Fernand Angué Boeken

Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Molière's story of a covetous old miser, obsessively protecting his hoard of gold and neglecting his long-suffering children. Harpagon is obsessed with the wealth he has amassed and always ready to save expenses. Now a widower, he has a son, Cléante, and a daughter, Élise. Although he is over sixty, he is attempting to marry his son's own sweetheart, Mariane. But it seems that Harpagon's pinchpenny paranoia is finally catching up with him - his gold is missing, and this time it might really have disappeared for good... The Miser was first performed in 1668, at the theatre of the Palais-Royal, Paris. This English version, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classic series, is translated and introduced by Martin Sorrell.

In "Les Précieuses Ridicules," Molière presents a satirical portrait of the morals of his time through the story of two young women, Angélique and Cathérine, who aspire to an ideal of refinement and distinction. They are seduced by ridiculous suitors, illustrating the pitfalls of pretension and illusion. The play explores themes such as love, marriage, and social critique, using humor and farce to denounce the excesses of society. Molière, with his incisive style, manages to provoke laughter while encouraging reflection on the norms and values of his era. "Les Précieuses Ridicules" remains an emblematic work of classical theater, offering a relevant analysis of human relationships and social conventions.