La Fausse Suivante
Encyclopedia
La Fausse Suivante, or Le Fourbe Puni is a play by French
playwright Pierre de Marivaux
written in 1724, and produced for the first time by the Comédie-Italienne
on the July 8 1724 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne
.
The themes of the play are seduction, money, power, cross-dressing. The main male character is a manipulative libertine
who promises marriage to a rich countess for her fortune. The female protagonist of the play, disguised as a knight, punishes both, the man by deceit, and the woman for her frivolity.
Lelio confides in the Knight his troubled situation. He is promised to a Countess he seduced, in addition to the young Parisian maiden. He would choose to marry the richest of the two, that is the heroine, if he had not already signed a contract with the Countess, which would make him lost a large sum of money if he broke his engagement to her.
Lelio thus challenges the Knight to seduce the Countess, so that he could marry the Parisian maiden without paying the sum.
The plan seems to work at first, the Countess falls for the Knight and forgets Lelio. But information of the Knight's real sexual identity leaks among the servants, and even if she refuses to disclose her name, the Parisian maiden has to admit her sex. She disguised as a servant and manages to get hold of the contract.
At the end of the play, she tears in in presence of Lelio and the Countess, both disappointed and punished by her deception.
The young Parisian maiden finally discloses her identity, and justifies her actions by asserting her independence.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
playwright Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre de Marivaux
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux , commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist....
written in 1724, and produced for the first time by the Comédie-Italienne
Comédie-Italienne
Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...
on the July 8 1724 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne
Hôtel de Bourgogne
Until the 16th century, the Hôtel de Bourgogne was the name of the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. Today, the last vestige is the Tour Jean sans Peur, 20 rue Étienne Marcel, in the 2nd arrondissement.-Theatre:...
.
The themes of the play are seduction, money, power, cross-dressing. The main male character is a manipulative libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
who promises marriage to a rich countess for her fortune. The female protagonist of the play, disguised as a knight, punishes both, the man by deceit, and the woman for her frivolity.
Characters
- The Countess, rich and attractive.
- Lelio, manipulative suitor.
- The Knight, a young rich Parisian woman who dresses as her own servant disguised as a knight.
- Trivelin, servant of the Knight.
- Arlequin, servant of Lelio.
- Frontin, another servant of the Knight.
- Servants, dancers, musicians.
Plot
A young woman, described as "the Parisian maiden", is due to marry Lelio without having ever met him. She decides to introduce herself to him as a Knight and become his friend.Lelio confides in the Knight his troubled situation. He is promised to a Countess he seduced, in addition to the young Parisian maiden. He would choose to marry the richest of the two, that is the heroine, if he had not already signed a contract with the Countess, which would make him lost a large sum of money if he broke his engagement to her.
Lelio thus challenges the Knight to seduce the Countess, so that he could marry the Parisian maiden without paying the sum.
The plan seems to work at first, the Countess falls for the Knight and forgets Lelio. But information of the Knight's real sexual identity leaks among the servants, and even if she refuses to disclose her name, the Parisian maiden has to admit her sex. She disguised as a servant and manages to get hold of the contract.
At the end of the play, she tears in in presence of Lelio and the Countess, both disappointed and punished by her deception.
The young Parisian maiden finally discloses her identity, and justifies her actions by asserting her independence.