Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

Molière was heavily influenced by the style of commedia dell’arte, a popular Italian comic form that employed very specific stock characters. Choose one character that you think is a recognizable type. Describe the character, using examples from the play. What characters from other works seem like they are based on the same stock character?

Imagine that you are going to produce Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme today. What current issues might you connect to the play? What changes might you make? Is there anything that seems particularly relevant? What seems out of date?

Choose an instance in the play that is obviously intended to be comical. What makes it funny? What tactics does Molière use to elicit a laugh? What is an example from a more contemporary work that uses a similar tactic?

What does the play say about social status in terms of masters and servants? How are the servants different from the masters and vice versa? Use evidence from the text to support your argument.

The play is five acts long. How is it structured? What is the purpose of each act? Do you think that the play could have been streamlined? How would you arrange it into two acts? What might you cut? What should be emphasized?

What do you think the play is saying about the concept of the “gentleman”? Which characters buy into it and which do not? How do you think this statement would appeal to an upper-class audience?

Molière’s plays are still performed today, nearly with the frequency of Shakespeare’s plays. Why do you think Molière’s work has endured for so many centuries? Why is he still funny? What moments in particular do you think would appeal to a 21st-century audience?

Which of the characters in the play are reasonable? Which are ridiculous? Why? How are they different? How are they the same? Use examples from the text to support your claims.