Les Deux Billets is a one act comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

 by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian was a French poet and romance writer.-Life:...

. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1779

1779 in literature

-Events:* William Blake enrols at the Royal Academy*April 6 - Premiėre of Iphigenie auf Tauris by Johann Wolfgang Goethe.-New books:* Richard Graves - Columella* Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi - Woldemar...

. Les Deux Billets is the first of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children. The other two plays in the series are Le Bon Ménage

Le Bon Ménage

Le Bon Ménage is a one act comedy by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1782. Le Bon ménage is the second of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children...

and Le Bon Père

Le Bon Père

Le Bon Père is a one act comedy by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first performed by the Comédie Italienne in 1784. Le Bon Père is the last of a trilogy of plays called "The Arlequinades" that tell the story of Arlequin, his wife Argentine, and later, their children...

.

Plot summary

The play opens with Arlequin reading a love letter from the wealthy Argentine. In spite of the fact that Argentine loves him, Arlequin wishes that they were equally rich or poor so that she might be certain that he loves her for herself and not her money. Arlequin regularly plays the lottery, and his rival Scapin arrives with the day's lottery numbers. Arlequin has won. Scapin gives Arlequin false directions to the lottery headquarters and attempts to steal the ticket from Arlequin's pocket; however, instead of grabbing the ticket, he grabs Argentine's love letter.

Trying to profit from the situation, Scapin goes to Argentine and shows her the love letter, saying that Arlequin gave it to another woman. Argentine believes this, and when Arlequin comes back from his unsuccessful trip to the lottery, Argentine is angry and says she will marry the man who is holding her love letter. Scapin produces the love letter, and Arlequin is devastated.

Afterwards, Scapin tells Arlequin that Argentine gave him the love letter. Arlequin, desperate, agrees to trade the lottery ticket for the love letter. Scapin does, assuming that Argentine will not listen to Arlequin. However, when she discovers that Arlequin traded the lottery ticket for her love letter, Argentine realizes the true value of Arlequin's love.

When Scapin returns, Argentine pretends to be jealous and asks him to reveal the note that he has in his pocket. Scapin pulls out the lottery ticket, and Argentine snatches it. Argentine and Arlequin are now together and very wealthy.

Characters

• Arlequin, in love with Argentine
• Scapin
  Scapin
  For the French play by Molière, also known as Scapin, see Les Fourberies de ScapinScapin is an Italian surname, frequent in the region of Veneto in northeastern Italy, especially in the provinces of Padua and Vicenza...
  
  , Arlequin's rival
• Argentine, in love with Arlequin

External links

• Les Deux Billets available for free download, in French