Business is business
Encyclopedia
Business is business is a French comedy in three acts, by the novelist and playwright Octave Mirbeau
, performed in April 1903 on the stage of Comédie-Française
, in Paris, and worldwide acclaimed, especially in Russia, Germany and United States.
An English-language adaption by Sydney Grundy
was produced in London in 1905.
, with characters, in the tradition of Molière
, where Mirbeau criticizes the French society of the Third Republic and the world of business, legal kind of gangsterism. When the play was presented in Paris during the 1994-5 season (400 performances), comments were that business and scandals are no different today than they were 100 years ago.
But allmighty Lechat, in spite of his 50 millions francs, is powerless in front of death (his son is killed in a motor-car accident), as well as in front of love (his daughter Germaine rejects a "beautiful" marriage he just arranged and runs away with her moneyless lover, Lucien Garraud). Lechat, in a shakespearian final scene, is overwhelmed by the shattering of his plans, but overwhelmed especially by the mortal blow to his vanity.
Octave Mirbeau
Octave Mirbeau was a French journalist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, novelist, and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, while still appealing to the literary and artistic avant-garde...
, performed in April 1903 on the stage of Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
, in Paris, and worldwide acclaimed, especially in Russia, Germany and United States.
An English-language adaption by Sydney Grundy
Sydney Grundy
Sydney Grundy was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world...
was produced in London in 1905.
Comedy of manners
That work is a classical comedy of mannersComedy of manners
The comedy of manners is a genre of play/television/film which satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young...
, with characters, in the tradition of Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, where Mirbeau criticizes the French society of the Third Republic and the world of business, legal kind of gangsterism. When the play was presented in Paris during the 1994-5 season (400 performances), comments were that business and scandals are no different today than they were 100 years ago.
Main character
The fable is built around the main character, symbolically named Isidore Lechat. He is a predator without any scruples, predecessor of the modern masters of business intrigue, a « brasseur d'affaires » and money-grubber, who is a product of the new world, a figure who makes money from everything and spreads his tentacles out over the world. He sacrifices his children in his obsession to get more and more money and power : Lechat insists upon purchasing an aristocratic husband for his daughter Germaine, and upon making his corrupted son Xavier the leader of Parisian society, paying for him fabulous gambling debts. Can there be anything that money won't buy?But allmighty Lechat, in spite of his 50 millions francs, is powerless in front of death (his son is killed in a motor-car accident), as well as in front of love (his daughter Germaine rejects a "beautiful" marriage he just arranged and runs away with her moneyless lover, Lucien Garraud). Lechat, in a shakespearian final scene, is overwhelmed by the shattering of his plans, but overwhelmed especially by the mortal blow to his vanity.