals the people’s obsession with money and their spiritual poverty, was not well liked. In this play Molière states that to survive one has to flatter others, that women are sold like property, and that the system is corrupt.
2. What values, views or philosophy are represented by the main and opposing characters in The Miser?
The main character of the play is Harpagon. Harpagon represents the bourgeois who lacks spirituality and is extremely miserly. Through this character the writer critiques the bourgeois class of the era.
For Harpagon everything starts with money. He has a great love for money. The fear that his money will be stolen has made him paranoid. He even approaches his own children with suspicion and believes everyone has their eyes on his money.
Harpagon acts as utilitarian as possible. According to his philosophy of life, a person must put his own interests before everything and everyone. One must set spirituality aside and choose what is rational and useful. This is evident in his attitude when choosing the people he wants to marry his children to. He keeps insisting, “Without dowry…“.
To Harpagon a person’s reputation in society is very important. Therefore feelings should be secondary and one should act in accordance with society to receive positive feedback. The corruption of social order does not matter; one must adapt. In this respect it is accurate to call Harpagon a man of the system.
Harpagon’s interest in Mariane is nothing more than an obsession. This obsession stems from his desire to be praised. Although he is bothered by Mariane’s lack of a dowry, helping this fallen woman is only a personal pleasure for Harpagon. In this way he will constantly be praised and she will always owe him gratitude. In this respect we can call him sadistic.
The features I have listed above belong to the character Harpagon and thus to the bourgeois of the era. The writer ridicules this character to sting him.
Almost all the characters outside of Harpagon are his opposites. This opposition can be seen in pairs such as Miserliness vs Generosity and Old vs New. Harpagon is a backward man. Young people like Cléante and Élise have freer minds. Traces of this generational conflict are frequently seen in the play.
In terms of representation some characters carry direct references. One of them is Master Simon, who represents the Jews. Master Simon represents the moneylenders. Characters like Brindavoine and La Merluche represent the sycophants of the era.
Another important character in terms of representation is Valère. Although he is quite virtuous, he has to behave as someone he is not because of circumstances, enduring evils and humiliations for the woman he loves. In this respect we can say he represents the young people trying to stand on their feet in that era. The obstacle before these young people is, of course, misers of the upper class like Harpagon.
3. By what method is rebellion against the system concretized in The Miser?
The Miser is a comedy that contains satire. While constructing this comedy, the writer started out with a character caricatured by the trait of miserliness and showed its effects on the other people around him.
The writer conveys the crookedness of the system in which he lives through the bourgeois class. He examines this class that has attained prosperity. He pays attention to their effort to make up for their lack of virtue with material wealth. It is precisely from this point that he builds his satire. He states that people with no solid character take refuge in the money they have and try to fill the deficiency in their character with that money.
At the very beginning of the play we see the introduction of the character Harpagon. We understand that we will watch the story of a miserly man. Then other characters enter the scene. Characters such as Cléante, Valère and Élise position themselves against Harpagon. From these relationships it is clear that the writer portrays Harpagon as the system or as a man of the system and the others as those who will change or ruin this system. Indeed that is what happens and Harpagon is defeated in some way.
Of course it is possible to see that many other issues or positions are criticized through Harpagon. The writer gathers almost all the negative aspects of the period’s bourgeois in this character and then puts him in ridiculous situations. However, at the end of the play it is not possible to talk about a complete destruction of Harpagon. By using such an ending the writer shows the difficulty of standing up to the system or destroying it.
References
- Brockett, O. G. (2000). History of the Theatre. Istanbul: Dost Kitabevi.
- Molière. (2002). The Miser. Istanbul: İş Kültür Yayınları.
- Şener, S. (2008). Dünden Bugüne Tiyatro Düşüncesi. Istanbul: Dost Kitabevi.