The School for Husbands

Molière, 1622-1673Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The School for Husbands by MolièreAuthor: Molière, 1622-1673,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Oct 1, 2004

Editor's review

The School for Husbands is one of Molière's early comedies, built around paternalistic guardianship and the choice of a marriage partner: one obstinate guardian tries to mold an ideal spouse through strict control, while another favors a looser approach, and the contrast between these two methods of education supplies the play's comic energy. Its value lies in using brisk stage conflict to discuss a question that has not gone out of date—whether obedience bought through control equals a reliable relationship. Molière's comic technique is already quite clear here: characters' traits are pushed toward the extreme of obsession, misunderstandings and schemes advance layer by layer, and the dialogue carries most of the wit, so that reading it feels more like watching a rehearsal. As a public-domain English translation, it is short and tightly structured, suitable for reading in one sitting and also as an introductory text for approaching Molière's comedy. One caveat: the translation inevitably bears traces of period language, and the play's assumptions about guardianship, marriage, and gender roles belong to a specific historical context; readers who measure them directly against modern ideas of relationships may miss the comedy's satirical edge—conversely, observing the characters as exaggerated types makes it easier to read the author's mockery of arbitrariness and self-deception.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Play readers new to Molière's comedy
Students interested in French classical comedy and the comedy of character
Readers who need a short English play script for reading or performance practice
General readers concerned with marriage, guardianship, and family power

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a long, complex plot with multiple narrative strands
Readers who need a modern plain-English or adapted performance text
Those impatient with classical dramatic conventions and long speeches

Reading tips

Read the whole play once to grasp the relationships, then go back and reread the scenes where the conflict is most concentrated, to savor the wit of the dialogue.
As you read, imagine the stage blocking and treat the dialogue as an argument actually taking place; the rhythm will flow more smoothly.
Pay attention to the difference between the two guardians' methods of education, noting as you go the specific things each does and their consequences.
If using it for performance practice, choose a two- or three-person scene and read it aloud by role to test whether the tone works.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

I haven't read any other Molière—can I start with this one?

Yes. The play is short and its relationships are concentrated, making it a good entry point. The exaggerated characters and the way schemes drive the action are a typical sample for understanding Molière's comic style. After finishing it, going on to his more mature works will make it easier to recognize the consistency of his technique.

This is an English translation—will the language be difficult?

As a public-domain English translation, the language bears traces of its period, and some sentence patterns and word choices are distant from modern English, but overall it is in dialogue form and the sentences are not excessively long. Readers with intermediate English can get through it with the help of context, slowing down for key scenes.

Will the play's ideas about marriage seem outdated to today's readers?

The play's assumptions about guardianship, obedience, and arranged marriage do belong to a specific historical context. But the play satirizes arbitrariness and self-deception rather than advocating any particular model of relationship. Seeing the characters as exaggerated types rather than behavioral models makes it easier to appreciate the comedy's meaning across time.

Is there a big difference between reading the script and seeing a performance?

Very much so. Much of the play's wit lies in the back-and-forth of dialogue and the characters' reactions, and reading on the page makes it easy to miss pauses and tone. If possible, after reading the script, compare it with a performance recording or a live version; it will be easier to understand which laughs depend on stage timing rather than the words themselves.

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About the author

Molière, 1622-1673 Author

Molière (1622-1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a leading figure of French classical comedy and worked in the seventeenth-century French theatre as both actor and playwright. The library holds 41 of his works, including such representative plays as Tartuffe, The Miser, and Don Juan, ou le Festin de pierre, as well as multi-volume editions of his complete works. Drawing on everyday life, his comedies expose hypocrisy, greed, and vanity with exaggerated yet incisive satire; his characters are vividly drawn and his dialogue witty and lively, conveying criticism of social ills through laughter. Public information on his early life and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here. His plays have had a profound influence on French and European theatre history and are still frequently staged today.