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CHARACTERS AND SCENE


Its characters include:
  • ARNOLPHE, also known as MONSIEUR DE LA SOUCHE

  • AGNÈS, an innocent young girl, Arnolphe's ward

  • HORACE, Agnès' lover, Oronte's son

  • ALAIN, a peasant, Arnolphe's manservent

  • GEORGETTE, a peasant woman, servant to Arnolphe

  • CHRYSALDE, a friend of Arnolphe's

  • ENRIQUE, Chrysalde's brother-in-law, Agnès' father

  • ORONTE, Horace's father and Arnolphe's old friend

  • A NOTARY


The scene is a square in a provincial city.


PLOT


Arnolphe, the main protagonist, is a man of 42 years who has groomed the young Agnès since birth. He becomes obsessed with avoiding the fate of cuckoldry, and seeks to bring up Agnès in such a manner that she will be too innocent to do this to him. In order to do this, he sends her away to a convent. Right from the very first scene, Chrysalde warns Arnolphe of his downfall, but Arnolphe takes no notice.

Horace arrives on the scene ahead of his father and Arnolphe's friend Oronte, and falls in love with Agnès. Not realising that Arnolphe and Monsieur de la Souche are the same person, Horace unwittingly confides all his activities towards Agnès to Arnolphe. Arnolphe then schemes in order to out-manoeuvre Horace and ensure that Agnès will marry him.

Arnolphe becomes more and more frustrated as the play goes on. Agnès, having agreed to marry Arnolphe, suddenly realises her innocence and falls in love with Horace. She then schemes to convince Arnolphe that she is the 'good wife', but all the while seeks to pledge her future with Horace.

The final act provides great irony when Oronte and Enrique arrive on the scene and announce that Horace is to marry Enrique's daughter - which turns out to be Agnès, rendering all of Arnolphe's scheming useless.


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