The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Middle Class Gentleman, by Moliere

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Title: The Middle Class Gentleman
(Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme)

Author: Moliere

Posting Date: December 25, 2008 [EBook #2992]
Release Date: October, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MIDDLE CLASS GENTLEMAN ***

Produced by Philip Dwight Jones

THE MIDDLE CLASS GENTLEMAN (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme)

By MOLIERE (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622-1673)

Translated by Philip Dwight Jones

Comedy-Ballet presented at Chambord, for the entertainment of the
King, in the month of October 1670, and to the public in Paris for
the first time at the Palais-Royal Theater 23 November 1670

The Cast

Monsieur Jourdain, bourgeois.
Madame Jourdain, his wife.
Lucile, their daughter.
Nicole, maid.
Cleonte, suitor of Lucile.
Covielle, Cleonte's valet.
Dorante, Count, suitor of Dorimene.
Dorimene, Marchioness.
Music Master.
Pupil of the Music Master.
Dancing Master.
Fencing Master.
Master of Philosophy.
Tailor.
Tailor's apprentice.
Two lackeys.
Many male and female musicians, instrumentalists, dancers, cooks,
tailor's apprentices, and others necessary for the interludes.

The scene is Monsieur Jourdain's house in Paris.

ACT ONE

SCENE I (Music Master, Dancing Master, Musicians, and Dancers)

(The play opens with a great assembly of instruments, and in the
middle of the stage is a pupil of the Music Master seated at a
table composing a melody which Monsieur Jourdain has ordered for a
serenade.)

MUSIC MASTER: (To Musicians) Come, come into this room, sit there
and wait until he comes.

DANCING MASTER: (To dancers) And you too, on this side.

MUSIC MASTER: (To Pupil) Is it done?

PUPIL: Yes.

MUSIC MASTER: Let's see... This is good.

DANCING MASTER: Is it something new?

MUSIC MASTER: Yes, it's a melody for a serenade that I set him to
composing here, while waiting for our man to awake.

DANCING MASTER: May I see it?

MUSIC MASTER: You'll hear it, with the dialogue, when he comes. He
won't be l