Extract
[...] Does the woman in Molière only exist through the gaze of man? Subject: « Women, in comedies in Molière, are not painted in themselves or for themselves, but for him, the man, the husband, the lover, the father, for his regard and its use to him. » To what extent this citation of director Antoine Vitez sheds light on your reading of The School for Women by Molière ? Introduction When Agatha Christie writes The Ten Little Niggers, she does not see the racism that emanates from her title. [...]
[...] Molière emphasizes the foolishness of female characters in order to increase the arrogance of Dom Juan who despises them. Men, in Molière, are in greater numbers and are the pivots of the plays that represent a masculinist society. The woman: more cunning than she appears However, in The School for Women, notably, but also in The Women savants, we see that the place of women takes another position. First of all, note that in The School for Women, Arnolphe is a character who is deceived by the young Agnès and thus turned into ridicule. [...]
[...] The Feminism of the 17th century Then, in the< i >École des femmes, like elsewhere with Molière, women are belittled. Too little cunning to uncover the men's scheme, she falls into the trap every time they set a trap for her. When she is a bit more literate, she then becomes < i >Femme savante and is mocked by the author for her erudition. Molière does not allow women to be extraordinary. Finally, it is quite preferable, in a patriarchal society where everything is still to be deconstructed, to read feminist theater. [...]
[...] Contemporary theater offers its share of examples. < i >Ceci est mon corps, d'Agathe Charnet treats the female body and its reappropriation. On the other hand, it is possible to be a feminist in the 17th century and the play < i >Filles de scène d'April De Angelis is proof of this. This play puts on stage English women of the 17th century, among the first to have had the right to go on stage. Thus, it is possible to get out of our ruts and look at another theatre. [...]
[...] These social statuses have no equivalent among women in 17th-century society. In addition, the characters of Molière are inspired by the Commedia Dell'Arte. In this Italian theatre, one finds essentially male characters: on the one hand the valets: Harlequin, Scaramouche, Mezzetin who inspires Mascarille, or Brighella who inspires Scapin; on the other hand the old men: Pantalone, Cassandro or the doctor who inspires the figures of doctors in Molière; or again lovers such as Lelio and two women: Isabella and Columbina. [...]
